University College Birmingham culinary arts student Sumaiyah Patel has pioneered an innovative type of tea for the UK foodservice and retail market, as part of a product development competition run by the British Frozen Food Federation.
The BFFF competition challenged UK students to demonstrate the potential of frozen within the premium food category. It aimed to uncover a creative new frozen product which could be launched onto the UK market.
Freshly frozen fruits and herbs
Unlike other teas on the market, Sumaiyah’s new frozen tea cubes contain freshly frozen fruits and herbs. Four frozen tea variants have been developed; one inch square ice cubes that chefs, caterers and consumers can put directly into a tea cup, add hot water to, and drink.
With an ever-increasing focus on healthy food, it is estimated that the fresh and natural frozen tea cube could be a big hit within the UK.
“I used to drink a lot of herbal teas and to be honest I thought that they were terrible.” said Sumaiyah. “You can’t get the flavour out of dried herbs and fruits. They are artificial and tasteless. My frozen tea cubes give a burst of flavour. They are a tastier and more natural product. Being frozen they not only lock the flavour in, but also stay fresher for longer.”
Coming to a foodservice outlet or retailer near you…
Over the last months Sumaiyah has been working “day and night” on developing her product. This September, Sumaiyah plans to showcase her product to UK foodservice suppliers and retailers in a drive to get her product stocked. Retailer Iceland has already shown interest.
“Current trends show that tea has become the new coffee. 60.2 billion cups are drunk every year. With different flavours becoming more prominent in the UK market, why hasn’t the idea of frozen tea been produced?” says Sumaiyah.
Brian Young, director general of British Frozen Food Federation said: “Sumaiyah’s iced tea cubes are pure genius. She has taken an old staid product which has existed for hundreds of years, and transformed it into a fresh and flavoursome concept.
“The process of freezing of her fruit and herb tea cubes is acting as a natural preservative. It means that consumers will taste them at the peak of their ripeness and quality. This brilliance of flavour would be impossible with dried.
“We hope to see her premium teas in foodservice establishments and on retailer shelves very shortly – and hope that the public will love these fresh and tasty products!”
