FMCG BUSINESS SUMMER 2019-2020

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L E A D I N G

I N D U S T R Y

N E W S

SUMMER 2019/20 – Volume 6 – No 10

New Innovative Recyclable Paper Pack PLUS! SUSTAINABILITY n HEALTH & WELLNESS n WHAT’S HOT NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST FMCG AUDIENCE

contents

SUMMER 2019/20

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UP FRONT

EVENTS

6

EDITOR’S NOTE

8

INDUSTRY NEWS

38 NEW ZEALAND FOOD AWARDS

9 NO LONGER A THROWAWAY OPTION Taking little steps to make a big change in waste

SPECIAL FEATURES

41 OUT & ABOUT

Our people - spotted at work in NZ and around the world

21 SNACKS

THE SHOUT

24 IT’S BBQ TIME!

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28 DAIRY NEWS

4 INDUSTRY NEWS AND INSIGHTS

10 WHAT’S HOT New products in store 12 BEST IN SEASON Fresh produce update

7 RAISE YOUR GLASS

New World launches Spiegelau collectable promotion

13 TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2020 30 HEALTH & WELLNESS

Personal care category insights for summer

10 IN THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

Special present ideas for the festive season

GOOD BUSINESS

12 TECH TIME IN THE WINE AISLE Caro Jensen explains how wineries can use technology to attract consumers

34 INDUSTRY NEWS 35 HOW TO STAND OUT ON SHELF Top tips from the Onfire Design team

37 MARKETING

The benefits of going against the norm

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

EDITOR’S NOTE

8 GIN FOR THE WIN

Q+A with Sam Brown, winner at the NZ Food Awards

36 FGC

Higher Purpose - why great brands are conspiracies of love

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40 WHAT’S ON

Events for your diary

14 WALKING THE WALK

How to build a sustainable future

REGULARS

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40 SWEET INDULGENCES

Highlights from the Chocolate & Coffee Show

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14 SPARKLING AND CELEBRATION WINE Tasting notes from Cameron Douglas MS 16 NZ BEER AWARDS 2019: THE WINNERS 18 ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT CIDER LIFE… John Oszajca chats with Paul Paynter from Paynter’s cider

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DO YOU WANT TO BE THE NEXT KARMA COLA?

We hear “we want to be Karma Cola” a lot. We get it. Who wouldn’t want fiercely loyal customers in 23 countries and counting?

But here’s the thing. Just like there’s only one Karma Cola, there’s only one of your brand. And we’re every bit as passionate and ambitious about getting people to fall in love with your brand as we are about Karma Cola.

So if you’re ready to build a game-changing, status-quo-smashing, heart-winning brand, email heath@specialgroup.com

Brand Strategy— Identity Design— Packaging specialgroup.com/design 09 846 2402

[ editorial ]

WALKING THE WALK The 12th Climate and Business Conference took place in Auckland recently, drawing delegates from business, government, and academia. The key message was that climate change will have a bigger impact, and sooner, than many businesses are preparing for. The Science is alarming and decisions made in the next 10 years will have consequences for centuries to come. Public pressure is growing for government and businesses to do more to adapt to climate change.

Our team has championed sustainability and ‘good business’ inspiration from the moment we launched this publication and we are not afraid to tackle controversial issues. There’s been a lot of ‘talking the talk’ around sustainability, but how can a business begin to ‘walk the walk’?

We checked in with a few innovators who are already inspiring action and behaviour change (see pg 14-20).

Also in this issue, find out how to stand out from the crowd and why many great brands are conspiracies of love. See the latest news and trends in Health & Wellness, Snacks, Dairy and BBQ products and find out what’s fresh in season.

Fabulous local producers and trailblazers were celebrated at the New Zealand Food Awards Gala Dinner and you will find some of the highlights on pg 38-39. The Shout and FMCG Business were honoured to be among the sponsors on the night.

FMCG Business also proudly supports the NZ Cheese Awards and the Oustanding New Zealand Food Producer Awards every year and we’ll bring you insights from these important events in upcoming issues.

For more updates subscribe to our e-news via www.fmcgbusiness.co.nz , join our conversations on social media and look out for our Leaders Forum and the next issue of FMCG Business early in the new year.

We hope you enjoy this special, bumper summer edition.

Happy holidays,

PUBLISHED BY The Intermedia Group Ltd 505 Rosebank Road, Avondale Auckland, 1026, New Zealand ph: 021 361 136 PUBLISHER Dale Spencer dspencer@intermedianz.co.nz EDITORIAL DIRECTOR James Wells The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd AUSTRALIA james@intermedia.com.au HEAD OF CONTENT Tamara Rubanowski trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 027 278 4761 SALES MANAGER Brigid DiMattina bri@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 029 230 1372 NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Vicky Bennett vbennett@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 626 115 SALES DIRECTOR Wendy Steele wsteele@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 300 473 THE SHOUT EDITOR Charlotte Cowan ccowan@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 774 080 THE SHOUT SALES DIRECTOR Jacqueline Freeman jfreeman@intermedianz.co.nz ART DIRECTOR Ryan Vizcarra ryanv@intermedia.com.au ACTING CIRCULATIONS MANAGER Troy Brookes subscriptions@intermedia.com.au PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au PUBLISHING ASSISTANT Eclypse Lee elee@intermedianz.co.nz

Tamara Rubanowski trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz www.fmcgbusiness.co.nz

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Eclypse Lee elee@intermedianz.co.nz ISSN 2382-1663

FMCG Business is audited and verified by ABC.

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L E A D I N G

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SUMMER 2019/20 – Volume 6 – No 10

ON THE COVER Cottonsoft has launched EarthSmart 360° toilet tissue with Recyclable Paper packaging. Find out more about Cottonsoft’s sustainability journey on pg 14.

New Innovative Recyclable Paper Pack PLUS! SUSTAINABILITY n HEALTH & WELLNESS n WHAT’S HOT NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST FMCG AUDIENCE J17737 EarthSmart 360 FMCG Cover_Artwork only.indd 1

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FMCG BUSINESS IS PROUDLY ASSOCIATED WITH

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FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

DISCLAIMER This publication is published by The Intermedia Group Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by New Zealand and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication.

Copyright © 2019 - The Intermedia Group Ltd

2020

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A Supreme Champion, four Category Champions and Special Award Winners will be announced in April 2020 and producer stories shared in FMCG Business, NZ Life & Leisure and through promotion and publicity.

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Kiwi food and drink producers it’s time to enter the Outstanding New Zealand Food Producer Awards.

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ARE YOU AN OUTSTANDING FOOD OR DRINK PRODUCER?

M E C HA MP

Willoughby, Sharon Galeon and Midori zery Wooden Spoon Boutique Free

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Judging is carried out by a team of New Zealand food and drink experts lead by Lauraine Jacobs.

We can’t put a value on the increased brand awareness that we have as a direct result of winning the Supreme Champion Award. The flow on effect is strong growth in our sales and improved national distribution. We are busy working on some exciting new products to enter in the 2020 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.

Sharon Galeon, Wooden Spoon Boutique Freezery

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Entries open 2 December 2019 For more information:

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Helen and Richar d Dorre steyn, Clevedon Buffal

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Winning has given us tremendous media exposure and created new business opportunities. It’s refreshed our brand and given us the confidence to continue to innovate with our cheese making and to further invest in the growth of our company.

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Helen and Richard Dorresteyn, Clevedon Buffalo Co.

Thanks to our sponsors: NZ

& Leisure INSPIR ING NEW ZEAL ANDERS

[ news ]

BEST ICE CREAMS IN NZ

CELEBRATING WITH A FRESH LOOK Something to Crow About, a family owned artisan producer of premium

The best ice creams in the country have been revealed!

The diverse range of winners of this years’ NZ Ice Cream Awards reflects the overall quality and wide variety of ice cream that is made in New Zealand. Run by the NZ Ice Cream Manufacturers Association (NZICMA), the more than 300 entries in the awards were judged across 13 different categories by an independent panel of expert food industry judges using a blind judging process and strict criteria.

The 2019 NZ Ice Cream Award winners are: Supreme Award winners • Boutique Manufacturer: Zany Zeus Limited, Ghana Chocolate • Large Manufacturer: Tip Top Ice Cream, Tip Top Boysenberry Ripple Category winners • Standard Vanilla Ice Cream: Talley’s Group Ltd, Oravida Vanilla • Standard Ice Cream: Tip Top Ice Cream, Tip Top Boysenberry Ripple • Best of Nuts: Little ‘Lato, Hazelnut Chocolate • Premium Vanilla Ice Cream: Talley’s Group Ltd, Motueka Creamery Mt. Arthur Snowfall Vanilla • Premium Ice Cream: Kāpiti Ice Cream, Kāpiti Fig & Manuka Honey (joint winner) • Premium Ice Cream: Zany Zeus Limited, Ghana Chocolate (joint winner) • Open Creative: Little ‘Lato, Massaman Curry • Kids Choice: Puhoi Valley Café, Puhoi Choc Bomb • Gelato: Gelato Roma, Salted Caramel • Sorbet: Gellicious Gelato Ltd, Blackcurrant Sorbet • Low Fat: Zany Zeus Limited, Feijoa • Non-Dairy: Little Liberty Creamery, Little Liberty - Double Espresso • New to Market: Gelissimo Gelato, Pistachio Premo

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FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

muesli and roasted seed toppers, proudly crafted in New Zealand, celebrates five years in business.

Founded in 2014 by husband and wife team, Mike and Christine Millar, (L to R) Christine, Leah and Mike Millar at the Go Green Expo in Christchurch Something to Crow About is celebrating this milestone with a fresh new look. Working with an award-winning design agency, the company’s logo has had a facelift and a new look muesli pack will be rolling out to stores late November 2019.

“This evolution of our brand will ensure we continue to change with customer needs and capture the attention of new audiences,” says Marketing Manager Christine Millar.

“We are hugely proud of what we have achieved in five years, growing from a minnow to one of the leading premium breakfast brands in New Zealand. We have achieved this by constantly producing high quality, delicious products and continuing to innovate our range,” she says.

NEW ROLE FOR SCOTT DAVIDSON Scott Davidson, Countdown’s General Manager Buying & Merchandise, will be leaving at the end of the year to take on a new role as Managing Director of BWS, part of Woolworths’ Endeavour Drinks business in Australia.

Davidson has led the buying team for the past two years. Natalie Davis, Managing Director for Woolworths New Zealand, says: “During this time, he has Scott Davidson, Countdown’s General Manager Buying & Merchandise played a significant role in the work we are undertaking to transform our business, and in particular, the way we work with you, our supplier partners. Scott has developed a buying team that is committed to our new ways of working, and I am confident that these changes will endure.

“While we will all be sad to see Scott go, I am also proud to see him take up a senior leadership role at another Woolworths’ brand.

“Scott’s last day will be 24 December. We’ll do our best to fill the role as soon as we can and make sure we find the right person to continue to build on Scott and the team’s great work,” says Davis.

CHECK OUT WWW.FMCGBUSINESS.CO.NZ

[ profile ]

NO LONGER A THROWAWAY OPTION How Coca-Cola is taking little steps to make a big change in waste. plastic by the end of 2019. With this announcement, New Zealand becomes one of the first countries in the world to meet and exceed CocaCola’s global sustainable packaging goal of making all its bottles and cans recyclable and ensuring all bottles have an average of 50% recycled content by 2030.

This manufacturing change will dramatically reduce the amount of new plastic entering the New Zealand market by 2,900 tonnes each year.

It also signals the operation of Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste programme in New Zealand as well as the company’s commitment to the Ministry of Environment’s Plastic Packaging Declaration.

In September, local bottler Coca-Cola Amatil welcomed the Government’s announcement that work has begun to develop a Container Return Scheme for New Zealand, incentivising Kiwis to recycle. The recycling and container return scheme will allow New Zealanders to return plastic bottles to collection points in exchange for a refundable deposit.

“A WORLD WHERE PLASTIC NEVER BECOMES WASTE IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.”

Imagine a world where plastic never becomes waste. A world where communities developed recycling solutions that kept plastic products out of our natural environments. One where businesses, governments and consumers worked together collaboratively and take joint responsibility for the way they produce, use and recycle plastic.

Finding the solutions to ensure that vision is possible is the focus of The Coca-Cola Company’s World Without Waste initiative. Launched in 2018, Coca-Cola has set the ambitious goal of collecting and recycling the equivalent of every bottle or can the company sells globally, by 2030.

Coca-Cola is committed to the values of a closed-loop circular economy: a system in which all the plastic packaging the company produces is designed to be recycled, kept in the country it was produced in, and reused in food and beverage packaging.

In July of this year, Coca-Cola Oceania and Coca-Cola Amatil announced that in New Zealand, all its plastic bottles smaller than 1 litre, and all water bottles across all sizes, will be made from entirely recycled

Coca-Cola Amatil has experience in running world-class, Container Return Schemes in Australia for more than 40 years. But a closed loop doesn’t end there. Motivating consumers to be part of the process is key and was the catalyst for Coca-Cola’s latest marketing campaign encouraging Kiwis to recycle. The advertisements depict a ladybug trying to lift an empty Coke bottle into a recycling bin. Her small size relative to the bottle means she can’t do it on her own but with the help of an army of ants, she can. The message tells us that recycling is a collective issue that we will only address if we all work together and play our role.

“We have made a major commitment and investment to use more recycled plastic – if bottles are put into the right bin, it can go on to have another life,” says Richard Schlasberg, General Manager of CocaCola Oceania.

“We are encouraging Kiwis to recycle plastic bottles so that they can become bottles over and over again. While this won’t solve the national plastic crisis on its own, small steps like this can make a serious difference in building a circular economy here in New Zealand.”

Alongside its plastic reduction and collection, the Coca-Cola Foundation has partnered with marine environmental champions Sea Cleaners, to address the pollution already in New Zealand waterways.

With the support of the Coca-Cola Foundation, Sea Cleaners will collect 4.8 million pieces of marine litter – approximately 9,600 full rubbish bags – from waterways around Auckland in 2019.

For Coca-Cola, a world where plastic never becomes waste is entirely possible.

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New NZ Made EarthSmart Aquawipes

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EarthSmart Aquawipes – Naturally soft for your baby and the environment.

New EarthSmart Aquawipes are made in New Zealand with 99.8% pure New Zealand water on 100% biodegradable bamboo fibre.

With no plastic, harmful chemicals or nasties, EarthSmart Aquawipes are hypoallergenic and kind on your baby’s sensitive skin.

Phone 0508 26 88 66 www.earthsmartaquawipes.co.nz Aquawipes NZ Aquawipes NZ CMYK / .eps

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CMYK / .eps

Nibblish - Tasty Innovation in Fruit The slow-baked strawberries, pineapple, mango and banana made by Nibblish are the breakout snack of 2019 with fans all over New Zealand. It’s no wonder as they are all delicious, healthy and excellent for the lunchbox, desk drawer or the car. Nibblish baked fruit, $4.20 each, contains nothing but fruit. www.nibblish.co.nz

Purity & Quality Assured Happy Valley’s UMF® Manuka range is independently tested to meet both MPI Manuka classification requirements and the UMF Association’s purity and quality measures.

We only put the best honey in our UMF® range from a minimum of UMF 5+, with a minimum MGO content of 83, up to our UMF 20+ and we control the full process, from bee keeping to processing and manufacturing.

Happiness is homemade. www.happyvalley.co.nz

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Proper Crisps Kumara Pepper with Onion – Home Compostable!

We love making crisps, that’s no secret! For all you Kumara lovers out there, we’ve risen to the challenge and brought you a seasonal Kumara medley. Of course we’ve added a Proper twist of mixed Peppercorns, Dried Onions & a sprinkle of Marlborough Sea Salt.

Once the last morsel has been devoured, pop the packet into your garden compost and it will naturally decompose!

Phone 03 546 8980 www.propercrisps.co.nz Email duncan@propercrisps.co.nz

Meet pure delish’s newest creations…

The team at pure delish are excited to announce two amazing new breakfast creations – a keto friendly/no added sugar Strawberry & Pistachio Breakfast Mix and a deliciously crunchy and tangy Raspberry Crunch Quinoa Grain-ola. Hand-crafted, like all pure delish products, from only the best ingredients, the new cereals are currently rolling out to selected stores around New Zealand. www.puredelish.co.nz

How do you grow your declining sugar category?

Natvia and Raw Earth growth began with a relay in one trial store. The planogram featured dedicated space to sweeteners, grouping of premium sugar alternatives and reduced facings of white sugar. We observed Natvia canister become the third highest selling SKU within their sugar category. Suitably we crafted our strategy, focusing on assisting stores grow their sugar category, not just sugar substitutes.

For more information on Making Better Happen, please contact your Acorn Group Representative. www.acorngrp.co.nz

A Little Tart New No Ugly Cranberry, 250mL. No Ugly Cranberry is a little tart so refreshing it’ll have your taste buds craving more. Made in No Ugly’s isotonic formula, we’ve added an ingredient that is something else; 250ml holds 3.2grams of Fibersol-2. A dietary fibre that has some gorgeous benefits.

Contact at Aaron@nougly.nz or phone 021880466

New EarthSmart 360° Recyclable Paper Pack

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New EarthSmart 360° is a recyclable paper pack, made in New Zealand from sustainably sourced paper. The toilet tissue inside is recycled from 100% waste paper. The paper packaging can be recycled at kerbside or your local paper recycling facilities.

EarthSmart; Smart for you Smart for the Planet.

Phone 0508 26 88 66 www.EarthSmart.co.nz Earth Smart New Zealand EarthSmart CMYK / .eps

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CMYK / .eps

Glow with Health, Drink in Style With 100% natural ingredients, Jiva is a juice style Kombucha, handcrafted in New Zealand. It is low in sugar and contains organic teas, fermented to perfection to create a cultured probiotic beverage enhanced with real fruit. Jiva Kombucha is presented in our signature stunning, yet recyclable bottle and promotes a great refreshing taste.

Instagram: @jivakombucha.nz Facebook: @JivaKombuchaNZ www.jivaproducts.co.nz sales@jivaproducts.co.nz

Something to Crow About Celebrates With a New Look This November Something to Crow About celebrates 5 years in business.

To mark this exciting milestone they’ve hit the refresh button. Working with an award winning design agency, a new look has been rolled out across their gourmet breakfast range.

Coming to stores soon, with a brand campaign to support the rejuvenation starting in February 2020.

Phone 09 428 0449 crowabout.co.nz FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

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[ fresh produce ]

BEST IN SEASON source of folate, which helps with growth and development. It also contains niacin and riboflavin for healthy skin and thiamin for healthy heart, brain and nerve function.

Strawberries

“BLUEBERRIES ARE BEING FRESHLY PICKED AND ARE IN SEASON THROUGH TO APRIL.”

Blueberries are being freshly picked and are in season through to April, with prices starting to fall gradually.

A full range of tomatoes are coming into good supply and consumer demand will be high. Keep tomatoes well-merchandised as this can influence customers to purchase large volumes. Also extremely high on the consumer demand list are avocados, which are beautiful eating right now – keep well stocked!

Snow peas are in their peak season and these beauties are a popular addition to summer salads, adding texture and crunch.

Eggplant and beetroot are available year-round, however they become most plentiful from November through until autumn/winter.

Asparagus The main New Zealand asparagus crop is available now and this highly seasonal vegetable is only around from October to January. Take every opportunity to feature and look out for purple asparagus this month, which will add colour and interest to your display.

What to look for: Fresh asparagus will sound squeaky when rubbed – if it doesn’t make this sound, it’s not fresh. Choose straight, firm and green stems with trimmed ends and a minimum of white butts.

Storage/handling: Keep the bottom of asparagus stalks moist and merchandise standing up to create an attractive, eye-catching display.

Nutrition: Asparagus is a good 12

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Approximately 65% of strawberry plantings are in the greater Auckland region, with 15% in the Waikato, and the remainder spread across the rest of New Zealand. Strawberries hit an intense peak in mid-November/early-December – at the same time consumer demand for them skyrockets. Be sure to keep a good, fresh supply of strawberries while they are in peak season, especially in the lead-up to Christmas.

What to look for: Choose strawberries that are bright red in colour. If they are still white in places, they have been picked too early.

Storage/handling: All berries are highly perishable and need to be handled extremely carefully. Ideally, strawberries should be displayed under refrigeration unless you are moving large volumes and restocking regularly.

Nutrition: Strawberries are a good source of Vitamin C which supports immunity. They also contain potassium for healthy fluid and mineral balance.

Potatoes Although available all year-round, freshly dug crops of new season potatoes can be purchased from late August to February. New Zealand is a nation of potato lovers, with 97% of the population eating them and we efficiently produce enough both for ourselves and for export.

What to look for: New potatoes are immature potatoes harvested during spring and summer.

Their skins are generally thinner and flakier than skins on older potatoes. Ensure they are firm and unblemished, avoiding any with green skin.

Storage/handling: Potatoes prefer cool, dark, dry conditions. Do not refrigerate as this can change the flavour.

Nutrition: Potatoes contain dietary fibre which helps aid healthy digestion, pantothenic acid for release of energy from fats and magnesium which supports mental wellbeing.

Join us on

www.unitedfresh.co.nz

[ news ]

5 TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2020 1. Storytelling: Winning with Words Ingredient provenance has always been important, but consumer interest in discovering the story behind their foods has risen further and is increasingly influencing purchasing decisions. Consumers want to learn more about how products are produced and understand product benefits, which helps build all-important trust in the brand.

As a result, manufacturers are increasingly focusing on ingredient provenance platforms to highlight the taste and quality of their products, as well as their uniqueness and sustainability efforts.

2. Plant-Based Revolution Plant-based innovation in food and beverages continues to flourish as a result of consumer interest in health, sustainability and ethics, which ties into the broader consumer lifestyle trend towards cleaner living.

As the use of the term “plant-based” moves more into the mainstream, the industry and start-up companies in particular, are taking up the challenge to deliver more clean label meat and dairy alternatives with improved nutritional profiles.

3. The Sustain Domain Consumers increasingly expect companies to invest in sustainability. In the area of food waste, upcycling is the new recycling, as companies strive to follow a zero-waste approach by creating value from byproducts. Meanwhile in packaging, the focus is on using less of it, as well as developing sustainable alternatives.

4. The Right Bite Stress and anxiety are key concerns in modern life as consumers manage careers, families and social lives while striving to maintain healthy lifestyles, both physically and mentally. Responses to this vary, although the majority of consumers aim to balance the benefits and costs of busy lifestyles. This, in turn, raises the demand for nutritious foods that are easy to prepare, convenient and portable. Indulgent treats play a role in relaxation and enjoyment.

5. Tapping into Texture Last year’s leading trend “Discovery: the adventurous consumer” is still prominent, with consumer demand for something new and different being reflected in more product launches with textural claims.

Consumers increasingly recognize the influence of texture on food and beverages, allowing a heightened sensory experience and often a greater feeling of indulgence.

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According to Innova Market Insights, the top trends for 2020 are:

WALKING THE WALK Small changes can all add up to a sustainable future.

Sustainable sourcing, recyclability, biodegradability and plastic free solutions are all hot topics in the current environment.

In the most recent Colmar Brunton Better Futures Survey* the No. 1 concern for New Zealanders was the build-up of plastic waste in the environment and 88% of Kiwis surveyed believe biodegradability is important. Potential new regulations are looming, including Mandatory Product Stewardship where retailers and suppliers will be held accountable for packaging from as early as 2020. The NZ plastic packaging declaration pledges to use 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.

“Manufacturers need to take these trends into account and work to improve the environmental performance of their products. This can be a large undertaking and requires a significant amount of investigation, resource and maybe even progression of company values,” says Chair of the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme and Cottonsoft Marketing Manager, Malcolm Everts.

Cottonsoft has just undertaken two such challenges, breaking new ground in launching NZ made plastic free water wipes for babies, and now EarthSmart 360° toilet tissue with Recyclable Paper packaging. The EarthSmart Aquawipes project has taken almost three years to create premium quality biodegradable product, while paper packaging has taken six months of intensive trial and development to commercialise.

“When challenges look insurmountable, the best thing to do is just START,” says Cottonsoft Country Manager Kim Calvert.

“It’s fair to say changing packaging from plastic to paper created significant challenges, especially

while commissioning a new factory at the same time, so plenty of coffee helps! We always had strong ambitions to lead change in this space, and are committed to providing consumers a range of NZ made alternatives to plastic baby wipes and plastic packaging that could only be recycled overseas,” says Calvert.

“Consumers are actively seeking to buy certified products so they have peace of mind they are making the right social and environmental choice.

For example, ECNZ (Environmental Choice New Zealand) licensing and PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification) are excellent options for paper products, covering both environmental AND ethical sourcing criteria. All Cottonsoft tissue is PEFC certified plus brands such as Tuffy and CottonSofts also carry ECNZ certification. Cottonsoft is also a proud foundation sponsor and advocate for soft plastic recycling in New Zealand.”

“In addition to certification, Paseo premium toilet tissue is made with pure pulp and rapidly renewable fibre,” explains Everts. “We harvest every six years and replant within a year, so it’s a good environmental choice”.

He adds: “Every little bit of change that a company can make to reduce waste, increase recyclability or sustainably source products will help us look after our planet for future generations – even if it’s just ensuring grounds from the office coffee machine go to compost rather than landfill. So please, if you are thinking about change but finding it challenging – START. Even if it’s not perfect, you make progress and can course correct as you learn more. It’s better than doing nothing.”

“WHEN CHALLENGES LOOK INSURMOUNTABLE, THE BEST THING TO DO IS JUST START.” KIM CALVERT, COTTONSOFT COUNTRY MANAGER

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*Source Colmar Brunton better Futures Survey 2019

[ feature ] FRESH REDESIGN FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Farmland Foods are putting their stamp on creating a more sustainable future for New Zealand with their freshly redesigned Just Cut packaging, made from NZ sourced recycled #1 RPET plastic.

Brand Manager Steven Young explains: “A lot of #1 plastic says recyclable, but NZ recycled is very different, and is a critical difference. The plastic material for the tray is sourced from Flight Plastics NZ who actively capture NZ waste stream plastic from kerbside collection, reprocessing it through their wash plant and transforming it into food grade material, which Farmland Foods then use to make the trays. Most other #1 PET are 100% imported material – some of them virgin material, some of them recycled in other countries, but are an addition to New Zealand’s imported plastic volumes.

“Importantly, Kiwis will know that their recycling efforts now have a local use, saving the need for more imports, more carbon, and more freight - instead supporting New Zealand’s economic and environmental performance.

“With consumer demand growing for environmentally sustainable products and packaging, the new recyclable tray will be diverting over half a million packets per year from landfill, making a true step towards a circular economy in our country where resources can be used again and again. Farmland Foods plans to expand the use of NZ #1 RPET to its other pre-packaged meats ranges in the future,” says Young.

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Along with the fresh new look for the Just Cuts range, they have added a new variant - Glazed Ham to the range of six flavours, which includes Pastrami, Roast Beef, Corned Silverside, Hot Beef and Hot Pork, giving consumers premium cuts of meat at an affordable price.

For more information please contact your sales rep or phone 0800 806 328, email info@flf.nz or visit www.farmlandfoods.nz

SUSTAINABILITY: A GOOD NEWS STORY In the world of packaging design, the increasing focus on sustainability has driven a number of changes.

“As designers, it’s something we increasingly take into account,” says Jenny McMillan, Business Director at Brother Design.

“But the changes aren’t all at our end. In fact, changes in how waste is processed are having a significant positive effect. Councils and other organisations are doing an ever-better job of sorting and processing plastics and other materials. They’re also getting greater consumer buy-in to improve recycling rates.

The result, in many places, is that plastics categorised as 1 to 7 can now all be recycled – a significant move on from the recent past. Of course some some recycling facilities can still only cope with types 1 and 2, but things are changing.

“So, while plastic has been targeted as a bogeyman, the reality is more nuanced. Sometimes there is no economically-viable alternative, but knowing alternatives that work is key.

“An example is the packaging we recently completed for Trade Aid. A 100% compostable film gave their organic, fairtrade chocolate range a premium feel while meeting Trade Aid’s keen desire for sustainability. In household and cleaning products, we’ve sourced bamboo closures and measuring scoops to replace plastic.

“The reality is, while we can’t always eliminate plastic, at least not yet, there are steps we can take that reduce it. And improvements are happening all the time in the waste stream. It’s a constant learning process and we’re always happy to share our knowledge with clients,” says McMillan.

For more information contact jenny@brotherdesign.co.nz

[ feature ] PLANET, PEOPLE AND PROFIT - SUSTAINABILITY IN FMCG How many companies report their sustainability objectives and performance?

Is sustainability left to the big international brands, or is it feasible for all companies to benefit by embracing a sustainable practice?

“Of course, profit is essential in business; however, consumers now expect ‘people’ and the ‘planet’ to be on the agenda too,” says National Sales Manager Desarae Payne.

“Customers are becoming increasingly aware of unnecessary packaging, excessive carbon emissions and correct recycling techniques. They care about our planet and want to know that the companies they buy from care too.

“A fresh approach to procurement is often required, and a more holistic view to purchasing decisions should be made. Look for more environmentally friendly alternatives and ensure these suppliers are aware of your objectives and goals.

Embracing innovation can make a huge difference, and the great news is that we do not need to re-invent the wheel. Many countries have prioritised sustainable practices for decades and we should turn to them for ideas and inspiration.

“For example, innovative solutions like Longopac, made by the Swedish company PAXXO, can make a significant difference to the volume of plastic a company throws away, along with significant CO2 savings and a substantial increase in recycling rates.

Not only that, when you include the time savings, this change can also reduce costs.

“Here is just one example of how a typical supermarket could benefit when changing to the Longopac bagging system: • Carbon Savings - 4,990 kg p.a • Plastic Savings - 982kg • Time saved - 253 Hours •Recycling rates increase by 50% + (Figures based on 120-litre bins emptied twice per day) For a free trial, or to find out more visit www.easirecycling.co.nz or give us a call on 0800 342 3177.”

“EARTHWISE GROUP LTD HAS ALREADY DIVERTED 163 TONNES OF PLASTIC FROM LANDFILLS SINCE OCTOBER 2018.”

JAMIE PETERS, MANAGING DIRECTOR 18

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

EARTHWISE - A 50 YEAR LEGACY IN SUSTAINABILITY The Earthwise story began more than 50 years ago, long before many had considered the environmental impact of chemical-based consumer products.

Earthwise founder and eco-friendly pioneer, Tom Robinson created his first plant-based product in his garden shed in Orini, a small town in Waikato in 1967. Sustainability remains at the heart of everything they do.

“Earthwise has the largest range of household cleaning and toilet products that are certified by Environmental Choice New Zealand (ECNZ).

ECNZ is the highest independent accredited eco label, considering the full life cycle of a product and recognising genuine moves made by manufacturers to reduce their environmental impact,” explains Jamie Peters, Managing Director.

Earthwise takes a holistic view on sustainability, reducing their carbon footprint by working with local suppliers where possible, reducing the use of virgin plastic, using recycled and biodegradable materials, and monitoring energy and water consumption. For example, Earthwise removed the plastic bag from their laundry powder packaging, uses shipper boxes made from recycled materials and a biodegradable film for dishwasher tablets. Earthwise also uses plant-based ingredients that are grey water and septic tank safe, that are biodegradable - breaking down into mineral and plant material, which is better for the environment.

“We’ve moved the largest range of Grocery household cleaning products to locally manufactured bottles using a minimum of 75% recycled plastic, sourced from milk, water and juice bottles,” says Peters. Since October 2018, they have reused and diverted approximately 163 tonnes of plastic from landfill*. The company also pledged support for the New Zealand Plastic Packaging Declaration to have 100% of packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025 or earlier, and also joined the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. *Source: ALTO Packaging Ltd, changeover from virgin material to Rhdpe / rPET materials

[ feature ] TC PACKAGING With over 25 years’ operating experience in New Zealand, Transcontinental New Zealand (TC NZ) is a leading supplier of flexible packaging to the FMCG, horticulture, retail and manufacturing markets. TC NZ is both a reputable manufacturer and trader, supplying all forms of flexible packaging including paper, traditional plastic films and alternate sustainable resin based films.

TC NZ employs over 85 people in New Zealand with centres in Auckland and Christchurch, home to an ultra-modern food grade packaging manufacturing plant.

Globally, TC Transcontinental (www. tc.tc ) is committed to a circular approach to plastic. “As global signatories to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, we have committed that by 2025, 100% of our plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable, and 10% of our plastic output will be made from recycled plastic waste,” says TC NZ Sales Director Donald Lee. TC NZ can meet customer requirements by extruding and converting compostable resins, green PE (PE derived from renewable resources such as waste sugar cane), and also has the ability to manufacture with recycled resins.

“Already, TC NZ recycle a significant volume of in-house, post-industrial waste which goes into our industrial and refuse packaging.

Recently, TC NZ has launched a retail carry bag range called the “I am a Keeper” range. These bags are also made from post-industrial recycled plastic, the first retail bag of its kind made in New Zealand.

Lee explains: “to create a circular economy we must give our customers choice in the marketplace and support the demand for recycled content.”

The ‘I am a Keeper’ range is fully compliant with the Waste Minimisation (Plastic Shipping Bag) Regulations 2018 Act and currently comes in two sizes, medium and large.

Contact salesnz@tc.tc for more information.

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FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

HARRINGTON’S SMALLGOODS LEADS THE WAY IN SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING Harrington’s Smallgoods is now available in ecofriendly packaging, one of only a few Kiwi food producers using new technology to reduce its environmental impact.

Made from recycled and plant-based materials, all elements (except the soft plastic wrap sealing the trays) can be recycled - including ink on the packaging, which is a significant departure for the industry.

“The new packaging for bacon and sausages has been warmly welcomed by consumers and aligns with the New Zealand Plastic Packaging Declaration - which commits to using 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. Many companies support the Declaration, including Countdown and Foodstuffs,” says Angus Black, General Manager of Harrington’s Smallgoods.

“It’s a natural progression for our company to reduce its footprint.”

“All our meat comes from New Zealand farms and is free-range - we believe in making ethical products, which are good for the environment and good for Kiwis. Improving our packaging was the next step,” says Black.

Lawrence Olsen, Managing Director of Exemplar NZ, has been working with Harrington’s on its new packaging and says it’s both sustainable and environmentally friendly. “It uses materials from renewable sources (plant-based materials), recycled plastic and is recycle-ready. In our case, this means taking plastic from trays, bottles etc. and recycling them into new trays and bottles. A full end-toend process.”

Next year, Harrington’s hopes to phase in a foodsafe alternative to the soft plastic which seals the meat tray.

For more information visit www.harringtonsmallgoods.co.nz

[ category insights ]

SUPER SNACKS

Nutritious, plant-based ingredients, delicious taste and allergy-friendly options are among some of the key trends driving sales in snacks. We caught up with local producers and suppliers to find out more about their innovations and best sellers in New Zealand supermarkets.

Mother Earth Driving Growth “Mother Earth continues to be innovative with the successful launch of Better Bars in March 2019, which has driven growth back into the Muesli Bar segment of the Nutritious Snacks category at 1.2% dollars growth*,” says Julia Turner, Senior Brand Manager - Mother Earth.

Mother Earth Better Bars provide consumers with a chewy muesli bar snacking option that contains ‘less than one teaspoon of sugar per bar’, features plant-based ingredients such as oats, seeds and chicory root fibre and a 4.5 health star rating.

Based on the success of the launch, Mother Earth are introducing a delicious new flavour to the range, Chocolate Apricot – wholesome oats combined with delicious dark chocolate and yummy sweet apricot pieces, which is sure to be another family favourite.

Turner explains: “Consumer trends are still focused on sugar levels in snacking products, which looks likely to continue. A growing trend we are seeing globally is the introduction of hemp into different categories around the supermarket, including nutritious snacks, spreads, health and wellness and the baking aisle.”

For any further information around Better Bars please contact your Prolife Foods account manager or customer services at 0800 80 80 88. *IRI MarketEdge – TKA NZ Grocery nutritious snacks category dollar growth % YA 6mths 29/09/2019

Pop’n’Good Popcorn is the perfect guilt free snack that everyone enjoys. “Popcorn is a wholegrain, is high in dietary fibre and low in calories as well as tasting delicious,” says Susan Harvey, Marketing and Business Development Manager.

“The Total popcorn category is growing at 11%1 and Wilson Consumer Products are pleased to be able to offer options in all three segments of the popcorn market: Reay to eat popcorn 61.5% $ share of

total popcorn, Microwave popcorn 35.2% $ share of total popcorn and Popping corn 3.4% $ share of total popcorn2.”

Wilson Consumer Products distributes the ACTII brand of microwave popcorn and owns and markets Pop‘n’Good popped popcorn and popping corn.

Harvey explains: “Pop‘n’Good is the number one popcorn brand in NZ and has 48.5% share of ready to eat popcorn market and is growing at 8.5%3. Pop‘n’Good Popcorn is air popped and grown right here in New Zealand, and gluten free. Its’ popping good!

“With Light and Buttery, Butter Max, Sweet and Salty, Caramel, Fruitti and now Sea Salt there is a Pop ‘n’ Good flavour for everyone.

“Recently Pop‘n’Good introduced Sea Salt snack packs, which are perfect for snacking. There are 10 snack sized packs in each bag. Being gluten and dairy free as well as low in calories it’s the perfect snack.

“ACTII is the number one microwave popcorn brand with 66% share of microwave popcorn4 and is growing at just over 20%. Made in the USA – the home of popcorn, ACTII pops up with the perfect flavour every time so you can enjoy warm popcorn at home. The perfect partner for movie nights at home,” says Harvey.

1 IRI dollar sales growth 6 months to 22/9/19 2 IRI dollar sales share of total popcorn market MAT to 22/9/19 3 IRI dollar share of popped popcorn MAT to 22/9/19, Pop n Good dollar sales growth vs prior period 6 months to 22/9/19 4 IRI dollar share of microwave popcorn MAT to 22/9/19, ACTII dollar sales growth vs prior period 6 months to 22/9/19

High-quality innovations from Tom & Luke “At Tom & Luke we understand that we are what we eat; that food forms the building blocks of our cells and provides us with energy. That’s why we use high-quality, nonGMO, whole-food ingredients and aspire to source organic wherever possible,” says Co-Founder Luke Cooper.

“We are passionate about great tasting food. We know from experience that healthy food can taste amazing and our customers agree, which is why we are NZ’s #1 Snack Ball*. We want to make it simple and exciting to eat well when life gets busy and time is short.

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

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[ category insights ] Source: NIELSEN SCANTRACK Total Supermarkets - MAT to 06/10/2019 Val Sales

Val % Chg YA

Total Snackfoods

480,556,552

7.2%

Potato Chips

176,445,707

5.8%

Nuts

105,857,346

6.5%

Corn Chips

52,585,686

8.9%

Multipacks

45,595,453

0.1%

Extrusions

23,525,327

8.1%

Popcorn Ready to Eat

15,439,954

16.6%

Popcorn Make At Home

12,030,184

2.5%

Bread Snacks

10,250,098

-0.3%

Meat Snacks

12,788,213

26.1%

Cereal Snacks

9,146,041

-2.6%

Ethnic Snacks

9,091,283

77.4%

Vege Chips

3,990,773

8.7%

Other Snacks

3,810,486

31.8%

Crackers

189,190,232

5.8%

Cracker Biscuits

134,957,964

8.7%

Rice Crackers

41,243,913

-3.3%

Rice Wafers/Cakes

12,988,356

8.4%

“At the end of the day, it’s the firm belief that we need to do what feels right that drives us; • It feels right to source sustainable, ethical whole-foods.

• It feels right to use environmentally conscious packaging.

• It feels right to use high-quality ingredients with no nasties.

• It feels right to create real solutions that take the guesswork out of eating.

“With the addition of two new ‘category firsts’ in the last year, Tom & Luke are committed to creating innovative solutions for the exploding health and wellness movement,” says Cooper.

“Our Chocolate Snackaball range is the perfect substitute for those choc bar cravings, and our brand

“TOM & LUKE WILL CONTINUE TO DELIVER TRUE INNOVATION AND SET A HIGH STANDARD IN QUALITY.” LUKE COOPER, TOM & LUKE CO-FOUNDER

new Hemp Snackaballs deliver the highest quality protein hit nature can provide.

“We know that the health and wellness segment is a rapidly growing and exciting space, which is why Tom & Luke will continue to deliver true innovation and set a high standard in quality,” says Cooper.

For more information contact your CenturioNZ Representative or visit www.tomandluke.com *IRI T. Supermarket MAT Value to W/E 06/10/19

Mrs Higgins’ lunchbox treats Mrs Higgins’ famous cookies are finally coming to the lunchbox.

Head of Sales & Marketing Reuel Newman explains: “Mrs Higgins only uses butter (never margarine) and other choice ingredients to make home-style cookies just like Grandma used to bake. Individually wrapped, these smaller 30g cookies are perfect for keeping the hungry hoards happy. Available in three flavours – Chunky Choc Chip, Raspberry & White Choc, and Choc Chew.”

Contact your local Alliance Marketing representative or Mrs Higgins directly on 09 837 4900.

FMCG Business produces a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients and Nielsen data available at time of print. To showcase your products in upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz.

22

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

IT’S

BBQ TIME! Fresh ideas for family meals and outdoor entertaining.

Summer is here and that means burgers, ribs, saussies and steaks for the BBQ are going to fly off the shelves.

The rise and rise of vegetarians and flexitarians means that you’ll also find plant-based options and meat alternatives on many shopping lists these days. A recent Colmar Brunton study revealed that one in three New Zealanders (34%) are reducing meat intake with baby boomers at the forefront of this trend.

According to the report, over 1.5 million New Zealanders are eating less meat. The research revealed that 41% of vegans and 42% of vegetarians are millennials. All generations consistently name health, the environment and animal welfare as the most import reasons to lessen meat consumption.

This rise in consumer interest is driving the plant-based category from niche to mainstream with more than six in ten Kiwis reported to have tried (or are interested in trying) the new generation of meat-free products.

The un-real meatless burger designed for the barbecue Plant-based burger experts, Morning Star Farms, have come to New Zealand. Now there is something new to add a little extra to an almostperfect barbecue moment.

These meatless burgers and sausages are uniquely designed for the barbecue, with delicious flavours and unbelievable aroma, plus they are rated 4 health stars! Finally, there’s an option for barbecue goers that want 24

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

a healthy, meat-free burger with plant protein that holds its own. Your guests would be hard-pressed to figure out that they are not really meat.

Plus, if you want to mix up your mid-week, Morning Star Farms also offers plant-based mince and chik’n nuggets that taste almost as good as the real thing. Give a meatless taco or spag bol a go or try the kids on the nuggets - a healthy alternative with a 4 health star rating and high in protein.

Morning Star Farms is the perfect meat-free alternative, tastes great and brings some excitement to the menu. Look for the range in the freezer aisle of your nearest supermarket.

Make some room on the barbecue this summer for Morning Star Farms - the meatless brand designed to be un-real.

UN-MEAT ME IN THE FREEZER AISLE

GREAT ON THE BBQ

[ category insights ] Located in the butchery chiller of supermarkets nationwide.

Contact your local Alliance Marketing representative - for further info phone: (09) 2604110.

Supreme Saussies

Craft Beer Pork Ribs Beak & Sons have teamed up with the good folk at good George Brewing to create these succulent beauties: NEW Craft Beer Pork Ribs!

This original recipe has a bitter sweet malty flavour and is made with full bodied Good George IPA. It’s the perfect addition to Beak & Sons much loved range.

Already slow cooked for convenience, these ribs are super easy to prepare (10 minutes to heat) and are perfect for sharing and feeding a crowd.

Arm yourself with napkins and prepare to get messy!

Beak & Sons slow cooked meat range is a great option for an easy inspiring quick weeknight meal, or weekend gatherings.

Source: NIELSEN SCANTRACK Total Supermarkets - MAT to 20/10/2019 Val Sales

Val % Chg YA

Frozen Poultry

134,672,576

6.8%

Total Vacuum Packed Fish and Seafood

68,229,281

14.2%

Vacuum Packed Fish

66,367,005

15.0%

Vacuum Packed Shellfish

1,802,840

-6.9%

Vacuum Packed Other Seafood

59,436

-5.1%

Total Frozen Convenience Foods

147,586,549

10.9%

Frozen Meat

28,117,446

22.2%

Frozen Party Snack

22,602,830

13.6%

Prepacked Smallgoods

437,646,241

5.5%

Prepacked Bacon

162,435,561

3.6%

Prepacked Sausages/Sausage Meat

121,336,283

8.8%

Total Frozen Fish

95,563,923

11.2%

Frozen Other Fish

53,248,385

17.0%

Frozen Fish Fillets

32,851,190

6.7%

If you like a good sausage on the BBQ then you may like to check out Westmere Butchery in Auckland, which recently took out New Zealand’s top sausage award for the second year in a row. The Supreme Award winner for the 2019 Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition was announced at an awards dinner in Auckland and the judges couldn’t get enough of Westmere Butchery’s Chicken, Leek and Bacon entry, which beat out over 500 other entries from over 90 producers around New Zealand, to claim the top spot.

David Rossiter, owner of Westmere Butchery, has had over 45 years in the industry and it is fair to say his store has become a butchery institution in Auckland.

“The top sausage is an extraordinarily delicious, full-bodied savoury sausage that had all the judges fighting for more, but all were in total agreement that this was the winning banger”, said foodwriter and judge Annabelle White.

“Even after all the judging we asked for more to be cooked. Think perfectly flavoured - it’s all about the meat, perfectly textured with great use of seasoning that has an unforgettable luscious after taste. It’s made me banger obsessed and congrats to the creators,” said White.

The Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition 2019 results included: 2019 Supreme Award Westmere Butchery, Westmere, Auckland Chicken, Leek and Bacon 2019 People’s Choice Award Avon’s Butchery, Glen Innes, Auckland Beef, Garden Herb and Garlic 2019 Devro NZ Wildcard Award* Peter Timbs Meats, Christchurch Wild Venison and Black Plum A full list of all medallists is available on www.rmnz.co.nz\sausage-competition-winners-2019

Summer inspiration with Meadow Mushrooms Meadow Mushrooms ‘summer inspiration’ mushroom pre-packs are now available in stores around the country. Created using crowd-sourced design and themed around the kiwi barbeque, the producer plans to encourage shoppers to pick up a pack of mushrooms for the barbeque in the same way they

FMCG Business produces a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients and Nielsen data available at time of print. To showcase your products in upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz .

26

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

[ category insights ] do a lettuce or a pack of sausages this season, and get more kiwi mushrooms on the grill.

Cited as the ultimate natural alternative to processed plant proteins or meats, fungi are a superfood making them a great choice for those reducing meat and for those wanting more nutrition in their diet. Naturally low in fat, cholesterol-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free, while also providing many important vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins and selenium, mushrooms make it easy to prepare a delicious summertime meal that delivers goodness in every serve.

Meadow Mushrooms has inspirational, BBQfriendly recipes for fajitas, burgers, salads and kebabs - their website is packed with ‘top tips’ for the ultimate barbeque, recipe inspiration from Pinterest and other curated recipes to help hosts feed any hungry guests.

Mushrooms are quick, easy and deliciously versatile.

You could tuck into summer-inspired Divine Mushroom, Halloumi & Bacon Kebabs; revive your palate with a Refreshing Vietnamese Mushroom Salad; whip up some super quick barbeque Mushroom & Capsicum Fajitas; or feast on a Crispy Mushroom & Cheese Katsu Burger. It’s simple with mushrooms!

Meadow Mushrooms are the ultimate summer go-to ingredient, with packs featuring icons of the kiwi-summer and themes of Barbeque,

Kebab, Salad and Burger, who won’t want to be armed with a pack of mushrooms this barbeque season! #SummerDelicious Visit www.meadowmushrooms.co.nz for more.

ULTIMATE KIWI BBQ SAUSAGE

Two well-known Kiwi companies have collaborated to make the ultimate Kiwi BBQ sausage, using award-winning pilsner and 100% Kiwi freerange pork.

Emerson’s of Dunedin and Harrington’s Smallgoods from Wellington are releasing a limited-edition Bavarian Bratwurst Sausage, using Emerson’s award-winning Pilsner to create a new take on the traditional recipe.

Richard Emerson, known as the Kiwi Godfather of Beer, says he’s proud of the collaboration. “Beer and sausages are two of my favourite

pastimes. Emerson’s is very proud to be involved with Harrington’s Smallgoods, in producing the Emerson’s Pilsner and Bavarian Sausage collaboration - good things in life always come in pairs,” says Emerson.

Angus Black, General Manager of Harrington’s Smallgoods, says both companies have similar heritage and values. Emerson’s was established in 1992, and Harrington’s in 1993 and both have a love of crafting the best food and drink.

“Together we’ve been quenching Kiwi thirsts and delighting Kiwi taste buds for more than 25 years. We believe in making the best possible beer and smallgoods, and I’m excited to work with Richard Emerson, a pioneer in the beverage sector,” says Black.

The new Bavarian Brat uses 100% Kiwi, New Zealand free-range pork. Black says the hops and malt from the pilsner, blended with the spice mix of mace and caraway in the Brat, gives the sausage a beautifully rounded flavour.

Black has expert advice for aspiring BBQ chefs wanted to cook the perfect sausage this summer.

“Don’t try and cook the sausage too quickly - the trick is to use a good steady heat so when the surface of the sausage is nicely browned the meat is still juicy and full of flavour,” says Black.

The new Bavarian Brat, featuring Emerson’s Pilsner, is available in supermarkets.

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27

DAIRY

NEWS

New developments, products and trends to watch.

The overriding trend that seems to unite consumers globally is a quest for higher quality products and a healthy lifestyle.

Coca-Cola Oceania, for example, has just launched Nutriboost, its first brand to carry 5 Stars on the Health Star Rating system. Boosted with protein, calcium, fibre and Vitamin D – the new milk drink is the perfect snack to turn to for a tasty morning or mid-afternoon treat that is nutritional, convenient and, most importantly, delicious.

Nutriboost packs in plenty of nutritional punch, including protein, calcium, fibre and Vitamin D. The range will be available in two flavours, chocolate and vanilla, both with no added sugar. Nutriboost will be available from selected retailers across New Zealand and comes in 340ml recyclable bottles.

New owners for Dairyworks?

Synlait Milk is planning to buy Christchurch-based cheese supplier Dairyworks for $112m, subject to Overseas Investment Office approval.

The acquisition of Dairyworks would provide Synlait, which is 39% owned by China’s Bright Dairy, with another meaningful move towards the delivery of their everyday dairy strategy and complements the company’s recent acquisition of cheese manufacturer Talbot Forest, said a spokesperson.

Synlait Chief Executive Leon Clement said the business was “a great strategic fit” and an important step in growing its presence in the everyday dairy category. Dairyworks would operate as a stand-alone business under the Synlait umbrella, with its chief executive Tim Carter, reporting to Clement.

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FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

Dairyworks is now based in Christchurch, where it supplies New Zealand with almost half of its cheese, a quarter of the country’s butter, as well as milk powder and the Deep South ice cream. The company was established in 2001 in South Canterbury and is one of the larger companies operating in New Zealand’s everyday dairy category.

Dairyworks owns the cheese and butter consumer brands Dairyworks, Rolling Meadow and Alpine which are currently supplied to supermarkets in New Zealand and Australia.

Who makes the world’s best cheese?

An organic blue cheese produced by US cheesemaker, Rogue Creamery has been named World Champion Cheese 2019 in Bergamo, Italy. Rogue River Blue now becomes the World Cheese Awards’ first ever American champion, rising to the top among a record-breaking 3,804 entries from 42 different countries.

Made annually with organic cow’s milk from Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley, Rogue River Blue is cave-aged for nine to 11 months and hand-wrapped in organic Syrah grape leaves that have been soaked in pear liqueur. The cheese was championed on the International Super Jury

by Brazilian judge, Bruno Cabral, who described Rogue River Blue as a “taste party”, applauding its “different sensations, balance, sweet and spicy notes”.

At the end of the final judging stage, this unique blue cheese was level with a 24-month aged Nazionale del Parmigiano Reggiano Latteria Sociale Santo Stefano on 100 points, leaving it to the Chairman of the Judging Panel, Nigel Barden, to give the casting vote. In third place with

Brother Ad - Tatua - FMCG November - Third

We know how to turn heads and steal hearts

92 points was a raw ewe’s milk cheese from Spain, Torta del Casar D.O.P. Virgen Del Prado made by Queseria Doña Francisca S.L..

Whitestone Cheese Co from Oamaru, New Zealand, was also named among the winners at the World Cheese Awards with a coveted Bronze award for its Farmhouse cheese. The pressed white mould semi-soft cheese is Whitestone’s first and original cheese, which launched the cheese company in 1987.

Award-winning cream Meanwhile, Tatua’s Cooking Cream has just won a prestigious New Zealand Food Award in the Chilled category.

“This win highlights Tatua’s commitment to quality and innovation by offering specialised food and ingredients solutions,” says Hayes Taylor, Tatua Foods Business Manager.

“Our focus is on developing high-quality, innovative products that have excellent functional properties.”

Tatua’s Cooking Cream is a pre-reduced cream that was initially developed for professional chefs and commercial kitchens.

Its excellent coating and heat stability properties means it does not require further reduction and this has the benefit of saving on cooking time.

“We recognised that this was a product that would be useful to in home chefs too and was a natural extension to our existing retail range of premium creams, which includes Mascarpone, Crème Fraiche and Sour Cream. We launched Tatua Cooking Cream into supermarkets earlier this year when we rebranded and relaunched our retail and food service products in new packaging,” says Taylor.

The relaunch of Tatua’s premium creams range also introduced new resealable packaging for the brand. This new packaging format improves and extends in-home usage and reduces wastage.

Source: NIELSEN SCANTRACK Total Supermarkets - MAT w/e 20/10/2019 Fresh Milk And Cream

489,350,307

0.8%

Cheese Excluding Cultured

476,680,532

6.7%

Yoghurt And Dairy Food

263,488,262

2.1%

Ice Cream

232,659,382

6.7%

Cultured Cheese

59,078,015

4.0%

Infant Formulas

40,178,103

-2.3%

UHT Flavoured Milk

33,523,901

5.6%

Fresh Flavoured Milk

24,995,827

-7.2%

Frozen Dairy Desserts

13,281,204

10.0%

FMCG Business produces a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients and Nielsen data available at time of print. To showcase your products in upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz .

Great design gets noticed, makes a connection and increases sales. If that’s what you’d like, contact Jenny McMillan 021 193 2141 or 09 970 9892 jenny@brotherdesign.co.nz www.brotherdesign.co.nz

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

29

SUMMER

ESSENTIALS

New and noteworthy personal care trends.

The sun is out! It’s finally time to banish the winter blues and stock up on all the essential items for healthy, beautiful summer skin.

“The new Marzena Natural Body Wax Strips and Natural Facial Wax Strips cater to the shift we are seeing in people wanting to reduce their environmental footprint, and the ever growing awareness about the limited supply of resources, on this planet,” says Jane McCowan, Head of Marketing & Innovation.

She explains: “The natural Pine Tree Resin wax, and the Hemp Seed Oil, which is used to calm and soothe the skin, are both sustainably sourced. The cellophane strips are the FIRST bio-compostable cellophane wax strip on the market, and they break down in both domestic and commercial compost.

“The beautiful newly designed packaging is made from sustainably sourced materials, as are their inners and shippers, and everything is recyclable. They are the most sustainable method of hair removal currently on the market!”

Marzena. Kind to you. Kind to the planet.

Glow Lab - growing the premium natural category “With wellness and beauty mega trends fuelling the growing demand for natural personal care products, Glow Lab continues to lead the way,” says Brand Manager Fenella Brown.

“On track to becoming no.1 natural personal care brand in NZ Grocery, Glow Lab is delivering significant incremental sales to the category,” she explains.

“Glow Lab’s winning formula combines nature with scientifically proven active ingredients to deliver natural products that work. With consumers more informed than ever, natural products must now deliver proven results too; a testament to Glow Lab’s success.

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FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

[ health & wellness ]

INTRODUCING A CATEGORY REVOLUTION! Marzena’s Natural Wax Strips are a category FIRST! “Glow Lab is driving category value sales, through trade up from mainstream brands, as well as initiating channel switch from pharmacy/department stores, bringing new customers into the supermarket beauty aisle. Our latest innovation; Glow Lab Age Renew, the first natural anti-ageing skincare range launched into supermarkets in April, is already delivering nearly 7% value share of total Natural Skincare in grocery*,” says Brown.

“Glow Lab is clearly resonating with consumers with the brand winning six beauty awards this year alone across its skincare, haircare and personal wash products, beating long standing multinational and pharmaceutical brands: • NZ Best in Beauty 2019 ‘Best Exfoliator’ – Glow Lab Brightening Exfoliator • NZ Best in Beauty 2019 ‘Best Purple Shampoo’ – Glow Lab Purple Shampoo • Verve Beauty Awards 2019 ‘Best Night Cream’ – Glow Lab Age Renew Recovery Night Cream • Verve Beauty Awards 2019 ‘Best Hand Wash’ – Glow Lab Amber and Sage • Verve Beauty Awards 2019 ‘Best Shampoo’ – Glow Lab Repairing Shampoo • Verve Beauty Awards 2019 ‘Best Conditioner’ – Glow Lab Repairing conditioner Brown says: “Glow Lab continues to expand its footprint across skincare, haircare and personal wash, with more innovation launching in the new year. Watch this space!”

1ST BIO-COMPOSTABLE CELLOPHANE 1ST HEMP SEED OIL

The only Natural Pine Tree Resin on the market

*T. Grocery Natural Skincare Value sales latest QTR to 22/09/19

Earthwise Nourish – The Natural Value Offer Earthwise Nourish holds 14.3% share of the total natural personal care category*, spanning multiple segments including haircare, hand wash, body wash and baby care, says Emma Clarke, Brand Manager Earthwise Group Ltd. She explains: “The New Zealand brand is made from the finest quality natural botanicals and is free from harsh chemicals ingredients are also biodegradable, grey water and septic tank safe.

This is clearly appealing to consumers, who are increasingly looking for transparency and natural alternatives.

“For consumers wanting natural products, it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Earthwise Nourish personal care range provides an entry-level value offer, aiming to trade up the mainstream shopper to natural, driving category value and profit. Earthwise Nourish Body

0800 146 279 I sales@marzena.com

www.marzena.com

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

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[ health & wellness ] Wash is a stand-out performer in the natural value segment, with the Coconut, Shea Butter and Manuka Honey 1L being the top selling SKU#.

This range taps into both affordability and natural trends, making it ideal for the everyday Kiwi family.

“Earthwise Nourish baby care is enriched with the goodness of Goats Milk - gentle on sensitive skin. The brand recently introduced two new products to complete the baby care regime. These include Earthwise Nourish Soothing Nappy Balm 75ml (the first zinc-free offer) and Earthwise Nourish Bedtime Bath 275ml (the only natural alternative in grocery).

“Sustainability and a continuous focus on improving the environmental footprint is paramount at Earthwise. The Earthwise Nourish range will move to bottles made from 100% recycled plastic, sourced from juice and water bottles shortly. The company has pledged support to the New Zealand Plastic Packaging Declaration and the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, committing to have 100% of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025 or earlier.” *T. Grocery Natural Personal Care Value Sales latest MAT to 22/9/19 #T. Grocery IRI Market Edge Natural Body Wash SKU Ranking latest MAT to 22/9/19

Only Good delights with Limited Edition Launched in 2015, Only Good was first to offer a natural and better for you range of Body Wash and Hand Wash with a high-end design aesthetic in NZ supermarkets, says Senior Brand Manager Julia Fletcher. “Made

by API Consumer Brands, Only Good is made proudly by Kiwis in Manukau, Auckland and loved by the world.

“Currently the #1 brand in Natural Body Wash and Hand Wash*, Only Good has a strong foundation in 100% palm oil free and natural Personal Care products, which are better for your skin.

Source: NIELSEN SCANTRACK Total Supermarkets - MAT to 20/10/2019 Val Sales

Val % Chg YA

Oral Care

141,844,600

2.9%

Personal Wash

104,265,239

3.0%

Skincare

75,159,255

1.2%

T. Shaving Needs

50,142,103

-4.8%

“We are very grateful for the support we’ve had from both the trade, and consumers since Only Good’s launch and as we continue to grow our range, bringing new news and excitement to help invigorate the Personal Care category in-stores.

“It is an exciting time for Only Good with the launch of our new Limited-Edition labels, a collaboration with well-known New Zealand artist Flox. The highly successful promotion is back by popular demand, after delivering +35% growth in dollar sales in NZ Grocery# in the 2018/2019 summer. There is a strong alignment with Only Good’s brand values and those of artist Hayley King (known as Flox), celebrating the natural world and the immense beauty and specialness of the animals, flora and fauna within it. The Only Good team was blown away with the creativity and talent showcased in Flox’s interpretation of our natural world, in this year’s collaboration. These labels are perfect for the busy Christmas and summer trading period, creating excitement at point of purchase and encouraging multi-buys, as well as trading shoppers up.

“Only Good Limited Edition includes artist designed labels on a selection of seven variants of Only Good’s natural and palm oil free Hand and Body Wash range, from late November 2019 available strictly while stocks last. Participating products include Only Good Refresh, Nourish and Soothe 300ml Hand Washes and Only Good Balance, Healing, Awaken 445ml and Calm 900ml Body Washes.”

Retailer enquiries can be directed to Dakota Field Sales Representatives or to Tracey Duder, Sales Manager at API Consumer Brands.

Fletcher adds: “Limited Edition follows an exciting string of launches for Only Good including natural Body Bars and Baby Care, as well as being one of the first natural brands to launch deodorant in supermarkets earlier this year.”

“Only Good Natural Deodorant brings a natural, palm oil and cruelty free deodorant to supermarkets, giving consumers an option instead of traditional antiperspirants or deodorants. Natural deodorant has become increasingly popular in online and department store channels, providing a significant growth opportunity for supermarkets. Only Good Natural Deodorant is free from aluminium salts, so it doesn’t block your pores, allowing your body’s natural detoxification processes. The natural formulation uses ODOURCO™ to naturally deodorise and keep you feeling fresh and is paraben, colour and synthetic fragrance free,” she says. #IRI OG BW & HW Total NZ Grocery 12 weeks to 17/02/19 vs. 12 wks to 25/11/18 *IRI: Total NZ Grocery 6 months to 1/09/19

FMCG Business produces a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients and Nielsen data available at time of print. To showcase your products in upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz.

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FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

L I M I T E D E D I T I O N A R T I S T C O L L A B O R AT I O N

A celebration o e natural world

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND AFTER

+36%

GROW TH IN NZ GROCERY#

From Only Good, the #1 brand in natural/better for you Body Wash and Hand Wash*

AVAILABLE TO ORDER DIRECT TO STORE FROM 11 TH NOV 2019 Participating products include Only Good Nourish, Refresh and Soothe Hand Washes 300ml; Balance, Awaken and Healing Body Washes 445ml; and Calm Body Wash 900ml. Available strictly whilst stocks last.

API Consumer Brands is now proudly represented by Dakota, for more information contact your Dakota Sales Representative or Tracey Duder on 021 917 056 or tracey.duder@api.net.nz

#IRI OG BW & HW Total NZ Grocery 12 wks to 17/02/19 vs. 12 wks to 25/11/18 *IRI Total NZ Grocery 6 months to 1/09/2019

[ good business ]

SHOPCARE – HEALTH & SAFETY LEADERSHIP

Chris Quin, CEO Foodstuffs North Island at the ShopCare launch

Officially launched in October, ShopCare is one of five initiatives to receive funding in the first round of ACC’s Workplace Injury Prevention Grant scheme. The launch event in Auckland included speakers from industry and government.

Led by CEO and former GM logistics for Countdown NZ Liz May, ShopCare meets a critical need for dedicated health and safety leadership in New Zealand - to drive long term positive change.

Focusing initially on the food and grocery sector, ShopCare will partner with major retailers, manufacturers, transporters and suppliers to improve the safety, health, and wellbeing of all employees.

ShopCare brings together senior leaders from a diverse group of businesses to share knowledge and problem solve. This approach fosters enhanced ownership and responsibility for organisational health and

safety amongst business leaders, and models leadership behaviours to influence cultural change and save lives.

May says ShopCare will drive industry collaboration and knowledge sharing, and enable a coordinated approach to simplify and align safety processes and systems, and the reporting of workplace injuries, nearmisses and hazards.

“One of the most significant challenges currently facing the retail and supply chain industry is the lack of consistency in health and safety systems.

“Organisations have their own way of doing things and as a result when we have employees and suppliers moving between companies there is not a uniform set of health and safety standards. We aim to address the challenges of overlapping responsibilities between companies and agree a common language and standards which can be applied across the industry.

“We aim to lead the adoption of initiatives that identify and address critical industry risks, creating an industry aligned charter of change to effect a different outcome for the food and grocery retail and supply chain sector.”

The food and grocery sub-sector is a springboard for positive change across the entire retail and supply chain industry. Over time, ShopCare plans to scale initiatives and apply these to other retail segments. www.shopcare.org.nz

[ good business ]

QUEST TO MAKE GISBORNE NZ’S SALAD CAPITAL LeaderBrand Produce has secured a $15-million Provincial Growth Fund loan, which will accelerate the company’s quest to make Gisborne ‘the salad capital of New Zealand’.

The funds will help build up to 30 hectares of covered production, increasing year-round horticulture and boosting production of an indemand commodity.

LeaderBrand CEO Richard Burke says the funding brings forward an existing strategic plan by up to 10 years. “We already employ more than 370 people in our operations, which covers horticulture and salad processing. With this loan, we’ll create new facilities which enables the cultivation of seasonal crops year-round and the introduction of new crops, as well as expansive opportunities for our salad ranges,” he says.

Weather is a challenge faced by all growers. A flood, a drought, high winds, frost and other factors can impact production or even completely destroy yields. Covered production mitigates these negative impacts, delivering increased resilience through the controlled environment. Covered production also has 34

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

environmental and social benefits, as less fertiliser and other resources are required.

“This improves our already sharp focus on sustainability. And we’re going to add multiple new careers, with many of them being in skilled horticultural areas,” says Burke.

LeaderBrand is the largest private employer in Gisborne. With its history stretching back more than four decades, the company is firmly committed to the region and LeaderBrand is passionate about the creation of quality employment.

Over the past five years, LeaderBrand has invested significant private capital into the business, increasing production by more than 240%. In this time, the company has gone from the delivery of 382 truckloads of salads per year to almost 1300.

Along the way, it has added a new salad processing plant, completed in 2017 and adding over 80 new staff members, moved its Agriculture Workshop to a new building, and established a new farm in Matamata.

For more information visit www.leaderbrand.co.nz

[ good business ]

ECOSTORE GOES CARBON NEUTRAL Ecostore has announced it will be up and recognise that they can and must carbon-neutral by the end of 2019. The be a force for good. Corporates have an goal is a keystone of ecostore’s 2018 incredible opportunity to pave the way Sustainability Report, which will see both for future generations. We must lead the New Zealand and Australia sites by example, empower others, act, make become carboNZero certified. changes – and this report communicates The only business in Australasia that how ecostore is delivering on our makes and packages their products in promise to lead the way. a manufacturing plant that has been “Climate change and plastic pollution carboNZero certified since 2010, are two of the biggest challenges we face ecostore has already offset 769 tonnes of in the 21st century. At ecostore we tackle carbon through the plant’s participation this holistically through our operations, in the certification programme. how we choose our partners, how we Ecostore has partnered with source our materials, and what we do New Zealand’s leading provider of about the lifecycle of our products.” environmental certification, Enviro-Mark In 2014 ecostore switched their Solutions, to measure ecostore’s carbon plastic packaging to plastic made from Ecostore Managing Director Pablo Kraus emissions and help the team reduce sugarcane saving almost 4500 tonnes and offset these emissions to achieve carboNZero certification beyond of carbon emissions – the equivalent of a car driving the length of New the manufacturing plant to cover the entire organisation, including the Zealand 8500 times. Currently, 90% of ecostore’s plastic is made from finished goods warehouse facility, flagship store, head office and satellite sugarcane and refill bottles are 10% post-consumer recycled (PCR) office in Australia. made from NZ milk bottles. The company has a target to achieve 100% Ecostore Managing Director Pablo Kraus says, “Businesses need to step renewable or recycled content in their packaging by 2025.

[ profile ]

HOW TO STAND OUT ON SHELF Hubbards has always challenged market conventions,” says Matt Grantham, Creative Director of Onfire Design.

“From Dick Hubbard’s first mueslis’ in the 80’s covered in intricate fine art works, to the category-defining box shapes of Amazing Mueslis’ in 2012, the brand has always been the local hero innovating and challenging incumbents through design and product development.

Bran-ola is the next stage of this journey.”

Using Hubbards breakfast food knowledge and expertise in creating delicious granolas, Bran-ola is the fusion of the good gut health benefits of fibre-rich Bran with granola-style flavour and textures. An innovative product for a category recognised for healthy products but lacking in ‘yum-factor’.

The Bran category in retail has several conventions that have defined the packaging; challenging these conventions were the opportunity for Bran-ola to stand out and challenge the status quo. Retaining the now-iconic pack shape of Amazing Mueslis, a new punchy millennial-focused attitude was created for the range. Bold typography contrasts against competitor brands, while short and sharp copywriting utilises the brown card stock to highlight the fact that the product does not taste like its box. Eyecatching bright neon colours denote flavours and disrupt on the shelf, proudly shouting out amongst category standard shades of browns, yellows and purples.

With packaging that is so different, it is important to tell and reassure the consumer that while Bran-ola delivers exciting flavours, it has all the excellent gut health benefits which are expected of bran. This story is told with a quirky pictorial gut journey on the back of pack, with copywriting and modern icon-style illustrations visually explain the benefits of eating Bran-ola.

Category defining product innovation from Hubbards, game-changing bright neon colours and messaging to tell a unique and memorable story. Hubbards Bran-ola stands out on the shelf by NOT being your grandma’s bran.

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[ FGC ]

HIGHER PURPOSE

Katherine Rich Chief Executive NZ Food & Grocery Council www.fgc.org.nz

I recently spent a few days in Amsterdam as a guest at the conference of BrandLoyalty, widely regarded as the global leader behind campaigns for shortterm loyalty programmes for some of the world’s biggest supermarket brands. Think collectable knives, groceries, glasses, Smurfs, Tupperware, Jamie Oliver, and myriad other collectibles.

Attending were the who’s-who of northern hemisphere retailing, and with 35 speakers across four stages you can imagine the mine of information on tap. They were mixed in with representatives of major supermarket brands from many countries, including Korea, Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK. One speaker whose message particularly resonated with me was Afdhel Aziz. He’s the director of a world-wide consultancy called Conspiracy of Love.

They work with companies to help them use culture and technology as “forces for good”. They believe the most successful brands have a higher purpose than just profit – and that they should help solve problems, “from the everyday to the epic”, as they put it. They say great brands are conspiracies of love – between the people who work for them, and the fans who love them.

He reminded us that consumers have become distrustful of traditional marketing and advertising, and want to know what companies stand for and that their brands are involved in activities that contribute to solving real problems.

Part of it is also that consumers, living more on the internet, have the power at their fingertips to

“GREAT BRANDS ARE CONSPIRACIES OF LOVE.” 36

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

fast-forward past advertisements or to block them completely. He said that in response, companies are moving away from advertising campaigns to playing their part in making a difference. Rather than spending money on advertising that says a product does such and such, it’s more powerful to be involved and to demonstrate their part in solving community problems.

It’s a trend that’s noticeable in New Zealand, with many Food & Grocery Council members diverting dollars from advertising to purposeful projects where brands are part of a solution to an issue that concerns consumers.

Here are just a few examples: One of the earliest high-profile initiatives is the Kickstart Breakfast Programme run by Fonterra, Sanitarium and the Ministry of Social Development to feed children who go to school without breakfast.

It serves 30,000 cereal and milk breakfasts each day in 1000 schools.

Wildlife conservation is a popular theme. Mars is part of the Lion’s Share Fund, a global conservation and animal welfare initiative that asks advertisers to donate 0.5 per cent of their media spend every time an animal features in their advertisements. At the other end of the scale, Kiwi start-up Part Time Rangers donates 10% of profits from its RTDs to help save White Rhino’s, African Elephants and Great White Sharks.

Every year, Eco Store staff volunteer for projects that include packing emergency food boxes, sorting clothes, and packing and delivering Christmas presents for Auckland City Mission, as well as donating time at Everybody Eats, Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week, and Sustainable Coastlines.

Last year, Whittaker’s gave away 8500kgs of chocolate to charities and schools to raise money through raffles, and it donates 20c of every chocolate kiwi it sells to ‘Kiwis for kiwi’ to help grow the kiwi population.

Other examples include James Crisp supporting KidsCan and the child health and nutrition organisation the Liggins Institute, while shopper market specialist Farrimond and Griffin’s helped the NZ Blood Service attract donors, with Griffin’s also supplying the biscuits offered to people after they donate blood. Sistema last year donated lunchboxes and drink bottles to 8319 new entrants in 256 low decile schools, while Cardinal Logistics’ annual golf tournament raises more than $50,000 for the Child Cancer Foundation’s children’s Christmas party.

There are many other examples, big and little. If your company is a force for good in this conspiracy of love, FGC would like to help you share your story.

[ marketing ]

THE BENEFITS OF GOING AGAINST THE NORM On the odd occasion when I go to the supermarket and I don’t have to wrangle two busy young boys, I like to take a moment and look around at the new products that have come to market.

I often think of how challenging it is for brands to stand out amongst the competition, with an everexpanding range for consumers to choose from.

In a single generation we’ve gone from one option of coffee at the supermarket to a multitude of coffee brand varieties. While more range is great for consumers, it’s created a difficult environment for brands to get noticed.

In addition to more choice, the way we consume media has also become more complex and fragmented, with eye-balls being diverted at an everincreasing rate - making it challenging to reach our audiences efficiently.

One way to combat these challenges is to treat every consumer touchpoint as an opportunity to be memorable. However, being memorable isn’t about being wacky, it’s about making a relevant and emotional connection with consumers. That being said, there are correct and incorrect ways of achieving this. An example of doing this badly, is the rather overly energetic Big Save Furniture lady. Her older ads were memorable, but for the wrong reasons (named ‘Fair Go Worst Ad’ three times).

My philosophy is to remember the horrible truth that people generally hate ads. You have to try hard to make a positive impression on consumers if you want to be a part of their lives. The best way to overcome this negative starting point is to emotionally connect with your consumer. According to ad effectiveness guru Peter Field, “Rational advertising can be eclipsed by a simple appeal to consumers hearts.” Emotional ads outperform rational ads 2:1.

At Stanley St, we were responsible for creating the Sealord family “swim like a fish” campaign. The ad didn’t make nutritional claims but instead created a relationship with the audience, by evoking emotion.

This approach made a connection with consumers that led to spectacular results.

Outside of brand communications, there are many other opportunities to be memorable. Take packaging for example, if you go into a supermarket the ‘best practice’ for chips is to show a photo of fresh crisps, real ingredients and have the variant across the middle of the pack. However as I observed, if everyone is doing the same thing everything just blends into one.

Serious Popcorn on the other hand is going against the norm with its bold and simple packaging, which stands out in a sea of sameness.

Going against the norm can also be applied to sampling. At Stanley St we worked with Sanitarium’s So Good, and turned a sampling brief into brand experience, PR stunt and content. Our challenge was to change negative perception around plant-based milks. We did this by creating an edible pop-up garden in Britomart where we created fruit and vegetables that at first glance looked real, but were actually something else. Pumpkins that tasted like pumpkin pie and tomatoes that were tomato soup.

Over three days thousands of people sampled these vegan recipes where they then talked and shared the experience. This brand experience evolved a sampling opportunity into something much more emotive and impactful.

At Stanley St we see the importance of going against the norm, because that is what we’ve done as New Zealand’s newest and largest independent agency. We’ve transformed our offering to harness both data-driven insights with emotional storytelling.

If you’d like to have a chat about how we could help your brand go against the norm, pop in for a coffee (we’ve got plenty of coffee brands to choose from).

Regan Grafton Chief Creative Officer Stanley St www.stanleyst.nz

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NZ FOOD AWARDS

FMCG Business celebrated with inspiring local producers and trailblazers.

Chilled/Short Shelf Life Award, in association with EAGLE Protect– (L-R) Alison Meredith, Marketing Coordinator, TATUA; Barry Keene, National Sales Manager – Food Service, TATUA.

Frozen Award, in association with Palmerston North City Council – (L-R) Grant Smith, Palmerston North Mayor; Allister Bathgate, Marketing Manager, Waitoa; Wanda Whitton-Esteve, Product Development Manager, Waitoa.

The New Zealand Food Awards celebrated innovative producers at a Gala Dinner in Auckland with fabulous local produce on the menu, exquisite Villa Maria wines, world-class entertainment and hundreds of industry members in attendance.

The New Zealand Food Awards have acknowledged New Zealand manufactured products, focusing on innovation and excellence, since 1987. Sponsored by Massey University, they are open to small and large food and beverage manufacturers, primary food producers, food service providers and ingredient supply companies.

A company that produces texture-modified products to enhance the quality of life for people with eating difficulties was named the Massey University Supreme Award winner at this year’s New Zealand Food Awards. The Pure Food Co also won the James & Wells Business Innovation Award, with judges saying the company showed an impressive level of collaboration with target customers to understand consumer needs and realise the benefits of intellectual property to build a trusted brand.

Massey Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas, who presented the 38

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

Massey University Supreme Award – (L-R) Carrick Robinson, James & Wells; Sam Bridgewater, founder and Director The Pure Food Co.

Supreme Award, congratulated all the finalists and award category winners. “Each year we see a lift in quality and innovation that makes the job of our judges so much harder – and that is exactly what we want for success of the New Zealand food industry,” Professor Thomas said.

Apart from Massey University, as principal sponsor and event organiser, the awards are made possible with the support of New Zealand Food Safety, Countdown, FMCG Business, The Shout, Cuisine Magazine, James & Wells, Eagle Protect, Palmerston North City Council, FoodHQ, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, The FoodBowl, Z Energy, Villa Maria and The FoodPilot.

Winning products earn the New Zealand Food Award’s quality mark to highlight the superiority of their products to both shoppers and industry.

For more information, please visit www.foodawards.co.nz

The Supreme Award Winner Auckland-based The Pure Food Co was founded by Sam Bridgewater and Maia Royal in 2014 after a family member of Mr Bridgewater’s

[ events ] 2019 NEW ZEALAND FOOD AWARDS WINNERS Massey University Supreme Award The Pure Food Co Product Lifetime Achievement Award The Griffins Food Company Gingernuts The Shout Alcoholic Beverages Award The White Sheep Co – Sheep Milk & Honey Gin Countdown Grocery Award - (L-R) Lisa Conway, Merchandise Manager, Countdown; Mina Smith, Mrs Head Potato, and Andy Leonard, Team Captain, from Proper Crisps.

Cuisine Artisan Award – winner Poaka New Zealand Ltd – Poaka Coppa 60g Platter Pack

Some of the finalists on display at the Awards.

Cuisine Artisan Award – runner up Bellefield Ltd – Cultured Butter Miso Flavour James & Wells Business Innovation Award The Pure Food Co Chilled/Short Shelf Life Award, in association with Eagle Protect The TATUA Co-operative Dairy Company Limited – Tatua Cooking Cream New Zealand Food Safety Primary Sector Products Award Kiwi Quinoa Limited – Retail Pouch of Wholegrain Quinoa

Product Lifetime Achievement Award – Tracey Seagar, Marketing and Innovation Manager, with the Griffins Bakery Team.

became so ill he could no longer eat solid foods. Products are supplied both nationally and internationally to hospitals and rest homes as well as direct to consumers. The nutritional benefits and quality of the food is achieved through collaboration with chefs, dietitians and food technologists.

Bridgewater said: “Every day we try and put our feet in our consumers’ shoes, our elderly customers.

We try to think about what makes a better meal for them and how we can improve their nutrition.”

The company previously won two New Zealand Food Awards categories – the Massey University Health and Wellness Award in 2015 and the Ministry for Primary Industries Food Safety Culture Award in 2017.

The judging panel said The Pure Food Co met all of the criteria for selection of a Supreme

Award winner, judged against the three themes of innovation, excellence and sustainability.

Product Lifetime Achievement Award This year, for the first time, a Product Lifetime Achievement Award celebrating New Zealand products that have withstood the test of time, was presented. The inaugural winner was The Griffins Food Company for its iconic Gingernuts biscuits.

Finalists were Goodman Fielder for pantry staple Edmonds Baking Powder and Kraft Heinz for Watties Tomato Sauce.

The judges said the fact the finalists’ products were still on the shelves was proof of the impact of the initial innovation and the ongoing quality control that made them trusted brands. The winner was both innovative in its day and strong enough to hold off challengers over the years.

Frozen Award, in association with Palmerston North City Council Waitoa – Premium Chicken Fillet Burgers Ancient Grains Countdown Grocery Award Proper Crisps – Proper Crisps Purple & Gold Potatoes with Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt Massey University Health and Wellbeing Award Kim’s Kitchen – Gluten Free Chicken & Coriander Dumplings Non-Alcoholic Beverages Award WNS Group – WDOM 5.0% Fat Longlife Creamy Whole Milk Novel Food or Beverage Award, in association with Z Energy and The FoodBowl The White Sheep Co – Sheep Milk & Honey Gin

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[ events ]

SWEET INDULGENCES

WHAT’S ON IN 2020 FEBRUARY

MAY

2-5 ISM COLOGNE Cologne, Germany https://www.ism-cologne.com/

6 NZ CHAMPIONS OF CHEESE AWARDS GALA DINNER Sky City Hamilton, NZ https://nzsca.org.nz/2020important-dates/

5-7 FRUIT LOGISTICA Berlin, Germany www.fruitlogisitica.com

MARCH 3-5 NACS CONVENIENCE SUMMIT ASIA 2020 Bangkok, Thailand www.convenience.org/csa

22-24 THE FOOD SHOW Wellington, NZ www.foodshow.co.nz

JUNE

APRIL

2-4 NACS CONVENIENCE SUMMIT EUROPE 2020 Berlin, Germany www.conveniencesummit.com

3-5 THE FOOD SHOW Christchurch, NZ www.foodshow.co.nz

21-23 FINE FOOD NZ Auckland, NZ www.finefoodnz.co.nz

22 OUTSTANDING NZ FOOD PRODUCER AWARDS Champions Party Auckland, NZ https://outstandingfoodproducer. co.nz/timelines

JULY

15 40

30-2 AUGUST THE FOOD SHOW Auckland, NZ www.foodshow.co.nz

Visit the websites and contact the event organisers for further details and updates.

To have your event listed in FMCG Business email: trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz.

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

Many thousands of Aucklanders tempted their tastebuds at The Chocolate and Coffee Show in October. The seductive aromas of French-style pastries and freshly brewed coffee greeted visitors as they arrived at The Cloud in Auckland’s party precinct.

Chocolatiers from Hogarth, Honest Chocolate, The Foundry, Baron Hasselhoff, Shirl & Moss and many other artisan exhibitors shared their latest innovations and award-winning chocolates.

From Makana’s Macadamia Butter Toffee Crunch to designer cupcakes, Grown-up Donuts, gourmet popcorn and fudge, there was something to delight all tastes and ages!

MC Mike Puru and the event team worked tirelessly to orchestrate Masterclasses and free presentations from some of New Zealand’s food, chocolate and coffee gurus. Celebrity foodie Nicci Wickes shared her dessert recipes, you could learn how to make your own gourmet chocolate bar, or enjoy wine and chocolate matching with Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas.

Visitors also enjoyed fine tea and coffee, exotic delights from Vietnam, Hungary and the Pacific Islands, ice creams, plantbased milks, nut butters, chutneys and honey, as well as gift ideas, including boxed chocolates, cook books, homewares, coffee cups, T-shirts and aprons.

The popular VIP Lounge at the Chocolate & Coffee Show was a ‘sold-out’ affair, offering Allan Scott wines, Puhoi Valley Cheeses, Sprig & Fern Chocolate Porter, Häagen-Dazs ice creams and a Goodie Bag filled with Tatua products, Well Naturally Chocolate and other treats.

Here’s what some of the visitors said about the show: • “The master classes are definitely worth a mention, they were a key highlight. My kids did the cupcake decorating class and they came away with a Chelsea goodie bag.”

• “The VIP lounge was buzzing, but there were plenty of comfy chairs to relax in, plus complimentary wine, beer, cheese boards and ice creams on offer. We received a VIP goodie bag there too with chocolates and other treats.”

• “We bought gifts for the whole family at the show – all very unique chocolates and sweets that you just don’t find anywhere else in Auckland.”

Out & About

The judges at the NZ Ice Cream Awards (L to R): Geoff Scott, Jacqueline Matthews, Craig Davis, Kay McMath, Hayden Lomax, Joanna Boese.

9 and growers at the 201 The NZ Avocado team s in Medellin, Colombia.

World Avocado Congres

Nestlé NZ and Safe Kids in Daily Supervision (sKids) received the 2019 TVNZ Marketing Excellence Award for Best Collaboration. (L to R) Christian Abboud, Nestle NZ CEO, Amanda McDermott, Nestle NZ Manager Corporate Brand, Rebecca Woolfall, sKIDs Marketing Manager and Rob Waddell, sKIDs Programme Supporter.

At the Countdown Annual Supplier Awards: (L to R) Natalie Davis MD Woolworths NZ with Supreme Winner of the Year, team Unilever NZ - Nick Bangs, Josh Rich, Dheeraj Sharma, Isabelle Kaa, and Scott Davidson Countdown GM Merchandise.

SNAP & WIN!

Has your team moved to new premises, or been part of a fun event, great harvest, or promotional activity? Send us your favourite snapshots to be in to win one of two essano gift packs (each worth about $145). Be kind to your skin and the planet with essano’s bodycare range. Treat yourself headto-toe with a NZ Made product backed by essano’s powerful product promise and commitment to cruelty free products using natural ingredients.

Just email your high res image with a caption to trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz

FMCG BUSINESS - SUMMER 2019/20

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NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST LIQUOR AUDIENCE

SUMMER 2019/20 | www.theshout.co.nz

CELEBRATION WINE KIWI CIDER INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

KITCHEN PERFECTION INTRODUCING THE INTEGRATED COLUMN WINE CABINET

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contents

The Shout Editor, Charlotte Cowan

ENDLESS SUMMER

Welcome to our last issue of 2019!

Can you believe it? Where has the year gone? (That’s what old people say, right? Am I officially old?). As we trot into a new decade, we thought we’d bring you a spectacular summer issue - including our favourite picks for sparkling and celebration wine as tasted by Cameron Douglas MS (pgs 14-15), the big winners at the New Zealand Food Awards and the New Zealand Beer Awards (pgs 8 and 16), the latest gadgets appearing in the supermarket wine aisles (pgs 1213) and what’s been happening in the world of Kiwi cider (pgs 18-19). Thank you so much for all your support this year, we appreciate you so much especially all the hard work you do in the FMCG industry. Cheers to a cracking Christmas and a delicious, sparkling summer. See you in 2020!

summer 2019/20

4 INDUSTRY NEWS AND INSIGHTS 7 RAISE YOUR GLASS

New World launches Spiegelau collectable promotion

8 GIN FOR THE WIN

Q+A with Sam Brown, winner at the NZ Food Awards

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10 IN THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

Special present ideas for the festive season

12 TECH TIME IN THE WINE AISLE

Caro Jensen explains how wineries can use technology to attract consumers

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14 SPARKLING AND CELEBRATION WINE Tasting notes from Cameron Douglas MS

16 NZ BEER AWARDS 2019: THE WINNERS

18 ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT CIDER LIFE…

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John Oszajca chats with Paul Paynter from Paynter’s Cider

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NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST LIQUOR AUDIENCE

COVER STAR: SUMMER 2019/20 | www.theshout.co.nz

CORRECTION: In the October issue of The Shout NZ, I incorrectly named the hops in Behemoth’s ‘Murica APA as Riwaka, Amarillo and Citra. I sincerely apologise to Behemoth Brewing Company for this error. The correct hops in ‘Murica are Amarillo, Centennial and Simcoe and the beer is available in 330ml cans. For more information, please visit www.behemothbrewing.co.nz/beer/ murica

PUBLISHED BY The Intermedia Group Ltd 505 Rosebank Road, Avondale Auckland, 1026, New Zealand ph: 021 361 136 Managing Director-Publisher Dale Spencer dspencer@intermedianz.co.nz Editor Charlotte Cowan ccowan@intermedianz.co.nz ph 021 774 080 Sales Director Jacqueline Freeman jfreeman@intermedianz.co.nz ph 021 286 7600

CELEBRATION WINE KIWI CIDER INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

NEW WORLD

Following the New World Wine Awards announced last month, New World has launched a collectable campaign for Christmas with Spiegelau glassware.

For every $20 spent in store between 4 November 2019 and 12 January 2020, customers can earn points towards a collection of Spiegelau wine, beer, champagne and drinking glasses. For more information, head to pg 7.

EDITOR’S PICKS 1 NO.1 FAMILY ESTATE MARLBOROUGH CUVÉE BLANC DE BLANCS NV The winner of multiple International Trophies, Gold Medals and Five Star Awards – plus 95 points from Cameron Douglas MS – this sensational sparkling wine was held on lees for two years, resulting in complex, champagne-like characters. One word: delicious.

For more sparkling and celebration wines, head to pgs 14-15.

2 JOHANNESHOF CELLARS EDELBRAND GRAPE BRANDY One of just a few Kiwi companies producing grape brandy, Johanneshof Cellars uses 100% Marlborough grapes, distilled twice like a Cognac and matured for 28 years in small Limousine oak casks to product this unique drop that is perfect for a gift this festive season. For more out-of-the-box present ideas, take a look at pgs 10-11.

3 SCOUNDRELS AND ROGUES COLD SHOULDER ICE CIDER Made from freeze-concentrated sweet juice that is fermented and aged in barrels for almost six months, this delicious Ice Cider is sweet, complex, intense and refreshing and is the perfect gift for cider lovers who have tried them all! For more fabulous festive gifts, check out pgs 10-11.

For more amazing liquor news (and even a few giveaways), make sure you follow us on Instagram and Facebook @theshoutnz and sign up to our fortnightly eNewsletter at www.theshout.co.nz.

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THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20 3

news

Gold medals and trophies announced for NZ Wine of the Year

WHAT’S ON

Following three days of judging more than 1200 wines, 75 Gold medals, 13 varietal trophies and seven regional trophies have been awarded at the New Zealand Wine of the Year competition.

Marlborough dominated the Gold medal tally, winning close to 50% of the awards with a particular strength in the Sauvignon Blanc Judges Warren Gibson and Ben Glover category. Hawke’s Bay dominated the full-bodied red category and Central Otago was prominent in Pinot Noir.

Multiple Golds were also given to the Gisborne, Nelson and Canterbury regions with Northland achieving strong Silver medals. There was a total of 766 medals awarded across 15 classes.

“The average quality of the wines was very high, with a strong return of both Silver and Bronze medals suggesting the current vintages of 2018 and 2019 are both good ones,” says Chair of Judges, Warren Gibson.

In the varietal trophies, Central Otago shone with its Pinot Noir, while the aromatic white wines were strongly dominated by Marlborough, who also secured the Chardonnay bragging rights. In the full-bodied reds, Saint Clair Estate and Villa Maria took out the Champion Merlot, Cabernet (and Blends), and Champion Syrah trophies respectively.

Gibson says he was extremely pleased to see a strong relationship between variety, style and wine region in the trophy winners of this year’s awards. “More than ever we are finding a true sense of place in our very youthful wine industry,” he says.

The eight major trophies for the New Zealand Wine of the Year competition will be announced at the New Zealand Wine Awards on November 16, including New Zealand Wine of the Year Champion and Best Wine of Provenance.

For more information and a full list of winners, head to www.nzwine.com/nzwy/

November 8-9 The Dunedin Craft Beer & Food Festival Forsyth Bar Stadium Dunedin www.dunedinbeerfest.co.nz

Entries open for the 2020 New Zealand Spirits Awards

November 23 South Island Beer Festival Ilam Homestead Christchurch www.facebook.com/SIBeerFest/

Entries are now open for the 2020 New Zealand Spirits Awards which will be held in Wellington on May 7, 2020.

Presented by Spirits New Zealand Inc. and Distilled Spirits Aotearoa (NZ) Inc., the aim of the awards is to acknowledge and reward the best in local and international spirits commercially available in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Spirits Awards include seven categories – Gin, Liqueurs, Vodka, Whisky, Rum, Botanicals and Other Spirits – and each category will be recognised with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Double-Gold medals as appropriate. Trophies will be awarded for both Best in Category, as well as Best in New Zealand Product in Category.

“Throughout the judging process, we aim to emphasise integrity and impartiality,” say the awards organisers. “Our blind-tasting process undertaken by our peer-recognised national and international judges, guarantees that every entry is judged fairly and given equal consideration.”

For more information on how to enter, visit www.spiritsawardsnz.nz/. Entries are open until March 2, 2020.

November 23 Tauranga Food, Wine & Music Festival Wharepai Domain Tauranga www.taurangafwm.co.nz/

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November 16 The New Zealand Cider Festival Nelson www.nzciderfestival.com/ November 16 New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner Marlborough Lines Stadium Blenheim www.nzwine.com November 17 Toast Martinborough Martinborough www.toastmartinborough.co.nz

December 7 Wanaka Beer Festival Wanaka Showgrounds www.facebook.com/WanakaBeerFestival/ December 7 South Island Wine & Food Festival North Hagley Park www.winefestival.co.nz/ December 10 International Lager Day

industry insights

Who’s going to be the 2019 New Zealand Wine of the Year™?

The best of New Zealand wine will be announced at the 2019 New Zealand Wine Awards, taking place on 16 November. New Zealand Wine of the Year™ is the official national wine competition of the New Zealand wine industry, replacing the Air New Zealand Wine Awards and the Bragato Wine Awards, two of the industry’s major wine competitions. The refreshed competition focuses on rewarding the grape grower and their single vineyard wines, as well as championing New Zealand wine excellence on a larger scale.

New Zealand wineries submitted their best wines for consideration for the highest honour, with prominent Hawke’s Bay winemaker Warren Gibson taking the lead as Chair of Judges, and Marlborough winemaker Ben Glover alongside him as Deputy Chair. They led a 26-strong team of international and national judges, including Canadian wine writer Treve Ring and Australian winemaker Steve Flamsteed, to swirl, sniff and sip their way through some of the best wines in the country.

Eight major trophies will be announced at the New Zealand Wine Awards dinner - New Zealand Wine of the

Sarah Szostak Events Manager, New Zealand Winegrowers

Year™ Champion, Best Single Vineyard White Wine, Best Single Vineyard Red Wine, Best Open White Wine, Best Open Red Wine, Best Organic White Wine, Best Organic Red Wine and Best Wine of Provenance.

The New Zealand Wine Awards dinner will be hosted in New Zealand’s largest wine region, with the event taking place at the Marlborough Lines Stadium in Blenheim.

The evening will recognise the New Zealand Wine of the Year™ winners, as well as other industry achievements including Young Viticulturist of the Year, Young Winemaker of the Year, the New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows for 2019, and for the very first time, the Cellar Door of the Year Award.

So, who will be the pick of the bunch? Keep up to date at nzwine.com to find out!

Winners are grinners Last month, hundreds of New Zealand’s finest brewers and beer lovers descended on Wellington to talk all things beer and give each other a big high five for brewing some amazing beers over the last 12 months.

This event was the annual Brewers Guild conference and awards. Firstly, a massive congratulations to the winners. There were some rather large grins in the room as the awards were dished out.

But secondly, well done to the Guild, it’s a huge undertaking to get all those beers in and judged over such a short period of time. It was great to be in attendance of both the conference and the awards. The Brewers Guild did a great job on the content of both.

I’m not going to go into all those awards but there were 955 entries (an increase on last year). Sixty-five Gold medals, 165 Silvers and 291 Bronze. That’s a lot of silverware.

What this increased number of entries does is highlight that breweries are more confident in their ability to make a great drop and put it forward for their peers to judge. The quality produced is a positive sign, because a beers quality and consistency are so important to keep consumers happy and stick with your brand.

Dylan Firth Executive Director, Brewers Association of New Zealand

It’s not just quality that brewers focus on, the theme for the conference this year was ‘Brewing a Sustainable Future’ and it is evident that there is a huge amount of work that people are doing towards being the best they can when it comes to energy use, staff welfare, community support and responsible consumption. One of the highlights of the New Zealand beer sector is its ability to adapt and change. Knowing that so many people are committed to sustainability and willing to share that knowledge gives the sector a great opportunity at being a leader in this space.

For more on the Brewers Guild Awards, head to pg 16.

THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20 5

A world first for New Zealand wine Villa Maria named in the Top 3 brands globally Judged by 130 masters of wines, wine writers wine buyers, and journalists – this is the first

time ever a New Zealand wine brand has been named Top 3 in the world.

S E D D O N VI NE YAR D, MAR L B O ROUGH

raise YOUR glass on the cover

New World launches Spiegelau collectable promotion

ew World has announced the launch of its latest collectable promotion, just in time for the holiday season.

Hot on the heels of the 2019 New World Wine Awards, shoppers will now have the opportunity to collect top-of-the-line glasses from world-renowned glassware brand Spiegelau.

The range on offer includes red and white wine glasses, Champagne flutes, beer glasses, and glasses suited to long and short drinks.

Pippa Prain, Head of Marketing for New World, says the promotion has taken a step away from the traditional collectables programmes, with practicality and sustainability top-of-mind.

“We’ve been listening to our customers.

We understand they want something that is useful and valued,” she says. “These Spiegelau glasses are a stunning and practical addition to any home, and we know they’ll be used and loved for years to come.”

Prain says the New World team has also worked to ensure there’s no plastic, or unnecessary packaging involved.

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“It’s important to us to stay true to our commitment to sustainability. We put a focus on minimising waste, and giving our customers more than a short-lived delight.”

In a first for such a promotion for New World, there is also added flexibility with customers being able to cash top-up their stickers to realise their rewards more quickly. Bonus stickers are also available through qualifying purchases.

“We really value the support of our food and drink suppliers like Griffin’s, Quench, Lion, Taylor Brown and Moët who are on board with our bonus offers,” says Prain.

“We want our shoppers to enjoy getting this extra reward as part of their normal everyday shopping - it should feel like a treat not a chore!”

“WE’VE BEEN LISTENING TO OUR CUSTOMERS. WE UNDERSTAND THEY WANT SOMETHING THAT IS USEFUL AND VALUED.”

Sourced from one of Europe’s longest-standing and most respected glassmakers, the Spiegelau glasses are the result of more than 500 years of handcraftsmanship and innovation to deliver a top-notch experience.

“New World takes great pride in offering the very best wines, beers and ciders at the best prices for our customers, and it only makes sense that they have the opportunity to enjoy them from some of the best glasses in the world,” says Prain. “Spiegelau glasses are specifically designed in shape and glass thickness so you get the best aromas and taste from every sip.”

Shoppers will receive a sticker for every $20 spent in-store or online, and bonus stickers will also be available through special offers. A cash top-up of $10 can be added to between 10 and 14 stickers to redeem a reward. Once shoppers have collected a full set of stickers, they can be redeemed for a pair of glasses. Stickers can be earned from 4 November 2019 to 12 January 2020 and can be redeemed from 4 November 2019 to 26 January 2020.

For more information, head to www.newworld.co.nz/christmas/ spiegelau

THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20 7

Gin FOR THE win Q+A

The White Sheep Co’s Sheep Milk & Honey Gin took out The Shout Alcoholic Beverages Award at the New Zealand Food Awards held in Auckland last month. We chatted with founder Sam Brown about how far his ‘out of the box’ spirits have come in the past year…

“OUR GIN IS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THE NORM”

How did you feel when you won at this year’s New Zealand Food Awards?

“It was really amazing to not only be nominated but win two awards, especially with all the other great New Zealand brands in the award categories. The White Sheep Co has been a long time in the making, so nights like this are really nice.”

What other accolades has your Sheep Milk & Honey Gin received since it was launched?

“The inaugural NZ Spirits Awards were held at the beginning of the year and both our Sheep Milk & Honey Gin and Sheep Milk Vodka won medals. We’ve also received great reviews from critics and feedback from the public has been excellent, which is, of course, the most important thing.”

What have you been up to with your business since we last spoke to you?

“It’s certainly been a very busy first year for The White Sheep Co. Our Gin and Vodka are now ranged at a number of liquor outlets and bars throughout the country, as well as airport duty free. We’re also exploring offshore markets which is really exciting and has kept us busy.”

How would you describe the flavour of your Sheep Milk & Honey Gin? “A delicate creamy aroma with a slightly honeyed sweetness. It’s silky, full and rounded on the palate, with a very smooth finish from the sheep milk notes. Our gin is quite different from the norm.”

Can you give us a quick rundown again of how it’s made?

“We are a true producer of alcohol from scratch, which is quite unique in the New Zealand spirits industry. Special yeasts (and lots of care and attention) are used to ferment sheep milk into 8 THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20

The White Sheep Co’s Sheep Milk & Honey Gin

alcohol, which takes around two weeks per batch. We then distill the fermented sheep milk into a full-strength spirit using a traditional style copper still. The long fermentation time means we are able to retain a great deal of the natural sheep milk flavour and aroma, which helps give our spirits their unique taste.”

How would you suggest that people drink it?

“If you are a whiskey drinker, then we definitely recommend trying our Sheep Milk & Honey Gin neat over ice. We are also building up a library of unique cocktails on our website which we continually add to and should have something for everyone so be sure to check it out.”

What’s next for you?

“We are truly grateful for all the support we have received along the way and are really excited about the coming year - we’ve got some big plans both here in New Zealand and abroad so watch this space!”

For more on The White Sheep Co, visit www.thewhitesheepco.com. And for more New Zealand Food Awards coverage, head to pgs 38-39 in FMCG Business.

Sam Brown The Shout NZ Editor Charlotte Cowan presented the award to Sam Brown

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THE DESSERT EXPERIENCE From French-born chef Claire Guenegan comes a new tasting concept –The Dessert Experience. For up to two hours, Guenegan will take you through chocolate pairings with wine, beer, whiskey, gin or tea. Using only the best local ingredients, it’s a unique way to use your senses to recognise and identify flavours and a great gift to buy a friend so that you can go too!

Prices from $75 per person www.thedessertexperience.co.nz

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F O T I R I P S E H NT

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Stuck for amazing gift ideas for the festive season? Try these little numbers on for size.

⊳ NEW ZEALAND WINES 2020: MICHAEL COOPER’S BUYER’S GUIDE Acclaimed New Zealand wine writer Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide hits stores this month, including more than 2500 Kiwi wines. Designed to help the buyer to make informed choices about the best quality wines available, it’s a must-have for wine-lovers this Christmas.

RRP $39.99 (Upstart Press) www.upstartpress.co.nz

ROCKBURN CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR 2017 Adorned in a Kiwiana-inspired gift box, Rockburn’s iconic Pinot Noir is the perfect food-friendly varietal, just what you need on Christmas Day! Kiwi owned, boutique producer Rockburn has been crafting premium wines for more than 20 years and this Pinot Noir offers a pure expression of Central Otago in your glass.

RRP $45.00 www.rockburn.co.nz

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gift guide

JOHANNESHOF CELLARS EDELBRAND GRAPE BRANDY Maturing deep in an underground cellar for 28 years, Johanneshof Cellars Edelbrand Grape Brandy is solely made from 100% hand-harvested grapes grown in Marlborough and aged in Limousine barrels.

This premium brandy is blended like the best cognacs - using the solera method - guaranteeing you the finest quality of brandies.

RRP $105.00 Phone: (03) 573 7035 www.johanneshof.co.nz/ our-spirits.html

SCOUNDRELS AND ROGUES COLD SHOULDER ICE CIDER For cider lovers looking for something a bit different, this Ice Cider (10.2% ABV) from Scoundrels and Rogues is made from their best barrel freeze-concentrated juice. Sweet, with notes of toffee apple, honey, and tropical fruits, it’s designed to be enjoyed at the end of a meal (or anytime, really).

RRP $19.00 for 375ml bottle www.scoundrelsandrogues.com/

THE BOLLINGER 007 LIMITED EDITION MILLÉSIMÉ 2011 For those with a little more cash to splash, Bollinger has released a limited edition wine dedicated to James Bond, to mark the release of the newest movie – No Time To Die. The 2011 vintage - created entirely from Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru village of Aÿ - is in a jet-black bottle adorned with the number 25, formed from the titles of the previous films (which are also etched on the glass of the wooden box). A truly unique gift for the 007-obsessed.

RRP $325.00 www.champagne-bollinger.com

⊳ LEGENT For bourbon lovers comes a first-ofits-kind innovation – Legent. Distilled by seventh-generation Master Distiller Fred Noe (Jim Beam’s greatgrandson), and refined by Suntory’s world-renowned Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo from Japan – this Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is a marriage of East and West. Enjoy it neat, on the rocks or in a classic or new-age bourbon cocktail.

RRP $99.99 for 700ml www.beamsuntory.com

THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20 11

IN THE WINE AISLE

It’s not just about an engaging logo or label anymore, Caro Jensen co-founder of Sip NZ and drinkfo.com - explains how wineries can use technology to attract consumers.

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ineries are desperate to stand-out from the crowd in wallpaperlike aisles, with the wine category typically carrying the highest number of products compared to any other segment in store.

Technology offers exciting new ways to engage shoppers, but the wine industry is hardly known as a fast mover when it comes to embracing new ways to market their products. Yet wine is an ideal candidate for new tech solutions given its rich history, complex craft, inspiring makers and stunning visuals.

Let’s have a look at the tech tools that are behind some of the most innovative and engaging campaigns in the Caro Jensen wine aisle…

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technology Spanish winery Bodegas Barbadillo uses NFC to provide information for when bottles of their Versos 1891 - a very old amontillado, valued at 10,000 euros – have been opened.

NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATIONS (NFC) NFC tags contain a small unpowered chip and depending on how it is programmed, they offer the ability to launch apps and perform certain actions including competition entries, and wireless payments just by holding your phone close to a tag. This technology can be used for conventional neck-tags to create “tap to win” on-pack promotions but can also be integrated into wine labels or screwcaps. Innovative producers including Spanish Bodegas Barbadillo and US brand Böen have already successfully leveraged NFC to increase wine sales.

MULTI-SENSUAL BRAND EXPERIENCES Projection mapping, also known as video mapping or spatial augmented reality, turns objects such as buildings, stages or stores into a display surface for video projection. These screen-free, multisensual brand experiences are often supported by audio effects and scent diffusions, making them a great tool for wine promotions.

AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) AR overlays 3D animation onto what users view through their cell phones, creating immersive and engaging brand experiences. Generic augmented reality apps such as Winerytale and Living Wine Labels allow producers to create animations without the need develop a bespoke producer app, making this technology accessible for smaller wineries.

A number of innovative Australiasian producers, such as Treasury Wine Estates (TWE), Winerytale creates a new have launched bespoke AR way for wineries applications to create cuttingto engage with edge wine experiences for wine-lovers using shoppers. Entertainment including augmented reality gamification and immersive experiences such as “transportation to the vineyard” are popular content strategies to engage consumers and create a positive ROI.

AR technology is accessible on the TWE bottle labels of Wolf Blass Yellow Label, Squealing Pig, Matua and 19 Crimes

BEACONS Beacons are small Bluetooth devices that can send alerts to smartphones based on location proximity. In the retail space, a store’s app must be open on a customer’s smartphone to receive beacon alerts, such as in-store promotions, user-specific discounts or product recommendations.

Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, and Target successfully use beacons to drive customer engagement.

VIDEO An increasing number of retailers have screens, tablets and projectors in store giving producers the opportunity to influence customers’ buying decisions at the point of sale. Sweeping vineyard shots, a peek into the winemaking process or team interviews are go-to content angles. Consumer-led, aspirational content featuring wines in use and in the environment of the target audience are however harder to find.

SOCIAL MEDIA One of the most overlooked tech tools in the wine aisle is social media. Featuring a brand’s active and ideally streamlined social media handles on the back label, neck tag or shelf talker, alongside a specific hashtag and call-to-action, wineries can easily kick-off conversations and competitions with prospective customers and provide customer service via channels that consumers already love using.

CONNECTING THE DOTS… But the biggest opportunity these technologies offer, beside the initial customer engagement, is the identification of shoppers. Connecting the dots between online followers and customers shopping offline, identifying people browsing the wine aisle and ultimately buying certain wines, finally allows producers to engage wine lovers via personalised and targeted offers and bespoke communication. That’s when tech in the wine aisle unleashes its full potential and wineries can truly harvest the rewards of their innovative initiatives.

THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20 13

sparkling wine

BY CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

NO.1 FAMILY ESTATE MARLBOROUGH CUVÉE BLANC DE BLANCS NV Made from 100% Chardonnay and held on lees for two years - the bouquet has a distinctive, fine and precise aroma of autolysis with a core of fruit, white flowers and complexity. Dry, crisp and refreshing on the palate, with layers of fruit and lees, integration, finesse and youth. Destined to age for several years to come, but also delicious today.

Perhaps the perfect aperitif for summer 2020 and through 2024.

Points 95 RRP $36.00 Distributor: Local distributors can be found on the website or email no1wine@xtra.co.nz Phone: (03) 572 9876 www.no1familyestate.co.nz

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NO.1 FAMILY ESTATE MARLBOROUGH ROSÉ NV Made from Pinot Noir, this bouquet shows off aromas of a fine, delicate, complex and enticing wine.

Suggestions of Auckland rose and red cherry, pink apple skin and strawberry.

Elegant and fine on the palate, no mistaking the energy of youth, acidity and freshness. The autolysis is at the core of this wine with a line of sophistication and complexity.

Lengthy finish with fruit flavours that reflect the bouquet. Drink now and through 2026+.

Points 95 RRP $47.00 Distributor: Local distributors can be found on the website or email no1wine@xtra.co.nz Phone: (03) 572 9876 www.no1familyestate.co.nz

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NO.1 FAMILY ESTATE ASSEMBLÉ MARLBOROUGH MÉTHODE TRADITIONELLE NV A classic blend of Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir and Meunier – presents aromas and flavours of white peaches and apples, pears and sweet lemon.

A calm yet rounded and gently spicy leesy autolysis with a developing complexity. Dry, weighty, fruity, fleshy and leesy with fruit flavours that reflect the nose. Balanced and poised for more development in your cellar, but drinkable today and through 2024 as an aperitif or with cured salmon, charcutérie or cold chicken cuts.

Points 94 RRP $32.00

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Distributor: Local distributors can be found on the website or email no1wine@xtra.co.nz Phone: (03) 572 9876 www.no1familyestate.co.nz

CLOS MARGUERITE MARLBOROUGH MÉTHODE TRADITIONNELLE ROSÉ 2013 Bold, attractive and Champagnelike bouquet of Rosé with aromas of brioche, strawberry and light red berry fruits. Developing and complex, with layers of charm, elegance and sophistication. Fine mousse on the palate, with a series of fresh and tart light-red fruit flavours, autolysis and rose. Quite a lengthy finish, balanced and well made. Drink now and through 2023.

Points 94 RRP $79.00 Distributor: Clos Marguerite Phone: (021) 415 692 www.closmarguerite.co.nz

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MATAHIWI ESTATE WAIRARAPA BRUT ROSÉ NV Distinctively floral bouquet with roses and blossoms, then aromas of light red fruits of cherry and raspberry. A fine delicate yeasty layer adds some breadth and depth. Fresh and fruity on the palate with a softly textured mousse. Flavours of red berries and cherry, some red apple skin, then a light cereal note. Bright, crisp, balanced and fresh. Well made. Drink now and through 2022.

Points 91 RRP $28.99 Distributor: Matahiwi Estate Phone: (06) 370 1000 www.matahiwi.co.nz

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ipping on a glass of wine is a reason to celebrate, to toast an occasion or acknowledge a great friend or event. Whatever the reason, one thing is for certain – we are spoiled for choice.

Budget, packaging and occasion will nearly always drive the purchase decision. So at all price points, sparkling wine can appeal. Cheap does not necessarily mean low quality, but it does mean a more simply made wine can be expected.

The converse also applies – a more expensive product does not guarantee high quality, but it can mean more steps involved in its production and with it, comes complexity and often a wine deliberately made to age and develop character as it does.

Fun and for used for all sorts of occasions and event, these wines can deliver a very enjoyable drink.

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PASK DECLARATION HAWKE’S BAY MÉTHODE TRADITIONNELLE 2010 A bold and rich bouquet packed with a nutty, yeasty and yellow stone-fruits.

Dry, firm and crisp on the palate with flavours of lemon, apple and custard brioche. Quite weighty and full-bodied richness. With some bottle development and nutty spice layers, a wine with some complexity and intrigue. Drink now and through 2022.

Points 90 RRP $30.00 Distributor: Hancocks Wine, Spirit and Beer Merchants Phone: (06) 879 7906 www.pask.co.nz

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celebration wines more

tasting notes

BY CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

Not big on bubbles? Try these other varietals perfect for that special celebration.

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WAIPARA HILLS NORTH CANTERBURY PINOT NOIR ROSÉ 2019 Aromas of fresh red cherries, sweet cranberry, red melon and roses. Crisp, light, refreshing and dry with flavours that mirror the nose, a fine satin texture, plenty of acidity and delicate fine chalky tannins. Overall a juicy, fleshy and tasty example. Drink now and through Summer 2021.

Points 91 RRP $19.90 Distributor: Hancocks Wine, Spirit and Beer Merchants Phone: (0800) 699 463 www.waiparahills.co.nz

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MONTANA NEW ZEALAND COLLECTION CRISP & ZINGY MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 Intense, varietal and impactful with aromas of fresh herbs and tropical fruits, ripe grapefruit and white peach.

Floral and wet stone combinations.

Flavours are just as fresh and loud on the palate, a core of fruit, fresh herbs and citrus. Plenty of acidity adds a crunchy fresh finish. Balanced and ready. Drink now and through 2021.

Points 90 RRP $19.99 Distributor: Pernod Ricard New Zealand Phone: (0800) 503 000

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MONTANA NEW ZEALAND COLLECTION DELICATE & FRUITY MARLBOROUGH ROSÉ 2019 Plump and fleshy fresh red fruit aromas of strawberry, peach and sweet rose, some whispers of tropical fruit and stones. Just dry and crisp with acidity and fruit contrasting each other well. Ready to enjoy from today and through 2020.

Points 89 RRP $19.99 Distributor: Pernod Ricard New Zealand Phone: (0800) 503 000

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MONTANA NEW ZEALAND COLLECTION SMOOTH & VELVETY MARLBOROUGH PINOT NOIR 2018 Varietal, fruity and enticing with aromas of plums and red cherries, brown spices and vanilla oak scents.

Fruity and equally varietal on the palate with flavours that mirror the nose, fine tannins, nice acid line and

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contrasting core of fruit. The brown spices of oak and tannins lead to a dry finish. Balanced and ready to enjoy from early 2020 and through 2022.

Points 89 RRP $19.99 Distributor: Pernod Ricard New Zealand Phone: (0800) 503 000 CAMPO VIEJO ROSÉ 2018 Bright, fresh, fruity and enticing with aromas of red and white strawberry, red melon and pink apple skin. A whisper of fruit spice and fresh flower notes. Dry, crisp, fruity and fresh. Plenty of acidity contrasts the core of red fruit flavours, there’s a whisper of fruit tannins adding texture back palate. Balanced and well made, drink now and through 2021.

Points 89 RRP $18.99 Distributor: Pernod Ricard New Zealand Phone: (0800) 503 000

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MONTANA NEW ZEALAND COLLECTION BIG & BUTTERY GISBORNE CHARDONNAY 2018 Attractive and familiar aromas of vanilla and peach, butter and some spicy nut, mild oak and gentle toasty wood. Just dry on the palate with sweetness of wood and vanilla, ripe peach and nut. Soft and creamy texture, balanced and well made.

Drink now and through 2020.

Points 88 RRP $19.99 Distributor: Pernod Ricard New Zealand Phone: (0800) 503 000

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MADAM SASS CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR ROSÉ 2019 Plump, fruity and fleshy aromas of red cherry and strawberry, sweet rose and pink candy floss. Just dry on the palate with flavours that match the nose. Round almost creamy textures with contrasting acidity, balanced and well made, ready to drink today and through 2020.

Points 88 RRP $24.99 Distributor: Hancocks Wine, Spirit and Beer Merchants Phone: (0800) 699 463 www.madamsass.co.nz

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THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20 15

awards

NZ BEER AWARDS 2019:

thewinners The 2019 Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards wrapped its 13th year last month, with 500 people from the New Zealand brewing industry attending a gala dinner at Te Papa in Wellington.

CHAMPION AWARD WINNERS CHAMPION SMALL BREWERY Fork Brewcorp Te Aro, Wellington CHAMPION MEDIUM BREWERY Liberty Brewing Co. Helensville, Auckland CHAMPION LARGE BREWERY Lion NZ East Tamaki, Auckland CHAMPION NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITOR Liberty Brewing Co. Helensville, Auckland CHAMPION NEW ZEALAND MANUFACTURER Steam Brewing Otahuhu, Auckland CHAMPION NEW ZEALAND BEER Deep Creek Brewing - Diep Kriek Silverdale, Auckland

INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS

Lion NZ was named Champion Large Brewery

Deep Creek Brewing took out the Champion New Zealand Beer category

With a record 955 beers and ciders entered in celebrate not just the 2019 Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer the product of beer Awards, there was a 13% increase in entries and cider but also from Kiwi breweries in 2019 - 57% of which were the contributions of from small breweries. broader industry,” The dinner in Wellington presented trophy says Brewers Guild and medal winners for the 15 beer and Executive Director, cider categories, as well the six champion Sabrina Kunz. awards, and five industry awards.

“In 2019, we Wellington’s Fork Brewcorp, Auckland’s strengthened the Brewer Joe Wood Liberty Brewing Co. and Auckland’s Lion process around of Liberty Brewing NZ were named Champion Small, Medium our industry and Large Brewery respectively. awards and introduced Beer Tourism and “Lion is incredibly proud to have been Brewing Sustainability awards that reflect crowned Champion Large Brewer at the importance of these issues for the New this year’s NZ Brewers Guild Awards Zealand industry.” for the second year running no less,” Winners on the evening ranged in size says Rory Glass, Managing Director, and experience in brewing, with one Lion NZ. “Lion has such a long and - Shining Peak Brewing from Taranaki proud brewing history in this country only in its sixth month of operation. and it’s incredibly humbling to get The criteria for judging used beer confirmation that after all these guidelines set by the American years, we’re still at the top of our Brewing Association and included 35 game and brewing world class judges, overseen by Chief Judge Tina beers that Kiwis love.”

Panoutsos, Associate Director of Beer The Champion New Zealand Beer Knowledge for CUB, ABInBev. was awarded to Deep Creek’s ‘Diep “As the industry association for Kriek’ Barrel Aged Cherry Sour Ale, brewing in New Zealand – we and the new Brewing Sustainability continue to be humbled by the effort Award was won by Sawmill of our members to collaborate and Brewing Co. seek out collective success for our “What sets the Brewers Guild of industry,” says Kunz.

New Zealand Beer Awards apart For a full list of winners, visit Deep Creek’s Diep Kriek www.brewersguild.org.nz/awards/ from other competitions is that we 16 THE SHOUT NZ – SUMMER 2019/20

BREWING SUSTAINABILITY AWARD Sawmill Brewing Co. BEER TOURISM AWARD Brewbus NZ MORTON COUTTS AWARD Froth Technologies Ltd. BEER MEDIA AWARD Denise Garland PACKAGING AWARD Liberty Brewing Co.

TROPHY WINNERS

DB BREWERIES LTD. International Lager - Tiger Crystal LIBERTY BREWING CO. New Zealand Style - Halo Pilsner SHINING PEAK BREWING Amber/Dark Lager - Octopus Clamp Dark Lager WIGRAM BREWING COMPANY British Ale - Wee Reeky SUNSHINE BREWING LIMITED European Ale - East Coast Saison HEYDAY BEER CO. Amber/Dark Ale - Game Day LIBERTY BREWING CO. International Pale Ale Yakima Monster BEHEMOTH BREWING Indian Pale Ale - Me Time - Mosaic PANHEAD CUSTOM ALES Stout & Porter - Panhead Blacktop EMERSON’S BREWING COMPANY Wheat & Other Grain - Emerson’s Brewery Long Night GARAGE PROJECT Fruit & Flavoured - Wabi Sabi DEEP CREEK BREWING Specialty, Experimental & Aged Diep Kriek LAKEMAN BREWING Barrel & Wood Aged - Hairy Craic Imperial Stout PAYNTER’S CIDER Cider & Perry - The Huntress

FREE download or stream Main Divide NZ Music Compilation Vol.04 Spotify and Soundcloud Main Divide NZ Music Compilation Vol.04 www.maindivide.com/music

T H G I R EB

. . . e f i l r e d i c K O O L S Y A W L A

H T ON

This year has been huge for the Kiwi cider industry. With new and innovative styles and flavours popping up almost weekly, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to this refreshing apple (or pear) drop. John Ozsajca chats to New Zealand cider expert Paul Paynter to learn more.

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The Huntress won Best Cider at the 2019 Brewers Guild of NZ Beer Awards last month

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or a beverage that is typically made with just two primary ingredients - apples and yeast - cider can be surprisingly varied. It can be pale, amber, cloudy, clear, still, sparkling, sweet, dry, and/or flavoured with fruits, vegetables, spices, and even hops.

However, the vast majority of cider sold in New Zealand is a style known as “New World” cider. This means that rather than using traditional cider apple varieties (which are rare in New Zealand), New World ciders are, for the most part, made with common eating apples. They tend to be sweet, carbonated, and lacking the complexity of more traditional English and French ciders.

However, with cider sales continuing to grow in New Zealand, we are seeing a growing number of boutique Kiwi cideries that are embracing more traditional styles, production methods, and who are seeking out – or even planting orchards of – traditional, and newlydeveloped, cider apples.

John Oszajca To contact John Oszajca regarding beer features or samples, please email him at john@newzealandbrewer.co.nz

cider feature

“CIDER IS GROWING, AND IT’S GROWING QUITE STRONGLY.” When tasked with reporting on the current state of cider in New Zealand, I could think of no one better to speak to than Paul Paynter of Paynter’s Cider in Hawke’s Bay. An instinct that was validated last month when Paynter’s took home the ‘Best Cider’ trophy for the Huntress Cider at the 2019 Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards.

Here’s what he had to say…

two kings of Ice Cider are Scoundrels WHAT MAKES A & Rogues and GOOD CIDER? Peckham’s.

“It really comes They both make down to fruit quality unbelievable Ice and the attributes Cider that’s right up of the verities you’re there with dessert putting in there. If wine in terms of quality you want to make really and palate interest. I Paul Paynter good beer, you can do think Ice Cider could and so in about six months if you should find its way onto more put your mind to it; you find a good restaurant menus. It’s an incredibly brewer, and away you go. But if you want high-end product. to make really good cider, you really are Rosé Cider is definitely one that’s in the wine business. You’ve got to plant interesting. Those are often blends at least a portion of apple varieties that with other things - like grape juice and are specifically designed for cider. Then hibiscus - or they are made by using you need to be really careful about what enzymes to extract colour from the skins you’re selecting to blend with those cider of red-skinned apples. However, there apples, to get the right end-product. are actually red-fleshed apples out there The components that really shine in in the world. We’re part of a red-flesh good cider are definitely the structural apple breeding programme based out of components of tannin, and you often get France, and we’ve planted some of their a little bitter note as well. And the final varieties. They’re fantastic! I’ve done some component, that is quite obvious with trial ferments with it and the product is cider apples, is that there is a phenolic probably the most exciting cider that I’ve note that is really interesting. So all of that made. It really does taste like Rosé wine – combined with the fruity characteristics because It’s got a lot of strawberry and of apples – provides complexity. cherry-type flavours. But the interesting It’s been proven in the science journals thing is, that when you try to blend them that those polyphenols increase over time. with other apples, the tannins clash. So You drink all those wines [from] 50-yearI think red-fleshed apple cider is really a old vines and they’re pretty amazing. new category.

Well, that’s the game you’re in with cider But for me, it’s the emergence of more as well. You can probably get something cider trees and more cider apples that pretty decent going in five to 10 years, but is exciting. That’s given me a structure you probably won’t get something really to make more ciders that are what I amazing for quite a bit longer than that.” aspire to, to start with. Every vintage comes around and you think to yourself, WHAT’S HOT IN CIDER RIGHT NOW? ‘You know what? I think this is the best “I think the number one thing in the cider I’ve ever made!’. We get about 5% industry right now is Ice Cider (a winebetter every year, and I think when that strength cider that is produced by compounds over a decade or two… you freeze-concentrating apple juice). The can see the trajectory that the industry

Red-fleshed apple cider is an emerging category

is on and you know that there is going to be some really inspiring products in the future. The consumer is lucky.”

WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE NEW ZEALAND CIDER INDUSTRY? “Cider is growing, and it’s growing quite strongly. Not as crazily as it was a few years back, but it’s still growing and we’re pretty excited about it. It’s a bit like the beer industry, where the real excitement comes from the divergent strategies of cider makers. You’re getting a lot of cider makers going in different directions. From the Iced Ciders, to the ciders with fruit, to all sorts of strange, alternative ciders. So there’s a lot of innovation going on. You see this in the beer industry… if you’ve got crazy people, doing crazy things in sheds, most of it will fail. But there’ll be some absolute genius that comes out the back end. And then you get some imitators. So the category just grows and grows and becomes more interesting for the consumer. Both the beer and the wine industries have been through that process to some extent, and they’re both inspirations for the cider industry. But it’s going to take longer to evolve because of the nature of growing apples.“ There’s no question about the fact that New Zealand’s cider industry has matured dramatically over the last decade. Ten years ago, options were limited and the majority of cider had more in common with sugary soft drinks than artisan cider.

Today, innovation abounds, and the quality, flavour, and art of New Zealand’s cider seems to reach new heights each year. Thanks to innovative apple growers and cider producers like Paul Paynter, New Zealand seems to be well on its way to establishing itself as a world class cider producer. Bottoms up!

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