Member Article

Local company wins national award before product launch

A Sunderland company has beaten off competition from companies across the UK to win a start-up award, before their product has even launched. Chooba, based at St Peter’s Gate in Sunderland, were chosen as UK Business Incubation’s Incubatee of the Year for 2007, despite the fact that their ‘Chooba’ drink will not be launched until spring 2008.

Gavin Blowman, Creative Director of Chooba, said: “As a brand new company that hasn’t even launched its first product to the market place yet, we were absolutely over the moon to be told we’d won this fantastic award. A great deal of hard work, research, product development and branding has already taken place for Chooba, so even to be nominated for this award by St Peter’s Gate was special to us - to win it is just unbelievable and everyone here at Chooba is extremely proud.”

Chooba, which will be launching drink of the same name to a nationwide market via smoothie bars, cafes and coffee shops in the Spring, was established by Fabian Pohl and Gavin Blowman in October 2006. Having enjoyed a similar chilled drink product while travelling in Australia, the two friends moved away from their chosen professions (international trader and graphic designer respectively) to pursue their entrepreneurial goal of creating a new chilled drink targeting the UK and European market. Chooba will be the country’s first chilled tea drink to feature Cassava balls, also known as Chooballs.

Malcolm Buckler, chief executive, UK Business Incubation said: “I’m thrilled that Chooba won the Incubatee of the Year Award. They demonstrated what business incubation is about: supporting creative individuals with innovative ideas into world class businesses. The support they have received from St Peter’s Gate is second to none and I expect to be hearing great things of Chooba in the years to come. “These guys are sure to grow their idea into a fantastic business.”

More information about Chooba can be found at www.chooba.eu.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .