Gourmet French Awards mark a decade of New Zealand-grown tea. Paris – France: Waikato’s Zealong Tea Estate has been presented with three awards overnight at an
awards ceremony at the Gourmet Sélection fine food show.
Following the company’s success at the US-based Global Tea Championships in previous years, their
teas have also impressed the jury of French foodies for the AVPA Teas of the World competition.
Zealong general manager Gigi Crawford was present in Paris to collect the awards and said that the
acknowledgment made a great 10 th anniversary gift.
“If you told us 10 years ago at the opening of our tea estate that we’d be here in the gourmet food
capital of the world, being awarded medals for our teas a decade later… it’s a such testament to the
hard work of our entire team at home.”
Mrs Crawford has been part of Zealong from day one and has seen the estate grow from “a crazy
idea” to 1.2m tea bushes making up the only commercial tea estate in New Zealand, so for her to be
present at the prize giving was especially poignant.
The competition is the only one of its kind in Europe, with a focus on sensory assessment and
excellence in taste. Zealong Green, Zealong Aromatic Oolong, and Zealong Black were all awarded
medals in their categories.
The jury praised the gold medal-winning green tea’s “great harmony interesting spicy notes,”
while noting the oolong tea had “good balance” and the black tea was “very satisfying”.
“It’s always wonderful to see a New Zealand brand doing well on the world stage,” said New Zealand
Trade Commissioner to France, Ariane Gonzalez.
“French consumers are extremely discerning, particularly around food and beverage, making high-
end New Zealand produce a great fit for the market.”
Zealong’s teas are available to discerning European consumers at fine tea stores in France, Germany,
and Switzerland, as well as from Harrod’s and Fortnum & Mason in the UK.
Tea drinkers here in New Zealand can get their hands on the award-winning brews at selected retail
outlets or direct from the estate via www.zealong.com.