Calling all UK tea blenders! Where do you buy fruit?!

Hello again, I knew once I was a member I wouldn’t be able to stop asking questions!

I previously posted a topic asking what is okay to use for tea blends in terms of dried fruit (http://steepster.com/discuss/13447-dried-fruit-in-tea?post_id=201695#forum_post_20169)

From the wonderful answers on that post I think it’s time to ask what I really wanted to in the first place: Where do SMALL England-based blenders buy their fruit components??

I have spent many many hours days months and more trying to find somewhere that sells fruits and oils that are able to be used in teas. Please don’t think I am trying to steel trade secrets because I respect everyone has their own private sources to keep their products unique, but I am struggling to develop the flavours and blends I’m dreaming of, I have a lot of ideas and no ingredients to test them with :(

Currently I use http://www.justingredients.co.uk for my spices, peels, green teas and rooibos teas, a local shop for black tea, Lakeland for a couple of flavouring oils, and have seen that healthysupplies.co.uk has a small selection of freeze dried fruit however I’m hoping there are others around with wider selections.

i have researched tea blenders and have seen people use a mixture of freeze dried and just “dried fruit”. I can only seem to buy this tea suitable dried fruit from large German manufactures who after contacting them only sell by the palate or via MetroTea who also require a large minimum order that I am just not ready to do.

I would like this to become a small business so for certification reasons and also lack of space and equipment I’m not able to dry my own fruit :(

So UK blenders (there must be some out there) where do you buy dried, tea suitable fruit??

Thank you in advance!!!

Marissa