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About Matcha Yaad

Monique Farquharson, Founder of the Matcha Yaad, was looking for a community to learn from and network with. Through the MSDUK Accelerator, she became part of a growing tribe of ethnic minority founders and got access to a wide range of industry experts. Whilst it was an intensive experience, it was time well spent amongst a supportive ecosystem.  

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The Matcha Yaad is Britain’s first Jamaican matcha company which combines Jamaican flavours with Japanese matcha to create functional food and beverages. Our mission is to create food and beverages using and combining diverse ingredients from different cultures. As part of this mission, we launched our first product, the ‘Spicy Refresher’, a productivity drink as an alternative as an alternative to coffee and other energy drinks. 

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Keeping an Open Mind 

As part of the programme, we were able to access experts-in-residences who supported us on a 1-2-1 basis. This was an element of the programme I utilised extensively and the support I received from one of the experts was excellent. Whilst on the programme, I was getting ready to launch our first product, our ‘Spicy Refresher’ drink, and the EiR really steered me in the right direction and helped me develop different aspects of my business before launching. We had several meetings which I found was one of the most useful aspects of the programme.  

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Aside from the experts, there were some great online workshops that took place on the programme. A session that stood out to me was ‘Entrepreneurial Finance’ which covered the groundworks of finance when running a business. It was a memorable session because of the interactive elements which the speaker included and, as a small to medium-sized business owner, one of the most important elements is having a handle on our finances and his step-by-step process made it simple to understand.  

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Due to my personal experience and entrepreneurial background, I’ve come across many of the learnings in some form previously. However, throughout the programme, I was open to relearning and cementing some of the information that I may have had doubts about before. The learnings from the ‘Sales and Communication’ module were extremely useful because I’ve struggled with making sure I’m very concise with how I communicate my offering. This module was particularly helpful when putting together my B2B sales pitch as one of 10 businesses pitching during the MSDUK Accelerator Demo Day. We were given a tight time restriction of 5 minutes and this module was instrumental in supporting the preparation of my pitch which required me to summarise my business concisely.  

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Mentoring Experience  

As part of the programme, we received corporate mentoring, and my corporate mentor came from Nationwide. During our first meeting, I found out that my mentor had experience in Japan where they went through a similar exchange programme to myself. Therefore, that lived experience meant they were very familiar with how matcha is displayed and consumed in Japan.  

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It was great having a corporate mentor whose insights acted as a sounding board for my business and I was able to ask questions surrounding how I could present the concept of matcha within Britain. They also provided some helpful feedback on my pitch deck as well as some information on the procurement cycle and how I could present myself and my business during this process.  

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Demo Day 

I enjoyed being one of the 10 businesses pitching during the MSDUK Accelerator Demo Day because I was able to receive feedback almost instantly after walking off stage. Following the Demo Day, some corporates expressed their interest in my product which is always a great outcome. A real highlight for me was how engaging the audience was during my pitch so it was great knowing that my story resonated with the people in the audience.  

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Monique’s Biggest Takeaway 

My biggest takeaway from the programme is the importance of fostering relationships not only with the cohort that I was a part of but also, previous cohorts. Business is about relationship building no matter what type of product or service we offer. Even if the business is my competitor, I still see value in learning from one another. Overall, I have gotten some good contacts from this programme who I continue to stay in conversation even though the programme has ended.  

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Accelerator Programme Cohort 4  

MSDUK Accelerator’s mission is to develop the ethnic minority businesses of today, so they become the diverse suppliers and leaders of tomorrow. Our applications are now open for Cohort 4. We aim to educate, challenge and connect B2B early-stage ventures in order to help brilliant founders realise their full potential.  

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Since the programme’s inception in June 2021, the MSDUK Accelerator has successfully provided an extensive range of resources and support to 88 entrepreneurs from various ethnic minority backgrounds. Through our programme, we have provided interactive sessions, guest workshops, and masterclasses amounting to over 160 hours, alongside offering numerous hours of personalised mentoring and 1-2-1 support. 

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To apply for MSDUK Accelerator Programme (Cohort 4) 👉https://accelerator.msduk.org.uk/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=OrganicAC23 

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