Small organic business wins big at awards ceremony

Holistic wellness and lifestyle brand Organic Merchant has won six gold medals at the Golden Leaf Awards, Australia’s premier tea event. In addition to their six golds, including Tea Packaging, the certified organic small business that has just a dozen full-time employees and also picked up four silver medals, including best Tea Website category.

“We are incredibly humbled to have been included in this year’s awards amongst such an impressive calibre of businesses,” Organic Merchant founder and naturopath Chalimah Jeanne said. “We have been working extremely hard over the last 12 months to refresh the brand, packaging, and website to further establish ourselves as a major player not only as a loose-leaf tea brand but within the premium wellness space.”

The independent awards, judged by tea industry professionals, celebrates the highest quality, best tasting teas commercially available in Australasia. Each submission is evaluated through a blind tasting and organoleptic analysis of each entrant’s brewed colour, brewed aroma, brewed flavour, brewed mouth-feel, and brewed harmony.

These awards follow Organic Merchant’s anointment as the Manufacturer of the Year by peak organics industry body Australian Organic Limited (AOL). These Awards celebrate excellence in the organic industry – one that is growing rapidly and that is now worth $2 billion-plus a year.

“The winners all play a vital role supplying customers with nutritious food and consumables, and with nine million Australians turning to organics last year, we are very excited about the future,” AOL Chief Executive Officer, Niki Ford, said.

Organic Merchant’s founder Chalimah Jeanne described winning the award Manufacturer of the Year Award as an “incredible honour [that] validates our efforts in supporting and leading the organic movement here locally in Australia and internationally”. A naturopath, Chalimah founded Organic Merchant in 2011 by naturopath to create organic teas, tisanes, cacao blends and bath soaks for “people, planet, and purposefulness”.

Chalimah is committed to being plastic free and certified organic. All the brand’s teas are whole, unprocessed, premium grade loose leaf that is ethically and sustainably sourced and then blended for its nutrient value, therapeutic properties, and taste profile. The brand’s packaging is recyclable, biodegradable, compostable or reusable.

“We believe organic consumables are not only better for people. but also for the planet,” Chalimah said. “Our everyday choices are guided by whether or not it will be a good choice for our customers and the planet.”