Isle of Bute Coffee takes home Great Taste 2024 award for its Bute Blend by Dear Green Roastery

Based on the Scottish Isle of Bute, the Isle of Bute Coffee has been named among the top food and drink producers globally this year, picking up a highly prized 1-star Great Taste award for its “Bute Blend”, expertly roasted by Dear Green in Glasgow.

13,672 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process; and Isle of Bute Coffee was dubbed “evenly roasted with distinct notes of vanilla and chocolate on the nose, with a softness.. a creaminess.. on the finish” at the world’s most coveted food and drink awards. 3,938 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star – ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’, 1,386 were awarded a Great Taste 2-star – ‘above and beyond delicious’, and 266 were awarded a Great Taste 3-star – ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’.

Described as “high end fruity, clean and zingy”, this Bute Blend was a big hit with the Great Taste judges.

Made with speciality grade coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia and produced to B corp standards by Dear Green Roasters, the Bute Blend was one of 5,590 products to receive a Great Taste award in 2024 (which is only 40.8% of the total products entered).

Mhairi Mackenzie from Isle of Bute Coffee comments:

“We are delighted to have won a Great Taste award for our Bute Blend. It has been a personal aim to increase awareness of the Isle of Bute and the many fantastic producers we have here on Bute and in Scotland. We are proud to be adding the prestigious black and gold Great Taste badge of honour to our own Bute Blend.

We, alongside Dear Green, set out with the aim of raising the quality of coffee on our Scottish island and this award is testament to all the hard work that has gone into setting up our coffee business here.”

“Having our coffee at Dear Green recognised by the Great Taste awards means so much to our team! We work so hard to ensure every coffee we source and roast is of the highest quality and honours the producers in coffee growing communities. We always roast to maximise the sensory tasting experience and the quality of flavour in the cup and are delighted to share this achievement with our wholesale partners on Bute. Isle of Bute Coffee have single handedly raised the quality of and passion for coffee on the island and we’re lucky to be a part of their story and their well deserved success! Great Taste is an incredible accolade and so well deserved by the team at Dear Green and at Isle of Bute Coffee. It’s a huge moment for us all to share! Lisa Lawson- Dear Green Roastery

What is Great Taste?

Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind-tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.

This year, judging took place over 92 days in Dorset and London, with a panel of more than 500 judges putting the products to the test. The line-up saw food and drink products submitted from an extraordinary 115 different countries across the world.

The Bute Blend is available from Isle of Bute Coffee. RRP: £12 per 250g

For more information about Isle of Bute Coffee, visit www.butecoffee.com

The full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at www.gff.co.uk/directory and a wide range of the award-winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retailers across the country.