Chiswick Couple Offer Truffles For Auction

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Innovative new business donates percentage of profits to charity

Husband and wife team Nadia and Tony Howells have launched an innovative concept in the world of fine foods. Based in Chiswick, White Truffle Auction is an on-line auction site for truffles which opens the market in fresh, premium black and white Italian truffles to anyone who wants to bid for them.

The company brings over 20 years experience in the truffle industry and makes rare and elusive premium sized, fresh truffles available to a global market and at the same time giving back something, by donating a percentage of their profits to charity.

The truffles are not just available by auction, the website also encompasses an online shopping facility where standard fresh black and white truffles can be purchased.

Through their established networks, Nadia and Tony are able to deliver premium quality fresh truffles to most parts of the world with the main priority being, to maximise the freshness of the truffle from the time it has been dug from the ground to the winning bidder receiving it.

All auctions of fresh premium truffles run for 24 hours, as it is almost impossible to maintain the freshness of the truffles upon delivery if they run for longer. The number of truffles available for auction will depend on availability and where the bidder is based in the world, as it is important to make sure the truffles are delivered to the winning bidder as fresh as possible.

The auctioning process on the website is time critical and therefore when White Truffle Auction is notified of a large truffle they will contact all interested pre-registered clients. Contact is made by email and SMS text to mobiles, to make them aware when an auction on a specified sized truffle/s will start. All auctions will usually start at 9am and close the following morning at 9am London time. Once the auction has closed the winning bidder must make an online payment within 4 hours allowing the truffle to be despatched as soon as possible from Italy.

The exact whereabouts of the Italian premium winter white truffles is a very closely guarded secret by the ‘trifolao’ (truffle hunters) and it is via White Truffle Auctions links to a network of truffle hunters that ensures their access to the more premium finds and quality truffles that come onto the market each year.

The founders of White Truffle Auction spend much of their spare time fund raising to support the charity HOPE for children, a charity dedicated to supporting handicapped, orphaned, poor and exploited children around the world. Nadia Howell is a patron of the charity. White Truffle Auction has chosen to donate a percentage of its annual profits to HOPE for Children (www.hope-for-children.org).

September 26, 2007