Cuca Fresca Cachaças Take Gold And Silver Medals At 7Th Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Miami, FL - Cuca Fresca, a new Brazilian line of premium cachaças, was awarded a medal for each of its products at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Cuca Fresca Premium Cachaça walked away with a Gold Medal, and Cuca Fresca Pura Gold, a more aged variation of the spirit, took home the Silver.
The 7th Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held on March 18th and 19th at San Francisco's Mandarin Oriental. Over 700 spirits from 52 countries and 6 continents entered this year's competition, making it the largest and most successful competition in the U.S.
In a press release following the competition, organizers announced "the category with the largest growth was Cachaça from Brazil—which went from three entries in 2006 (when it was introduced as a new category) to 16 entries in 2007—making it equal to the Gin category for number of entries." Cachaça's growing popularity, and the steadily increasing demand for a premium product in this category, is what has catapulted Cuca Fresca's presence into four new markets (Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and Tennessee) since their Florida launch in January.
"We are thrilled that only two months after being available in the U.S. market we have already gained recognition from such a reputable competition and prestigious panel of judges," said Phoenix Kelly-Rappa, partner of Cuca Fresca LLC. "The overwhelmingly positive responses we've received to Cuca Fresca have allowed us to quickly expand from Florida to four other markets across the country."
Gold Medal recipient, Cuca Fresca Premium Cachaça stands out for the historical artisanal cachaça-making methods used to create it. Cuca Fresca is double distilled in artisan copper pots instead of using the column distillation process, used by mass-produced cachaças, that often compromises taste and quality. Each batch of cachaça is made from naturally grown sugarcane that has been harvested from a single source, and each bottle is filled with cachaça from a single batch that has been triple filtered. This production method affords Cuca Fresca the ability to closely control every step of the cachaça-making process and continue to deliver a consistently premium product. .
Cuca Fresca Pura Gold, the aged variation of the spirit, was awarded the Silver Medal. Gold in color, this extra smooth cachaça is carefully matured in oak barrels for up to five years, giving it distinct hints of oak and vanilla.
Steeped in family tradition, Cuca Fresca was created through the union of two historical cachaça making families in Brazil. In 2006, the Ferreira's, fifth-generation cachaça makers, joined forces with
Aguardente Caribeña LTD, another of Brazil's prestigious cachaça distillers, to create Cuca Fresca specifically for the American and international marketplace.
Soon after its South Florida launch, Cuca Fresca secured distributors in four key markets across the United States. In addition to being distributed through Prestige Chateaux and Domaines in Florida, Cuca Fresca is available in the following states:
- Connecticut – Ace Distributing (860)793-1400
- Illinois – BGHI (312)307-6066
- Maryland – Carpathian Imports LLC (443)454-4334/www.cimports.com
- Tennessee – Triple C Distributing (865)690-6254
For more information about sales and distribution for Cuca Fresca Premium Cachaça and Pura Gold, please call 914.646.0749 or send an e-mail to info@cucafrescaspirit.com. For Caipirinha and other drink recipes, please visit www.cucafrescaspirit.com.
SOURCE: Cuca Fresca