Battle lines drawn for smoothie showdown at lunch! 2012
With just one day left until entries close, and a record number of high calibre submissions already received, this year’s British Smoothie Championships at the lunch! trade show will be too close to call, says event organiser Diversified Communications UK.
Taking place at 12.15pm on Friday 21 September at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, the popular live finals of the annual British Smooth Championships (sponsored by Magrini) has built an exciting reputation for keeping the lunch! show audience firmly on the edge of their seats.
Open to all professional smoothie baristas in the UK, the championships feature nine shortlisted contestants, who put their considerable talents to the test as they move through heats to earn a place in the grand final. Audience participation is a key ingredient of the judging process, and the competition is widely-recognised as an inspirational catalyst for new ideas for never-before-tasted smoothie recipes.
The eventual 2012 British Smoothie Champion will enjoy a wealth of industry prestige, plus a Vitamix Quiet One blender worth £1000 (courtesy of sponsor Magrini), whilst attending buyers and out of home food and drink retailers can also share in the success by enjoying invaluable tips from some of the best smoothie baristas in the business.
Josh Kettle, managing director of ShakeTastic – the only company to win the championship twice in 2009 and 2010 – is certainly looking forward to the opportunity of his team competing again.
“Since our first win we have grown into a brand that is more than just smoothies. We’re now operating from seven outlets, including the world famous Hamleys on Regent Street and our unique London double-decker bus,” says Kettle. “Both our previous winning smoothies required hours of prep and there was a story to tell behind the flavours of each. What can I say about 2012’s entry? Well, we are back with something really special!”
Oliver Wilson-Fish of Juicafe in Lancaster has also thrown his cap in the ring again for 2012. Runner-up in 2011, whilst his wife Indy Wilson-Fish took second place the previous year, Juicafe will be hoping to make it third time lucky next month.
“The reason we are entering again is simple,” says Oliver Wilson-Fish. “Our customers expect us to. When we first entered in 2008 we thought that it would help give us credibility as a new business. It didn’t matter how good we thought our smoothies were, until other people started saying they are good too all our marketing didn’t carry much weight. Adding a British Smoothie Championships finalist logo on your marketing suddenly makes potential customers take note.”
“We have had customers ask us since last year when the next competition is, and they are genuinely disappointed for us when we say we didn’t win in 2011. We are almost in the position now that if we don’t make the final our customers will think that we are slipping!”
“lunch! is an important date on our calendar because it is about the only time we get out of the café and get to see ideas on how to improve our business and hey, the prize is worth it!”
Defending 2011 British Smoothie Champion Sylvie Parcot from Crussh however will not be returning to try and retain the crown for 2012. Having wowed last year’s judges with the delicious ‘Pomegranate Passion Pleasure’ smoothie, Parcot is happy for one of her Crussh colleagues to follow her lead.
“Crussh will definitely enter again this year but it won’t be me competing – I want to give others a chance!” jokes Parcot. “Last year was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.”
Commenting on the additional business benefits of winning, Parcot added: “It has put us even more on the Smoothie map. Everyone in the company is so proud to work for Crussh and has taken the role of British Smoothie Champion across all our stores. As we are mainly located in London and the city is now Olympic and Paralympic mad, I’m sure we’ll keep that winning spirit up to this year’s contest and hopefully come out as Champion again.”
Entry forms for The British Smoothie Championships 2012 can be found at http://www.lunchshow.co.uk/british-smoothie-championships-entry. The deadline for entries is 5pm on 31 August 2012.
Food-to-go businesses, such as cafés, delis, farm shops and coffee houses, looking to tap into the lucrative smoothie market will find a wealth of fresh ingredient suppliers and smoothie equipment providers at lunch! 2012. According to the latest UK market report by The British Soft Drinks Association, the UK smoothie market is now worth an estimated £152 million, with 55 million litres of Smoothies consumed in 2011 (up 11% on 2010 and equating to 0.9 litres per person).
lunch!, will take place at the new venue of Business Design Centre, Islington, London, on 20-21 September 2012. For further information and to register for a free trade pass, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk (https://secure.smartregister.co.uk/events/divcom/2012/Lunch/start.aspx?code=LUN12PR) and use priority code LUN12PR where prompted.
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Media enquiries & press pass requests to:
Emma-Louise Jones, PR Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 645134 e: [email protected]
http://twitter.com/DiversifiedUK
http://www.divcom.co.uk
Press passes are available to editorial staff writers employed by a trade publication, mainstream media outlet (newspaper, radio, TV, etc), or online magazines. Freelance writers, contributing editors, or bloggers may request press passes from [email protected] if the event is being covered for a specific publication or topic-related article.
lunch! exhibitor enquiries to:
Chris Brazier, Event Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 645123 e: [email protected]
Website: http://www.lunchshow.co.uk
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3143327&mostPopular=&trk=tyah
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Notes:
- lunch! is the UK’s only dedicated trade show for the UK’s out of home food and drink market. lunch! 2012 will feature 228 exhibitors showcasing a distinctive array of products, services and technologies to thousands of speciality buyers from all the major food-to-go chains, supermarkets, contract caterers, wholesalers, distributors, and quality independents.
- Diversified Communications UK Ltd (Diversified UK) is a fast growing trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton. In addition to lunch!, Diversified UK’s portfolio includes Natural & Organic Products Europe, Natural Products Scandinavia, camexpo, office*, the Service Desk & IT Support Show, Natural Products magazine and the Natural Beauty Yearbook.
- Diversified UK is part of Diversified Communications, a leading international media company with a successful portfolio of sector leading exhibition, conferences, publications and websites.
