“It’s all about the colours….” - is what Amanda Humphrey, director of Sorbet Ltd, thought when she first discovered hammam towels on the beaches of the Mediterranean coastline of south western Turkey.
View of Kaputas Beach, Turkey
Amanda has been visiting the pretty harbour town of Kas and its surrounding areas for many years, after first being captured by its sheer beauty back in 2001. She describes it as a magical place which you never tire of – the views are stunning, the restaurants second-to-none and the atmosphere compelling.
The Sorbet story began here with a simple shopping trip in Kas. Intrigued by the popularity of these brightly coloured beach towels, it was here where Amanda bought her first, all at once discovering the unique versatility and practicality of these simple cotton towels for herself.
Originally used in Turkish hammam baths or spas, these cotton towels, also known as pestemal towels or fouta towels, are the ultimate absorbent and fast-drying portable towel available, making them ideal for travel. They even double up as sarong or wrap at the beach. Once you have bought one, you wonder why you ever squashed chunky beach towels in your suitcase for all those years!
Once she had returned home, Amanda found she had lots of other practical uses for her towels, taking their use beyond the sunny beaches of Turkey. In fact, Amanda does not use conventional towels at home anymore, there is simply no need!
Cotton hammam towels are soft, compact, absorbent and quick-drying, with quality towels lasting for years. It is easy to love them; they are incredibly useful for day trips, swimming, sailing, camping, festivals, picnics and activities for kids, as well as around the home. So much so, Amanda believes everyone should own one!
On subsequent trips, Amanda brought hammam towels back home to Clapham, London, as presents for her friends. They also loved them, requesting more and more for their friends. The undeniable appeal of the hammam towel got Amanda thinking about how to bring this versatile Turkish towel to more people.
On a later trip, sailing to the famous sunken Turkish city of Kekova, Amanda talked with some friends who were with her at the time about starting a company in the UK selling hammam towels.
The bright array of colours that these towels are made in became the inspiration in naming the business. The suggestion ‘Sorbet’ seemed to be the favourite as it perfectly summed up all those mouth-watering colours. With a bundle of colourful towels brought back to the UK, Sorbet was launched in 2011 and the rest is history!
Amanda Humphrey, founder of Sorbet Ltd
Starting Sorbet was an exciting challenge for Amanda, whose background is in acting, both on the West End stage and on television. She has since expanded the range with the unique Sorbet beach clutch and decorative throw covers, with plans to present a new selection of products in the near future. Watch this space!
View of the famous Turkish Turquoise Coast, that inspired our hammam towel of the same name
Amanda continues to visit Kas every year with her family, including her daughter who first experienced it at the age of 10 weeks, and who loves it just as much as Amanda does today. It’s easy to see why!
View of the Greek Island of Meis (Kastellorizo) in the Mediterranean
