Following its win of a 2-star Great Taste award for its Red Pu-erh Fermented Raw Tea, GO! Kombucha owner Gary Leigh has reaffirmed the brand’s commitment to independent health stores.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to the independent health food sector and Whole Foods and Planet Organic, to whom we remain loyal. We have no intention of using this award to follow other brands onto the kombucha bandwagon craze of aligning with major, faceless big name retailers, which ultimately comes at the expense of the independents – who put them where they are today – and the sacrifices that inevitably need to be made in terms of product adulteration in order to scale-up to meet vast orders and corporate diktats. That, surely, defeats what being a recognized fine food and drink artisan producer is all about?
“Therefore this Great Taste award is testimony to our ongoing commitment to our loyal independent health food and specialist fine food grocery base; that we won’t sell you, or GO! Kombucha, out in pursuit of greater profits, now more than ever when so many of you are struggling simply to survive in the current economic climate of extortionately high rents and business rates.”
GO! Kombucha’s Red Pu-erh Fermented Raw Tea was described by the judges as “an exceptionally refreshing and lively kombucha, really complex fermented taste, clean, aromatic and lively”.
Commenting on the award, Leigh said: “This award would not have been possible but for our great team, including GO! Kombucha’s two master brewers Andy and Paul, and the belief and passion in the brand shown by David, Linda and Alex Carr-Taylor, who own the vineyard where we have been fortunate to brew our premium fermented tea by hand in small batches in rural Sussex for over ten years.”
