TEA-rrific Result For Punjana Team At UK Food Oscars Thompson’s Family Teas, the family behind Northern Ireland’s best-selling tea, Punjana, have smashed their 2013 haul of Great Taste Awards with an extraordinary 20 Gold Stars. The Belfast company has an excellent record in the Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste Awards, having been awarded nine in both the 2011 and 2012 Awards and eleven Gold Stars in 2013. This year Triple Gold was won by “Thompson’s Organic Green tea with Ginger and Pineapple”, matching the Triple Gold awarded for Thompson’s Titanic Tea in 2012 - establishing a new presence in the Speciality sector for the independently owned family business. Just as significant for the company is the two Gold Stars won by their hero brand Punjana. Cousins Ross and David Thompson blend the entire range of Thompson’s Family Teas and their claim to blending the ‘Perfect Everyday Cuppa’ was further strengthened by Punjana reaching a remarkable total of 12 Gold Stars over the past seven years - a feat achieved by no other tea brand in the all-important ‘blended tea bag’ sector. Ross Thompson, Joint Managing Director of Thompson’s Family Teas comments: “I get very excited about the Great Taste Awards, it’s an accolade that purely takes into account the quality of the teas, which are blind tasted, with no chance of a judge being influenced by brand names. Recognition from the Guild of Fine Foods makes the ongoing investment in our products and our commitment to producing premium tea blends, at affordable prices, worthwhile.” Thompson’s Family Teas also won two Gold Stars for Thompsons ‘White meets Green’, Punjana loose tea, Thompsons Signature Blend and Thompsons Irish Breakfast tea bags with Thompsons White Tea Romance, Thompsons Titanic Luxury Loose, Thompsons Single Estate Darjeeling, Thompsons Everyday Blend tea bags, Punjana Green Tea bags and Thompsons Turkish Apple all picking up a Gold Star each bringing the 2014 Great Taste total to an unprecedented 20 Gold Stars. Before Gold is awarded, between 12 and 20 experts taste, discuss and agree on the merits of every product. For two or three stars, up to 25 judges must unanimously agree an entry has achieved absolute perfection. One star means ‘virtually faultless’, two – ‘outstanding’ and three ‘exquisite. Wow! Taste that’. The Great Taste Awards is the largest and most trusted awards scheme for speciality Fine Food & Drink - with a panel of over 400 experts made up of chefs, buyers, food writers and retailers. The awards are co-ordinated by the Guild of Fine Food and this year, for the very first time, featured judging in Northern Ireland. Tea samples are tasted over 50 days, in different locations across the UK and Ireland to ensure impartiality, and critical feedback is given to all entries, hence The Great Taste Awards being commonly referred to as the ‘Oscars’ of the food and drink world. David Thompson, fellow Joint Managing Director of Thompson’s Family Teas, added: “We have been brewing tea in Belfast for over 100 years, with a member of the Thompson family being involved in every blend we create. Winning these awards illustrates our devotion to quality as shared by previous generations.” The local family business, Northern Ireland’s largest remaining tea blender, was founded by Robert Thompson, Ross and David’s grandfather, in 1896. Until this day Punjana remains Belfast-based, employing local staff at its state-of-the-art tea blending and packing facility. To find out more, visit punjana or like us on Facebook.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 07:01:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015