Grounds for celebration as coffee firm takes gold in the 2011 Great Taste Awards

OWNERS of the Axe Valley’s Coffee Factory are full of beans – after scooping two Great Taste gold awards.

The firm, based near Shute, won the coveted one and two-star rankings for its Red Label and Black Label blends.

Managing director Danny Parfitt, who operates the business with fiance Justine Hutchings, said they were delighted the hard work and dedication they put into roasting fine coffee had been recognised.

He told The Herald: “We have taken the time to research and find out what our customers are looking for in an every day coffee blend.

“Firstly we select the finest seasonal coffees, ethically sourced from around the world, paying the best price for the best beans, ensuring the coffee growers get a fair price for a quality product.

“To produce our award winning coffees, the beans are slow roasted to perfection, then we taste and profile the coffees before finally deciding what coffees to blend together.

“Our black label blend has been a best seller and it can be found in food specialists such as River Cottage HQ and other cafes and delis.”

The Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, are now in their 18th year and going from strength to strength. This year 1,600 companies entered 7,481 products which took 350 experts 34days to blind taste.

Bob Farrand, Chairman for The Great Taste Awards, said: “Winning Gold in the country’s largest and most respected independent food accreditation scheme is a massive pat on the back for any producer independent proof their products are of the highest quality.

“We provide constructive feedback from our expert judging teams and for many, winning one, two or three-star gold is exactly what’s needed to help grow their businesses, even during a recession. “Every winner should feel very proud that their hard work has

been rewarded.”