S&D Coffee & Tea, the nation’s largest custom coffee roaster and supplier of iced tea to the foodservice industry, received four awards in the recent North American Tea Championship (NATC) iced tea class competition—including first place in the foodservice flavored green tea category and the “best value” honor for its Quality Blend black tea. S&D teas have received first place awards in six out of the past seven national iced tea competitions.
The iced tea class is divided into categories according to market application and sales channel: ready-to-drink, foodservice and instant. Each category is then separated into sub-categories to represent popular products currently being sold in the marketplace. S&D was honored in the foodservice category with the following awards:
- First place in the Green Flavored category for its Passion Fruit Green
- Best Value award for its Quality Blend tea
- Second place in the Black Unflavored/Unsweetened category
- Third place in the Black Flavored category for its Watermelon Black
“Our performance at this year’s NATC competition demonstrates our excellence in the fast growing category of Iced Tea where we are the industry leader,” says John Buckner, VP of marketing for S&D. “Additionally, the best value award for our Quality Blend unsweetened black tea is emblematic of how S&D drives profitability for operators through superior, value-driven beverages.”
NATC is the only independent competition that aims to distinguish the highest quality and best tasting teas commercially available in the North American marketplace. Iced teas were evaluated May 12-13, and NATC’s judging panel of professional cuppers assessed each submission based on a blind sensory analysis of key characteristics: flavor, body, color and clarity. The ratings of each characteristic were used to calculate an overall numerical value on a 100-point scale, and winners were determined by rank.
