Carl Pretorius used to drink six shots of espresso each day. Now, the former coffee addict’s product – red espresso – is being distributed across the world and winning major awards for innovation in the food and beverage industry.

According to Pretorius, three years ago he could feel the negative health effects of having too much caffeine in one’s system.  Then, one day, the South African olive farmer walked into his kitchen looking for more caffeine and instead walked out with an idea – to fuse together the coffee experience with the health benefits of tea.

From this marriage, red espresso was born.  Red espresso is a tea espresso made from 100 percent Roobios tea, refined under a patent to an espresso grind similar to coffee.

“I didn’t want to give up on the ritual and sophistication of coffee,” Pretorius explained, “but I also didn’t want to drink an ordinary cup of tea.”

Red espresso is a mixture of both. The caffeine-free drink is rich in antioxidants, but also coated with crema normally saved for espressos.

Now, almost three years later after imagining this product, the company Pretorius founded with friends Pete and Monique Ethelston won the Global Food Award for technical innovation by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST).

Nominated by IUFoST body South African Association for Food Science and Technology, Pretorius accepted the award on Oct. 29 in Cape Town, South Africa.

“This recognition of our technical innovation in the beverage industry is a testament to what red espresso stands for,” he said, “a truly unique, special and world-class product.”

Currently, red espresso is exported from South Africa to countries such as the United States, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland and Portugal, as well as parts of Asia.  The company hopes to continue spreading their version of the traditional South African beverage across the globe.

However, they don’t want to stop there.

According to Natasha Larche, head of communications for red espresso, the company has more innovative products in the works. “We have a couple of exciting developments up our sleeves,” she said. “You’ll have to wait and see!”