Steep & Sprout, an innovative Shropshire-made plant tea from LOHAS Fertiliser, has been named the winner of the 2026 GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund, securing a package of funding and industry support designed to accelerate the product’s journey into the garden retail market. The winner was officially unveiled on the first day at Glee.

Taking a fresh approach to plant feeding, Steep & Sprout combines organically derived nutrients from domestically produced resources, such as poultry manure with LOHAS Fertiliser’s proprietary patented enzyme technology, delivered through a simple 100% biodegradable and compostable ‘tea bag’ format.

The system is designed to make feeding plants straightforward for gardeners whilst tackling some much bigger environmental challenges. Its biological formulation helps stabilise organic nutrients and supports more efficient natural nutrient uptake by plants, reducing the rapid leaching and run-off associated with some conventional feeding methods.

Made in Shropshire within the Severn catchment, Steep & Sprout combines local production with a strong environmental focus, helping plants access nutrients efficiently while reducing the potential for nutrient loss into surrounding waterways.

Retailing at £7.99, the product has been developed as an accessible and easy-to-understand alternative to traditional liquid plant feeds. Gardeners simply steep the product to create a nutrient-rich plant tea, with the compostable delivery system helping to eliminate the packaging and product waste traditionally associated with plant feeding.

Talking about the win, Lian Lin, Co-Founder of LOHAS Fertiliser, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to win the 2026 GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund. Our goal with Steep & Sprout was simple: create an effective, zero-waste plant food that simplifies plant care for everyday gardeners while actively protecting our waterways. We are excited to work alongside GIMA to bring this Shropshire-made innovation to garden centres across the UK.

Backing the next generation of garden innovation

The GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund was created to identify and support the next generation of garden industry innovation, helping emerging businesses and new product concepts overcome some of the barriers associated with bringing an idea successfully to market.

Steep & Sprout impressed the judging panel with the way it brings together product innovation, commercial potential and sustainability within one highly accessible consumer proposition.

Martin Ward, Director of GIMA, said: “Steep & Sprout really caught the judges’ attention because it takes something familiar - feeding plants - and completely rethinks how it can be done. It is simple for the consumer to understand and can easily be adopted into consumer regular habits of brewing a tea for themselves and for their beloved plants.

“What also impressed us was the commercial potential. LOHAS Fertiliser has created a product that feels relevant to the way people want to garden today, is easy to use, lower waste and with sustainability built into the proposition rather than added as an afterthought. That combination of innovation, usability and retail opportunity is exactly what the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund was created to support.”

Support to accelerate growth

As the latest recipient of the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund, LOHAS Fertiliser will receive an extensive package of support to help fast-track the next stage of its development.

The prize includes free exhibition space at Glee, the UK’s leading garden retail trade show, together with up to £4,000 of tailored support which can be used across areas including design, development, consultancy, manufacturing or marketing.

LOHAS Fertiliser will also benefit from a free half-page advertisement in the GIMA New Product Digest, twelve months of complimentary GIMA membership, one year’s ACID (Anti Copying in Design) membership and ongoing PR support.

For LOHAS Fertiliser, the award represents an opportunity not simply to build awareness of Steep & Sprout, but to demonstrate how a new generation of plant nutrition products can combine strong commercial potential with a more circular and environmentally responsible approach.

Find out more

Discover more about LOHAS Fertiliser and Steep & Sprout at lohasfertiliser.co.uk.

For more information about the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund, visit www.gima.org.uk