Harrods: A Milestone for You + I
A New Chapter in Our Journey
We are delighted to share that You + I has taken a major step forward: our Kombucha and botanical teas are now available at Harrods, one of the world’s most prestigious department stores. This news follows the recent exciting development that we are now stocked in Selfridges, marking our growing presence in the UK’s premium retail landscape.
Securing a place on Harrods’ shelves is more than just a wholesale success - it’s a signal of confidence from one of the most selective and iconic retailers in the world. For us, it means that our philosophy, our ingredients, and our brand story resonate beyond niche or artisanal markets; they now stand shoulder to shoulder with global luxury names.
Why Harrods Matters
- Global prestige: Harrods is known not just in London but globally - a name associated with luxury, quality, and heritage. Having our products there elevates our brand perception and visibility internationally.
- Rigorous standards: Harrods is discerning about the products it selects. Each product must align with high expectations around quality, packaging, sustainability, consistency, and brand story. Making it past those gates is a validation of all the effort that goes into You + I’s process.
- A new audience: Harrods draws a varied clientele - local shoppers, international tourists, gift-seekers, and luxury-lifestyle consumers. Placing our kombucha and botanical tea lines there gives us access to discerning consumers who might not otherwise discover us online or in health‑food spaces.
- Retail learnings: Working with Harrods offers lessons in retail logistics, point-of-sale execution, customer engagement, packaging resilience, and inventory planning in a luxury department-store environment. That knowledge is invaluable as we scale further.
What This Means for You + I
Quality, always
We’ve always maintained strict standards in sourcing, formulation, quality control, and packaging. Harrods’ acceptance is further proof that our standards are not niche - they meet some of the highest retail benchmarks in the world.
Increased availability
If you’re in London (or visiting), you can now experience You + I products in person at Harrods. This complements our online operations and gives more opportunities for people to taste, touch, and buy without waiting.
Stronger brand credibility
When customers see You + I next to premium international brands in Harrods, it gives trust. It’s one thing to talk about being premium, organic, or artisanal - it’s another to earn shelf space at Harrods, and that is a form of social proof.
Momentum for further growth
Having Harrods on our retail roster is a powerful leverage point in conversations with future stockists, distributors, and collaborators. It opens doors and raises expectations - in a good way.
How It Happened: From Vision to Shelf
While every brand’s path is unique, here’s a rough sketch of how we got here:
- Brand refinement: Before approaching luxury retail, we sharpened every detail: our brand story, tone, packaging design, ingredient provenance, and presentation. Harrods isn’t just buying a drink - they’re buying an experience.
- Pilot successes and proof points: We built credibility by doing well in niche, high-integrity channels - direct-to-consumer, boutique health stores, high-end cafés - showing consistency in quality and reputation over time.
- Networking and introductions: Entering a store like Harrods often requires introductions, meetings, samples, and follow-through.
- Rigorous evaluation: Our product, quality system, supply chain, packaging durability, margin structures, and logistics were all evaluated. We had to meet stringent criteria for shelf life, safety, labelling, and aesthetic suitability.
- Launch planning: To succeed on Harrods’ shelf, it’s not enough just to get stocked. We had to plan for merchandising, point-of-sale visuals, staff education, sampling/demos, marketing tie-ins, and replenishment logistics.
A Thank You - and What’s Next
To everyone who supported us: from early customers, social media followers, stockists, collaborators, to our internal team - this milestone is built on collective belief, persistence, and obsession with detail.
But we’re not stopping here. Harrods is a milestone, not a destination. Next, we look toward expanding more in luxury retail globally, improving product lines, launching new flavors, deepening sustainability measures, and creating immersive retail experiences.
If you’re in London, do drop by Harrods and see You + I in person. Take a picture, tag us, and let us know what you think - we’d love to hear your impressions.