Speciality Food Magazine -November/December 2025

MOICHA CEREMONIAL MATCHA An award-winning premium Japanese matcha, sourced from Uji. Foams up brilliantly, and delivers a clean, balanced umami flavour. moicha.com SUMA MEDIUM ROAST GROUND COFFEE Slow-roasted, Fairtrade, organic, Ethical Consumer accredited coffee made from 100% high-altitude Arabica beans from small-scale co-operatives, with a smooth, velvety flavour. wholesale.suma.coop BIRD & WILD RSPB COFFEE Smooth, with dark chocolate tones, balanced acidity, and bright floral aromas. Every bag sold helps the RSPB, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre and the Fairtrade Foundation. birdandwild.co.uk and quality as well, whichmeans that whole leaves come at a premium– but the experience they offer is far beyond what amainstream teabag can offer. Indeed, Phil says that loose tea leaves offer a valuable opportunity. “Seventy per cent of our subscribers buy loose leaf teas, which is why specialityfoodmagazine.com 41 STOCK CHECK S P E C I A L I T Y F O O D M A G A Z I N E * 2 0 2 5 * DRAGONFLY TEA SWIRLINGMIST Plastic-free, individually sealed string and tag sachets, filled with authentic Bai Mudan white tea from the Fujian province. Mellow and lightly nutty. dragonflytea.com OWL & MONKEY PINK TEA WITH ROSE AND VANILLA Naturally pink tea, infused with natural rose oil, English rose petals and pure vanilla extract. Subtly sweet with a delicate aroma. owlandmonkeytea.com PENNINGTONS COFFEE FELL BLEND Smooth and moreish, this blend of South and Central American beans is bold and rich, and has picked up awards for its irresistible taste. penningtonscoffee.co.uk we’ve created a range of scoops, mugs and teapots so that they can create amoment.” This investment of time brewing the tea –which isn’t long, although Brew Tea Co suggest a minimumbrew time of three minutes – reaps rewards for the consumer, to whom stopping tomake a cup or pot of tea represents a chance to pause and take some time away from their daily stresses. “This kind of ritual is a commonly recognised element of the coffee industry, but we’re working to translate this into the tea sector, too.” The hot chocolate opportunity The world of hot chocolate is evolving, too. No longer content with the sugar- filled, chocolate-poor instant mixes that have dominated the market for years, shoppers are seeking the genuine article: hot chocolates that are rich, indulgent, and offer all the comfort you want froma cup of hot chocolate with none of the nonsense stuffed into low quality imitations... And this offers up a fine opportunity for indies. “As in other food and drink sectors over the last decade or so, more and more discerning consumers are looking for hot chocolate that’s not just great tasting but ‘cleaner’, ie made with ingredients they can understand and trust,” explains Louise Collins, marketing communications manager at Booja-Booja. “Hot chocolate is no longer just an occasional drink for cold winter nights, it is now, as any glance at social media shows, an everyday, Instagrammable treat beloved by young and old alike.” “For us, it’s always about being as inclusive as possible, appealing to ‘free from’ and ‘conventional’ consumers alike. And as amulti award-winning chocolatemaker, with a diverse, discerning and passionate customer base, it was essential that any hot chocolate we launched lived up to our reputation. If it didn’t taste indulgently creamy and like ‘a truffle in cup’, it just wouldn’t do. Early taste tests showed we were on to something special and so we tweaked and tasted, tasted and tweaked until, finally, we were delighted with the results (as happy just isn’t enough!)” ‘Truffle in a cup’ is exactly right – for too long, hot chocolates have been bland, devoid of any real chocolate richness and full of the bad stuff. Thankfully, there are plenty of options to choose fromwithin the fine food market which tick boxes all over the board – from taste and texture to quality and story. STOCK UP ON DECAF Decaf might seem like a low-level contender, but demand is rising – so smart retailers are stocking up. Research from The Knowledge Bank states that 40% of coffee drinkers are trying to reduce caffeine intake, and 49% would like to see a greater range of decaf coffee options. Meanwhile, the stats show that 32% of tea drinkers consume decaf, and 37% limit the number of cups they drink because of concerns over caffeine content. THE HOT BEVERAGE MARKET WENT UP 3.9% IN VALUE AND 2.1% IN VOLUME YOY ( TOTAL OF £2.46BN ) THE KNOWLEDGE BANK