Small businesses win big at the Great Taste Awards
The world’s premier food competition recognized 34 products from 15 companies benefitting from the UK Trade Partnerships programme.
Great Taste is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme. Championing independent food and drink producers since 1994, Great Taste is committed to supporting and encouraging businesses across the globe. The awards are organized by The Guild of Fine Food which organizes a blind-tasting of over 12,500 entrants by more than 500 experts. The blind-taste evaluation ensures that accolades are awarded based purely on taste, without the influence of branding or marketing.
Achieving even one of the possible three stars establishes a food as among the best in the world with less than one third of entrants being recognized by the judges.
This year, ITC’s UK Trade Partnership Programme (UKTP) supported 17 beneficiary companies from Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Solomon Islands, the Dominican Republic, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji, to submit their products to the awards. Products from 15 of the companies received awards, with a total of 34 UKTP-supported products receiving at least a one-star rating of ‘simply delicious’.
Of the 34 winning products, five received a two-star award for ‘outstanding products’. Less than 10% of Great Taste entrants receive a two-star rating, making it a truly rare achievement in the world of fine food.
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AMBA State, of Sri Lanka, received two stars for its AMBA Pitu Bambuwa Green tea. The judges remarked: ‘A remarkably well made green tea - the wiry, twisted leaf produces a pale green-gold liquor with ample sweetness alongside a marine character and umami. Delicate and lovely.’ |
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Fire Mountain, of Cameroon found success with its 70% Dark Chocolate. The judges described a complex flavour with ‘a slight smokiness leading to coffee and burnt caramel tones. A grounded earthy chocolate. Rich floral notes lead to dark stone fruit and berries, along with tobacco aspects’ with the texture having a ‘good bite and snap, and melts in the mouth.’ |
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Chocolate Madagascar also received two stars for its Organic Single Origin 85% Cocoa fine dark chocolate. The chocolate was praised for its smooth texture and melt, and complex flavour with notes of mulled wine, raisins and citrus finish. |
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Solomon’s Gold, of the Solomon Islands, was the only company to receive two-star recognition for multiple products, winning accolades for both its Dark Orange 70% Cacao, and Dark Nib 75% Cacao chocolates. |
The judges lauded the Dark Orange chocolate bar for delivering a ‘wonderful sheen and sharp snap’ with ‘deliciously soft and smooth’ texture. The flavour was described as a 'delightfully clean, comforting mouthful’, and ‘intensely rich’ with depth, complexity and length. Overall ‘well crafted and executed’, ‘a very grown up bar of chocolate’.
Solomon’s Dark Nib was praised for its ‘outstanding flavour. Brooding and imposing with a fruity, tangy note followed by roastiness whilst the nibs within provide a great textural element. The slight caramel note from the sugar is just perfect’. With ‘excellent tempering’ that provided a ‘pleasant sheen’, the product was overall described as ‘Well made and with a taste that lasts and proves satisfying.’
In addition to these remarkable standouts, the following companies received one-star ratings for their products:
- AMBA State (Sri Lanka): AMBA Blue Butterfly Pea Flower & Lemongrass Tisane; AMBA Passionfruit Papaya and Vanilla Jam
- Benlar Foods (Jamaica): Benlar Curry Jerk Paste
- Ceylon Artisan Tea Association (Sri Lanka): Forest Hill Silver Tips; Ebony Springs Tea Urchin
- Definite Chocolate (Dominican Republic): Finca Elvesia 65% Coffee & Sea Salt; Chocolate bar JALAO; Finca Elvesia 75% Dominican Rum
- Fire Mountain (Cameroon): Fire Mountain White Penja Pepper; Fire Mountain 37% Milk Chocolate
- Frangipani Foods Ltd. (Papua New Guinea): Galip Nut Dry Roasted with Himalayan Pink Salt; Galip Nut Dry Roasted
- Gralgo from Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd. (Sri Lanka): Ceylon Blooming Tea Jasmine Bloomer; Ceylon Mango Tea Coin; Ceylon Vanilla & Rose Tea; Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks
- Likkle More Chocolate (Jamaica): Jamaican Thyme & Orange Peels 70% Cocoa; Jamaican Sorrel 70% Cocoa; Scotch Bonnet Pepper 70% Cocoa
- MA’S Tropical Food Processing (Pvt) Ltd. (Sri Lanka): MA’S Kitchen Coconut Milk; MA’S Kitchen Yellow Rice
- Planet’s Pick Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. (Sri Lanka): Extra Live virgin Coconut Oil; Kithul Spread
- Plant Based Studios (Sri Lanka): Coconut Jam
- Red Shoots Ltd. (Fiji): Daily Good Organic Fijian Ginger Immunity Shots; Daily Good Organic Fijian Turmeric Immunity Shots
- Royalwin Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd. (Sri Lanka): Diagama Single Estate Wet (DSEW)
- Tropic Frond Oils Limited (Papua New Guinea): Niugini Organics Virgin Coconut Oil
- Chocolate Madagascar (Madagascar): Fine Milk Chocolate 50% Cacao
