COFFEE NEWS

African innovation red espresso, the world’s first tea espresso, has earned the market’s highest honour by winning “Best New Product” in the Specialty Beverage category at the world’s largest coffee show, the Speciality Coffee Association of America’s 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition, held in Minneapolis from 2 - 5 May 2008.

The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is the world-renowned trade authority on specialty coffee and conducts the competition as part of its annual conference and exhibition. This year, the SCAA assembled 7,300 specialty coffee professionals from more than 40 countries. The international conference featured the Coffee of the Year Competition, the United States Barista Championship, and more than 850 exhibit booths spotlighting the latest, most innovative and premium coffee products available. Only six products won blue-ribbon awards at the show – with red espressoTM being one of them.

“We are really honoured to accept the Best New Product award from such a prestigious organisation as SCAA,” says red espresso Managing Director, Pete Ethelston. “Part of our vision, when we launched in 2006, was to bring health into global café culture by pioneering the world’s first tea espresso. We are honoured that red espresso is being embraced by people around the world and recognised as genuine innovation in the specialty beverage industry.’”

Winning the award was a fantastic surprise and proud moment for the founder of red espressoTM, Carl Pretorius: “As a South African company, bringing this award home feels like winning the World Cup! The coffee industry is huge and incredibly competitive. For us to get their endorsement is a major feat.”

“I am delighted that my invention has such global appeal. I also feel privileged to have such fantastic support and such talented people around me. It comes through in everything about red espresso.”

According to red espresso head barista, Nic Reid, the biggest accolade was that attendees saw red espressoTM “as a true espresso – and not just a tea acting like one. “Winning the award validated all our espresso credentials: We have been recognised as an espresso by the world’s leading specialty coffee authority.”

Source:
http://www.supermarket.co.za/news_detail.asp?ID=651