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Taste of the West is delighted to announce that this month, the innovative range of non-alcoholic drinks from Sea Arch Drinks will become part of the Taste of the West range of South West food and drink being sold on Ocado, the UK’s fastest growing grocer with over 1 million customers.

Originally launched in 2016, the Taste of the West range supplying Ocado enables small to medium sized food and drink producers from around South West England to introduce their products to Ocado customers across the country. Sea Arch is the newest brand to launch on Ocado through Taste of the West, joining other South West traditional favourites including clotted cream from Trewithen Dairy, pasties from Chunk of Devon, cider from Perry’s Cider and ales from Arkell’s Brewery – as well as other niche products such as on-trend ghee from Happy Butter.

The range was launched as a way to help producers in the South West reach markets beyond the region and supply customers throughout the UK and beyond. Taste of the West takes care of all account management, marketing and promotions as well as weekly deliveries into the Ocado distribution centres – which will soon include a new fourth centre in Bristol – exciting times for the region! In the grocery shopping market, online is the fastest growing channel and this has dramatically accelerated in recent months. Ocado is well placed to out-perform its rivals in online grocery shopping and has ambitious plans to double its business over the next 5 years. Taste of the West wants South West food and drink producers – whatever their size – to be part of this growth.

John Sheaves, CEO of Taste of the West Ltd commented “I am absolutely delighted to see Sea Arch Drinks become the latest addition to our range for Ocado. We began working with them at the start of this year following the Source trade show in February; they are now members of Taste of the West and are booked to exhibit with us at  next year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair in London. Their products are highly innovative, different, and really work in today’s market place and I am sure that they will do really well at Ocado. We have seen phenomenal growth in our consolidated supply chain to Ocado in the past three years, an achievement that we are really proud of as it was set up to help smaller producers gain access to significant national markets through the provision of small case loads, which we then consolidate for upward shipment to the retailer. Consolidation is the key here to helping the smaller producer, without this solution – it would be very difficult for them to supply a national retailer”.

From December 2020, Ocado will be selling bottles of Coastal Juniper distilled alcohol-free spirit from Sea Arch Drinks as well as Sea Arch’s new non-alcoholic ‘ready to drink’ cans: Sea & T and Rose Sea & T.    

The new cans come in two flavours, both using Sea Arch’s trademark Coastal Juniper distilled spirit as the base for a refreshing and convenient alcohol-free cocktail. Inspired by a G&T but with none of the alcohol, the Sea & T is a double measure of Sea Arch spirit mixed with a lightly sparkling Indian tonic, while the Rose Sea & T is blended with a delicate rose and raspberry infused tonic. Both are designed to be served chilled in a tall glass over ice, garnished with a slice of citrus or fresh raspberry. Sea Arch Coastal Juniper is made using traditional distillation techniques. At the first sip, aromatic juniper and bitter grapefruit give a clean, crisp taste. Then comes the sweetness and spice of blood orange and coriander. Distinctively fresh coastal notes and Devon character are distilled from the wild seaside herbs of sugar kelp and samphire, and cardamom ensures a balanced, warm finish. Overall, its delicate balance of botanicals gives an intense and inviting depth of flavour, providing a sophisticated alternative for times when people don’t want to drink alcohol.

Sea Arch Drinks co-founder Sarah Yates comments“Bursting with seaside botanicals, our Sea & T has all the deliciousness of a G&T with none of the alcohol. It’s a great addition to the Sea Arch range as the convenient format of a ‘ready to drink’ can means people can simply snap it open and serve, ideally over ice and a slice. This makes the Sea & T an easy and delicious option for occasions when you might be driving or working, or you simply don’t want to drink alcohol. As we like to say, it really is more beautiful without!” Co-founder Geoff Yates added “A big thank you to Taste of the West for their support in getting our full range into Ocado. We’re looking forward to working with Taste of the West in 2021”.