Twins Jodi and Stella Kean initially planned on having a tea bar, but when such plan didn't come about, they started their own novelty tea business.

"When the lease on the shop fell through we came up with the idea for choclateas. I don't think people realize how many calories and how much sugar is in a cup of hot chocolate. We wanted to create something that felt like a treat but was healthy," the Daily Express quoted Stella as saying.

They found a tea supplier and worked with an array of different flavors to come up with their tea containing fewer than 20 calories per cup. Last December, the twins were given start-up loans of 5,500 pounds. Melissa Middleton, who has plenty of businesses in the Newscastle area, also became their mentor.

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