The Roastery become

The Roastery become an exclusively certified organic coffee supplier

The Roastery, an award-winning small batch coffee roaster based in Wellingborough Northamptonshire, has announced it has become an exclusively organic coffee roastery, buying their coffee direct from a biodynamic, organic estate in Camocim in Brazil to ensure they have not come into contact with any synthetic pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

Coffee is the third-most sprayed agricultural crop, behind cotton and tobacco, they point out. The Pesticide Action Network UK reports that acute exposure to pesticides can be toxic to humans, so not only does the environment suffer, so do the farmers who are exposed to a high level of chemicals while spraying the crops. The surrounding communities are also impacted through chemical residues in the air and water.

Starting the organic journey back in 2019, the Roastery’s managing director, Marcel Binley, travelled to Camocim in Brazil to visit organic coffee farms. It took 12 months of site visits and surveys for the Roastery to become organic certified. Deciding to make the move to only selling organic coffee was a pivotal move for the small coffee business as it means a significant increase in price of the crops and a dramatic decrease in the coffee they can purchase, they report.

Since becoming fully organic, the Roastery has also moved to a completely sustainable coffee packaging, along with becoming members of 1% for the planet.

Commenting on the announcement, Marcel Binley said: “Making the move to selling solely organic evidences our drive and ambition to become one of the major operators within the UK coffee industry. It is an incredible achievement and shows the hard work and dedication that has gone into the production of our award-winning coffee.”

The Roastery says that it also aims to continually strive to become as sustainable as possible as it continues to grow.

Van Houten launches ruby chocolate drink powder

Van Houten, the cocoa pioneer brand of Barry Callebaut, is launching a brand-new powdered chocolate drink made from ruby chocolate and will be available to the UK hospitality sector.

While cafés, bars and restaurants are slowly re-opening around the UK, Van Houten says that it aims to innovate and support the sector in its recovery by launching a brand new powdered chocolate drink made from ruby chocolate. The brand, founded by the Dutch Van Houten family more than 200 years ago and owned by the Barry Callebaut Group since 1998, claims to be the first to introduce ruby chocolate in a powdered form. This innovative new product will initially be offered to the hospitality sector, specifically to baristas and coffee bars enabling them to be more creative than ever before and offer guests a brand-new chocolate drinking experience.

“The new Van Houten ruby chocolate drink confirms the brand’s status as a cocoa pioneer,” said Freek van der Knaap, vice-president vending & beverages EMEA.

“This chocolate drink has all the flavour and colour of ruby chocolate and the powder dissolves very easily in any type of milk, or hot and cold applications. It’s the perfect option for when speed and preparation is important. This is a real innovation for the beverages industry, and we are proud to be the first company to offer this brand new product. Studies have shown that ruby chocolate, with its characteristic colour and aromas, responds to a consumer need that is not met by dark, milk or white chocolate.”

In 2017, Barry Callebaut, a manufacturer of high quality chocolate and cocoa products, revealed ruby, the fourth type of chocolate, and which they describe as an intense sensorial delight.

The unique processing of the product unlocks its naturally present flavour and colour tone from the ruby cocoa bean, and no berries, berry flavour or colour have been added to this product, they point out (ruby chocolate is considered as one of the greatest breakthroughs in the chocolate industry in decades and is now available across the world).

Black Insomnia launch Cold Brew

The Black Insomnia Coffee Company have launched Cold Brew, an allnatural, additive-free cold brewed coffee to expand their existing range of ‘4 x stronger than average’ coffees, say the company.

This coffee can be served either cold or ambient, and as Black Insomnia explain, the name is not derived from the drinking temperature, but from the brewing temperature.

“Cold brewed coffee is huge in the US, and the UK is rapidly following. It’s the trend of the moment in the coffee market! Also, cold brewed coffee is that much smoother because of the absence of a high temperature during the brewing process, which means the coffee has little to no bitterness, and is gentler on the stomach too,” said CEO, Jim Walker. Black Insomnia Cold Brew is based on 90g of coffee per litre, extracted in cold spring water over 14 hours, resulting in a very smooth yet super intense taste and a very high caffeine level. It comes in two versions - the sugar-free Pure, and the sweetened version, with 3g of sugar per 100mls.

It is also made from the same allnatural Black Insomnia Dark Roast coffee which uses a traditional Italian brewing method dating back to 1932, add the firm.

Sales soar despite hospitality closures

Pâtisserie experts, Brioche Pasquier, report that they have seen sales of their French macarons dramatically increase over the last year, despite the hospitality closures forced by Covid.

The company’s most recent sales figures reveal substantial growth for their light and airy macarons with a year-on-year increase of 49.7% since May 2020, they have announced, the growth coming in quick service which accounted for 51% of their macarons sales last year.

“We believe that this is down to people choosing smaller, lighter cakes and treats for health reasons,” said Matthew Grenter, foodservice sales manager.

“The café trade was able to continue trading with a takeaway offering through most of the pandemic, and it is clear from our figures that people wanted to treat themselves, but were choosing a lighter style of sweet treat.

“Our pretty macarons come in in six fruit varieties and offer little clouds of flavour which are perfect to serve as a Café Gourmande at the end of a meal. This practice of a trio of bite-sized sweet treats instead of a plate of rich pudding is we believe likely to be the go-to on trend dessert of the coming year.”

However, it is not just small bites that are doing well. The company’s individual tartelettes have also shown 2.36% growth over this difficult year with 24% being sold in hotels and 12% in pubs and restaurants, they note, with pâtisserie options like these looking elegant and refined due to their precise presentation.

Made by skilled pâtissiers from fresh and wholesome ingredients, the range is beautiful to look at and requires no kitchen skill to make or serve, point out the company, giving operators a wide range of options and meaning that any member of the kitchen team can assemble and present them with a simple sprinkle of icing sugar and a summer berry or two.

Chocolate as nature intended

First announced in September 2019, it took Cacao Barry’s expert teams almost two years to bring their concept to fruition, pursuing the goal to answer chefs’ high expectations of wholesome indulgence with no compromise on exceptional taste with the launch of Wholefruit chocolate and its first zesty and fruity expression, Evocao, designed by and for chef artisans, say the company.

This new type of chocolate is the very first Cacao Barry couverture chocolate made from 100% pure cacaofruit, claim the company. It’s sustainably sourced and carries a short, clean label - no refined sugars, no lecithin, no vanilla. This unique identity gives it an unparalleled aromatic profile that unlocks many new flavour possibilities to explore, add Cacao Barry, Evocao being the first signature expression of its Wholefruit range with others set to follow as of 2022.

Chef Ramon Morató, creative director of Cacao Barry sees Wholefruit chocolate as more than just a chocolate, but a movement. “The values associated with this chocolate are a way of understanding life through sustainability, waste reduction, upcycling and a healthier diet to have better care for our planet,” he commented. “During the process of creating different recipes, we integrated these values that were somewhat already part of our way of seeing the profession, but that we wanted to make much more visible now to highlight even more our commitment to what we think is the future... This is just the beginning.”

Wholefruit Evocao’s natural acidity and fruity notes, reminiscent of exotic fruits, make it a powerful chocolate without comparison with what is available on the market today, propose the company, and for the first time a chocolate reveals in depth all the flavours and natural freshness of the cacaofruit, they claim.

For centuries the cacao fruit, one of the most grown fruit in the world, was harvested mainly for its beans to craft chocolate, leaving 70% of the rest of the fruit discarded as waste, they point out. Today, however, Cacao Barry is partnering with Cabosse Naturals who upcycles the delicious pulp and peel into a range of 100% pure cacao fruit ingredients.

Carpigiani UK announce launch of Synthesis 2

Carpigiani UK have announced the launch of the Synthesis 2 - an innovative modular system to produce and display gelato in one.

Simply pour the mix into one of the cylinders and it is transformed into delicious gelato, stored at the optimal temperature and ready to serve to customers, claim the company. Each cylinder can pasteurise and batch freeze, no need to extract and blast freeze, no thermal shock, just delicious gelato ready to serve in a modern, stylish modular unit.

Paul Ingram, managing director at Carpigiani UK commented: “This is one impressive piece of equipment. A stylish and innovative system designed with modern operators in mind. We know the space constraints that exist within busy kitchens and shops and the Synthesis 2 has this amazing ability to create delicious gelato, freeze it and keep it at the perfect temperature, ready to serve to customers.

“It uses Carpigiani’s Hard-O-Tronic® and Teorema systems and each individual cylinder has its own LCD to show the selected program, targeted, current and final consistency as well as a modifiable storage temperature, and even the speed of the agitator can be adjusted, delivering a perfect batch of gelato. When ready, the gelato is maintained at the selected temperature, ready to be served and the transparent cylinder lids ensure that customers can see the product and choose their favourite. It really is a great system for a gelato shop and the modular units each feature two cylinders that can be built up to whatever number is required for the outlet.

“It’s really great for a range of businesses. Smaller operators can squeeze in one unit with the two cylinders and larger outlets can assemble the system in multiples of two which really increases flexibility. It’s also great for a restaurant or café that might be considering adding takeaway gelato to their menu.”

Taylor UK supplying La Cimbali’s latest

Taylor UK has announced that it is now supplying La Cimbali’s latest powerful automatic bean to cup coffee machine, the S15

The S15 combines La Cimbali’s knowledge of coffee machines, gained since it was founded in 1912, with the latest technology to create a powerful and fl exible automatic coffee maker that can produce up to 96 different high quality drinks automatically, making it easy to tailor make a perfect coffee menu, say the company.

With a maximum output of 150 cups a day, the S15 is ideal for smaller locations that want to provide high quality coffee without a larger, more technical espresso machine, Taylor UK advise.

The S15 is available in fully or semiautomatic versions. The fully automatic version is ideal for self-service applications, while the semi-automatic has a milk wand that allows operators to create different drinks simply. Both versions include a dual hopper system that provides an ample supply of coffee beans, with an optional hopper that can hold chocolate powder, further increasing the unit’s versatility. Both models also feature an innovative automatic washing system that provides a thorough clean to guarantee hygienic and effi cient operation.

Controlled via a simple yet powerful touchscreen interface, the S15s can also be fully customised according to requirements (video clips, screensavers and animations can all be added to help it fi t with a location’s branding, as well as providing simple instructions for customers for selfservice operations).

“La Cimbali have been at the forefront of the development of coffee machines for over a century,” said David Rees, marketing manager of Taylor UK. “The S15 refl ects that depth of expertise, making it simple for operators to provide customers with a high quality coffee menu at the touch of a button.”

List prices for the S15 start at £10,300+VAT.

New fl avours for Radnor’s Infusions brand

Infusions, the new fl avoured Welsh sparkling spring water brand from Radnor, has launched two new fl avours for retailers.

Blackberry & Pomegranate and Mango & Pineapple have been added to the range.

Infusions, crafted in the ancient county of Radnorshire, is made using spring water with a gentle sparkle and delicately infused with fl avours and extracts, and has been designed as a soft drink which also makes a refreshing mixer for gin and vodka, the company sugget.

Canned at source in mid Wales, Infusions comes in two other fl avours – Lemon & Mint and Raspberry & Black Cherry. The drinks are sugar, sweetener, calorie and preservative free and come in an infi nitely recyclable can. All are packed on Radnor’s zero to landfi ll site in Wales. Both Lemon & Mint and Raspberry & Black Cherry fl avours were shortlisted in the Health & Wellbeing Awards 2021 and Lemon & Mint Infusions won a Highly Commended in the Grocer New Product Awards. Infusions launched with its fi rst two fl avours in June in Sainsbury’s and is also available from Ocado as well as a number of leading wholesalers and contract catering suppliers.

William Watkins, managing director of Radnor, said: “We crafted Infusions to target a consumer looking to drink something other than plain water but who didn’t want the additives and calories that come with many sparkling drinks.”