Good Grub

Exceptional antioxidant drink is a finalist in ‘Best New Functional Drink’ category

British drinks company, Mile High (www.milehighdrinks.com), has been recognised as a ‘Best New Functional Drink’ finalist in the coveted Beverage Innovation Awards.

The 100% natural, exceptional antioxidant drink, received its accolade at a glittering awards dinner held in Munich, Germany on 15th September 2009 in association with the Drinktec exhibition. Mile High Drinks fought off fierce competition from 340 entries from 40 countries and joined 500 people at the ceremony.

The Beverage Innovation Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the global non-alcoholic drinks industry.

Mile High was selected as a finalist by a panel of expert judge including senior executives at Rewe, Interbrand and Tate & Lyle. The judges unanimously agreed that Mile High meets all of the finalist criteria:

* Genuinely innovative.

* Establishes a real point of difference with competitors.

* Introduces new concepts.

* Offers added value.

* Has market impact.

Mile High’s director, Stuart Roberts, was incredibly proud to be recognised as a finalist in the highly competitive functional drinks category, ahead of PepsiCo International and Shotz Health (which were ‘highly commended’). Attending the awards ceremony alongside a host of other innovative and high-profile drinks brands, Roberts said: “Being a finalist in this exciting category puts into perspective all of our hard work over the past four years. Since launching in Waitrose in September 2008 we have achieved more and more listings including Ocado. Our latest listing with Tree of Life means that Mile High will soon be available in leading health food shops and independent stores and delis nationwide”.

The awards, organised by beverage innovation magazine, saw guests from around the world convene at the Drinktec exhibition to celebrate the crème de la crème of food and drink NPD. After a day of networking at the nearby Trade Fair halls, the gala dinner gave brand owners a chance to let their hair down and relax while networking.

Bill Bruce, Zenith International Publishing group editorial director, said: “This year, more than ever, the Beverage Innovation Awards provides the non-alcoholic drinks industry with the opportunity to celebrate its creativity and innovation. Drinktec is the Olympic Games of the industry’s trade fairs, one of its great strengths being that it’s held only every four years. Visitors see a real step change in the way the industry is responding to the varying demands of the marketplace, and setting new trends through innovation in packaging and ingredients. We’re convinced that the awards reflect the most exciting developments in the industry.”

Roberts added: “This is the first time Mile High has been involved in such an event and it was a really great experience being in a room with so many other innovative food and drink brands. As a category finalist we’ve had a lot of interest from the media and other producers, so we’re busy catching up on all the new leads”.

Tags: antioxidant, aviation, award, flying, Mile High, milehigh

My Secret Kitchen are dancing round the pantry at the news that their Maple Caramel Sauce has won the top three gold star award. Imagine your favourite toffees made into pourable, liquid heaven – and made all the more delicious by a hint of warm maple syrup. That’s the reason for the success. To add to their joy, they also won a two gold star award for their Balsamic Reduction.

The Great Taste Awards, which is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and often referred to as the Oscars of the food industry, is this year celebrating its 15th anniversary and is the authoritative, independent standard for Britain’s fine food sector. The judging standards are the most rigorous in the UK. Every entry is blind tasted by teams of experts. By the time it earns gold, it will have been assessed by at least three different teams. This year’s judges include Alex James, farmer, journalist and bass player with Blur, Mark Hix, the chef’s chef, Charles Campion from Evening Standard & The Independent, Tom Parker-Bowles of UKTV Food’s Market Kitchen and national food journalist Fiona Sims.

My Secret Kitchen is the UK’s first food and drink tasting company. The big idea is that rather than invite people round to look at lingerie or sniff some scent, it would be great to invite them round for something they can REALLY enjoy – food

Phil Moran, co-founder of My Secret Kitchen said “ A lot of people who try our Maple Caramel Sauce at one of our tastings normally give us the verdict of “oooh” and “aaah” so it’s great to get the official three gold star approval from such a distinguished team of experts”

You can book a tasting or learn more about the opportunities of becoming an independent consultant by contacting My Secret Kitchen on 0845 094 5319 or at www.mysecretkitchen.co.uk

Tags: award, caramel, good food, good grub, maple, secret kitchen