Northern Irish Suki Tea goes down well at World of Coffee 2014
Dark Cocoa Tea from Suki Tea, the award-winning Northern Irish boutique tea producer, was highly commended at the recent World of Coffee Show in Rimini, Italy.
The indulgent tea blend of black tea with cocoa kernels enables tea devotees to enjoy a chocolatey fix without all the calories. The innovative tea was highly commended by judges in the 'Best Non-Coffee Beverage' category at the international forum.
World of Coffee is Europe's leading speciality coffee event, organised by SCAE - Speciality Coffee Association of Europe- in a different city every year, and draws the top baristas, roasters and other movers and shakers in the coffee industry from around the world.
The show was held last month, attracted over 30,000 trade members and showcased 200 brands from 50 nations in the Rimini Trade Fair Centre. The event also featured the World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup and the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
Oscar Woolley, Suki Tea managing director, says: "Winning recognition for our unique cocoa tea at a world coffee event is quite an achievement. It is a tremendous endorsement of the quality and distinctive flavour of the tea, which is attracting considerable interest among tea fans and foodservice organisations."
The gourmet business, based in Belfast, launched two cocoa blended teas earlier in the year following extensive research to find the right blends.
The dark choice, Dark Cocoa Tea, is a blend of black tea and bitter cocoa kernels for a distinctively chocolaty cuppa. A lighter choice, Spiced Cocoa-Chai, is a mellow herbal blend of delicate spices and cocoa which offers a warm sweet treat that's also certified 100 per cent organic and caffeine-free.
Formed in 2005 by Mr Woolley and business partner Anne Rooney, Suki Tea supplies foodservice organizations, gourmet stores and delis throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. Teas and infusions are also supplied by the company to clients in other parts of Europe, Japan and Africa.
In addition to UK Great Taste Awards, the company, based in west Belfast, has won a Quality Food and Drink Award for its Earl Grey Blue Flower tea.
The company has achieved SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) accreditation, an assessment process for smaller food companies, which ensures consistently quality services for customers.
SALSA has been developed by the British Retail Consortium, the British Hospitality Association and the Food and Drink Federation to provide food retail buyers with demonstrable assurance that the locally sourced food meets fundamental food safety and legal requirements.