Gordon Ramsay, Blak Brews entrepreneur reunite in London

FIRST Nations entrepreneur Troy Benjamin recently returned from his first in-person catch up with Gordon Ramsay since winning the celebrity chef’s Food Stars competition earlier this year.

The television series, which featured Ramsay and business mogul Janine Allis, saw two teams of budding entrepreneurs compete against each other for a 12-month mentorship and a quarter of a million dollars to support their business ventures.

Benjamin, the owner of local tea business Blak Brews, impressed Ramsay immediately and was ultimately named the show’s victor in April. He has since been working with Ramsay to expand Blak Brews into new markets.

His recent 10-day stint in London provided an opportunity to meet directly with Ramsay and his team of experts for a health check on the business and some strategic planning.

He has come away with a renewed sense of confidence in himself, the brand’s potential and clarity on where next to focus his efforts.

“It’s still weird sitting half a metre away from Gordon, staring at him, and talking like it’s nothing,” he said.

“He gave me a lot of confidence that our tea is some of the best tea you can find in the world.

“It cannot get old hearing that from Gordon Ramsay that your product is one of the best out there.”

Since the end of Food Stars, Blak Brews has popped up in boutiques, airports and luxury accommodation across Australia, and after meeting with Ramsay’s head mixologist, cocktails inspired by four of Benjamin’s tea blends will soon be on the menu at Ramsay’s Lucky Cat restaurants.

Benjamin said he was also thrilled the trip provided an opportunity to solidify his relationship with Ramsay and continue what he calls the “bromance”.

“He’s just such a powerful, infectious man and he’s gotten to where he is not by no fluke, and he’s learned a truckload along the way,” he said. “His little shards of wisdom and time he gives to people, it’s so impactful, and those that have been able to spend some time with him, in that space, would undoubtedly agree.

“He even said ‘This ain’t a one-year mentorship, Troy. This is a lifelong friendship’. That was just epic.”

Benjamin said he was now looking forward to catching up with Ramsay again in November, this time in Australia, when he stops by to film content for the coming season of MasterChef.

In the meantime, Blak Brews is already preparing for the fast-approaching Christmas gifting season.

For more information, head to blakbrews.com