Suki Teahouse wins UK Quality Food and Drink award


Suki Teahouse, the Northern Irish boutique blender, has won a major Food and Drink Quality Award. The company was named winner of the Teas and Other Hot Beverages Categoryfor itsEarl Grey Blue Flower in the annual awards, one of the most important events in the food retail calendar.



Suki Teahouse was among five Northern Irish food and drink companies winning six major listings in the awards, which were announced on 7 November at a gala event in Grosvenor House Hotel, London.



The Quality Food and Drink Awards are rated the most prestigious awards for products on sale in UK grocery outlets. They are judged by an expert panel of chefs, food writers, food technologists and regional food groups.



Awards are made on the basis of flavour, high quality ingredients, excellent value and outstanding packaging.



Suki Teahouse, a small artisan business engaged in blending tea and infusions and formed by business partners Oscar Woolley and Anne Rooney in 2005, gained the highest award to a Northern Irish company.



The company, based in west Belfast, won the Teas and Other Hot Beverages Category for its Earl Grey Blue Flower tea.



Earl Grey Blue Flower' is among the company's most successful teas and infusions. It has Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance status'as well as achieving gold in the UK Great Taste Awards 2010. The company supplies leading restaurants and cafes in Britain including Patisserie Valerie with a range of teas and infusions. Clients in Northern Ireland include the upmarket Merchant Hotel. It also supplies teas for retail and foodservice to the Dobbies chain in the United Kingdom.



Other Northern Irish companies featuring in the awards were:



Finnebrogue,Downpatrick, county Down - Commended in Fresh Meats, Game and Poultry for its Sainsbury's Outdoor Reared Freedom Foods Pork Faggots and Finalist in Christmas Meat Category for its Sainsbury's British Outdoor Reared Pork Bubble and Squeak Stuffing;



CocoMojo, Belfast - Finalist in Cold Beverages - Juices and Smoothies - for its coconut milk and water juice



Dunbia, Dungannon, county Tyrone - Fresh Meat, Game and Poultry - Finalist for its Asda Butcher's Selection Oyster Cut Lamb Shoulder with Garlic and Rosemary;



Eurostock NI,Lurgan, county Armagh - Finalist in Frozen for Tesco Everyday Value Burgers



Unimush Ireland, Armagh, county Armagh -Finalist in Ready Meals Accompaniments for Extra Special Chestnut Stuffed Mushrooms with Sundried Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives.



While Dunbia, Finnebrogue and Unimush are long established and successful food processors supplying major UK retailers, CocoMojo is a recent startup enterprise formed by business woman Patricia McNeilly to market coconut-based fruit juice that she has developed. The company was formed last year and currently supplies the juice mostly to delis and farm shops in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.