Firstly, I have to ask why the name and what is so special about matcha green tea?

People are more likely to feel an emotional connection to other people than to inanimate objects or concepts. We landed on "PerfectTed" because it was very important to have a human name in the brand name. It's also a play on words for "perfected" and "perfect ten." 

When did you decide you had a viable business proposition here and how did it develop

PerfectTed's business proposition was based on a problem that Marisa had at the time. Marisa has ADHD & anxiety and can't tolerate caffeine from coffee or typical energy drinks - the only type of caffeine that doesn't worsen her neurodiverse conditions is matcha green tea caffeine because it is accompanied by L-theanine, an amino acid that helps negate caffeine's negative stimulatory effects. We couldn't find decent matcha anywhere in the UK, nor could we find energy drinks that offered the same kind of slow-release, anxiety-free energy that matcha offers. So, we spent 6 months searching for the highest-quality, ceremonial grade, organic matcha, and we eventually landed on one from Uji, Japan - the region renowned for producing the highest-quality matcha. We then worked with a beverage developer to 1) create a solution that allowed us to can the matcha, and 2) develop delicious fruity flavour combinations that would complement matcha's taste. 

Pre BBC Dragons - You already had considerable success before stepping into the Den in early March, how was that achieved?

The PerfectTed team had some early wins thanks to the real need that we were solving for anxiety-free energy. Additionally, the two categories they play in -- natural energy and matcha -- are both growing at significant rate. 

Post Dragon success, top presentation - Early days but what's life like now in PerfectTed?

Life is hectic! At the time of filming, the PT team was only made up of the three founders. The team is now 8 people! We also have a lot of exciting launches coming up and are releasing NPD very soon! 

What qualities do the three of you bring to the business that so clearly appealed to all the Dragons?

The Dragons could probably tell that we (Teddie & Marisa who represented Perfect Ted in the Den) were competent businesspeople, as we had a really solid understanding of our products, market and  company's finances. They also probably admired our passion and commitment since we had both left very stable, lucrative careers to pursue PerfectTed.