Years of hard work and dedication were rewarded on Thursday evening when Gabriel David, founder and chairman of the leading artisan soft drinks maker Luscombe Drinks, was named Devon Life's 'Food Hero' in its prestigious food and drink awards at Sandy Park, Exeter.
Recognised as a stamp of excellence amongst consumers and retailers alike, the Devon Life Food and Drink Awards champion the dedication, passion and success of people who work in the industry in the county. A result of Devon Life reader nominations and votes, the awards truly celebrate outstanding individuals and businesses, and one of the highest accolades is to be named 'Food Hero'.
Commenting on his award win, Gabriel said: “There will be many more food heroes to follow and there have been many in the past, to be seen as one of those is incredibly humbling.” He continued: “Behind the scenes at Luscombe Drinks there are forty people without whom this achievement would not have been possible. My thanks goes to them for their patience and hard work.” On a final note he added: “The food and drink in Devon is really becoming something, it's metamorphosed. We're now producing some excellent quality, prime ingredients which people can do great things with. There aren't many counties in England which can say that. These are very rich times in terms of the food and drink here and we can support it all because it is so good.” Gabriel is also vice chairman for Food & Drink Devon.
The award was presented by Michael Dart of Darts Farm who described Gabriel as a good friend and a hugely deserving winner. Previous winners of the Devon Life 'Food Hero' award include Guy Watson of Riverford Farm and Stella West-Harling of Ashburton Cookery School.
A family business based on a farm in Buckfastleigh, South Devon, Luscombe takes pride in transforming fruit into an award-winning range of 22 juices and soft drinks including ginger beers and bubblies. Their delicious tasting drinks are hand-made with meticulous attention to detail in small batches using only the best raw organic ingredients. They are passionate about using fruit to get their flavours – you won't find any additives, synthetics or concentrates in any of the drinks in Luscombe's range.
