Artisan ice cream maker wins food manufacturing industry Oscar
Artisan, Kent-based firm Taywell Ice Creams has won the coveted Best New Use of Food Ingredients trophy in the industry’s Oscars – the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs), at the London Park Lane Hilton in a glittering award ceremony last night (November 20).
The firm’s achievements were recognised in front of hundreds of industry guests, as company’s md Alastair Jessel collected the award from Paul Harvey, of category sponsor Univar Food Ingredients. They were joined on stage by the awards host and star TV presenter Mark Durden-Smith.
The FMEA awards’ independent judging panel – led by Paul Wilkinson, chair of National Skills Academy and non executive director of Thorntons – praised the company’s bold and innovative approach to new product development. The judges singled out its product Sweet Rebellion, which is a healthy ice cream made without processed sugars but still tastes good, they said.
“This novel ice cream makes use of stevia as a sweetener combined with other ingredients to deliver taste and ‘scoopability’,” said the judges. “This was a huge technical achievement designed specifically to meet a colossal challenge.”
The business was formed about eight years ago by an entrepreneur looking to create novel stand-out products in the ice cream sector. Innovative products feature flavours such as Japanese Green Tea, Chocolate and Wasabi and Kaffir Lime Leaf.
New to the portfolio is a range of products that contain no artificial additives, colours, stabilisers or added sugars, relying only on natural ingredients and sweeteners.
The ice cream and sorbet business fought off stiff competition from fellow short-listed firms: Pulsetta Foods and Willowbrook Foods.
Meanwhile, Patrick Coveney, ceo of sandwich specialist Greencore, won the coveted Food Personality of the Year title.
The annual FMEAs, organised by William Reed Business Media’s Food Manufacture Group, now in their 14th year, have become the premier event in the food and drink manufacturing calendar.
FMEA awards were also made in the following categories:
- Ambient manufacturing company of the year
- Bakery manufacturing company of the year
- Beverages manufacturing company of the year
- Chilled and Dairy Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Environmental Initiative of the year
- Meat and Poultry Manufacturing Company of the Year
- Supply chain initiative
- Training programme of the year
- Judges’ star performer
- Small and medium-sized enterprise innovation of the year
- Young Talent of the Year
