NZ Life & Leisure raises a glass to those who grow and craft New Zealand’s outstanding food and beverage products.

Producers of the country’s finest boutique foods recently put their best offerings before a panel of sharp-toothed judges looking for the most delicious in each category: Free-From, Dairy Water, Earth, Drink and Paddock. Buying products displaying an ONZFPA medal logo is a guarantee of New Zealand-made quality and enjoyment.

EARTH

Robbies by Mrs Pickles

Preserving the finest fruit and vegetables with heirloom recipes and methods, Robbies products are proudly made with love, honesty, integrity and transparency at the base of the Hokonui mountains in Gore. The result is products produced at the highest quality — just like Josie’s nan once made.
Robbies.nz

Opito Bay Salt

Opito Bay Salt Company’s 100 per cent natural Coromandel sea salts took out three gold medals in this year’s awards. This small artisan producer is earning a reputation
as one of the country’s foremost small-batch and sustainable salt farmers for their unique salts using local ingredients.
Opitobaysalt.co.nz

Under The Influence

The silver medal-winning and New Zealand-made SO HOT salsa is part of a range of addictively delicious and shareable party food products. Serve it with snacks for your next social event. It’s so easy to serve that even the host gets to enjoy the moment.
undertheinfluence.co.nz

Pinoli Pine Nuts

Pinoli grow and process New Zealand’s only commercially grown Mediterranean-style pine nuts in a purpose-built facility in sunny Marlborough. Fresh and locally sourced, their gold medal-winning pine nuts took out a sweep of awards, including Supreme Champion and the Farro Earth Champion.
Pinoli.co.nz

Pacific Harvest

The edible seaweed specialists at Pacific Harvest are fuelling a movement where delicious vegetarian seafood is eaten every day. They are powered by the opportunity to nourish and restore people and the planet with their range of delicious, nutrient-rich, air-dried everyday seaweeds.
pacificharvest.co

Foundry Chocolate

Foundry Chocolate crafts micro-batches of beanto- bar craft chocolate from scratch using only two ingredients: cacao beans and organic sugar. This year they won gold for their Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico 70% and the deliciously moreish Pinalum, Malekula Island, Vanuatu 70%.
Foundrychocolate.co.nz

Bloom’s Pretzels

Bloom’s Pretzels is an Auckland-based artisan bakery specialising in hand-twisted soft pretzels. Their pretzels are crafted using time-honoured recipes and come in a variety of flavours, shapes and sizes. They’ve been recognised for their bronze award-winning Sweet Cinnamon, Traditional Rock Salt and Classic Cheese soft pretzels.
bloomspretzels.com

Lucid Chocolatier

Lucid Chocolatier in the coastal Wairarapa uses a considered approach to create a selection of handcrafted bean-to bar chocolates made with high-quality cacao sourced ethically from Peru. They won gold for their innovative 68 per cent port-infused dark chocolate and silver for the 48 per cent Sourdough & Brown Butter Milk Chocolate.
Lucidchocolatier.nz

WATER

The Wee Smokehouse

This small family business found in rural mid-Canterbury has taken out a gold award for their Gravadlax, which is cured for days using mustard, dill, and vodka. It is bursting with a fresh dill flavour and the perfect addition to any social gathering.
Theweesmokehouse.nz

Big Glory Bay

Cook restaurant-quality meals at home with award-winning Big Glory Bay NZ King Salmon Portions. These ready-to-cook, fresh and boneless portions are sustainably ocean-farmed in the pristine coastal waters of Stewart Island. Adored by world-renowned chefs for its distinctive rich, smooth flavour with a tender melt-in-the-mouth texture.
bigglorybay.co.nz

PADDOCK

Olliff Farm

Proudly nurturing and nourishing the land, their hens and the community with groundbreaking farming methods, Olliff Farm have pioneered the pasture farming way since 2016. Farming micro-flocks in uniquely designed solar-powered moveable coops, Olliff Farm brings back the wholesome experience of a ‘backyard egg’. Nutrient-dense, fresh and full of flavour.
Ollifffarm.co.nz

DRINK

Pete’s Natural

Pete’s Natural Sodas offer a deliciously sustainable beverage option. From a solar-powered factory in Motueka, Pete produces sodas using 100 per cent natural ingredients and locally sourced fruit to help reduce NZ’s fruit wastage.
petesnatural.co.nz

Dr Bucha

Made the traditional way, Dr Bucha’s Craft Kombucha delivers full-bodied natural flavour with real fruit pieces you can see. The range of flavours includes Ginger, Orange & Turmeric, Feijoa, Kawakawa, Cucumber & Mint and Jalapeno. Top tip: they work well as cocktail bases. Bottoms up!
drbucha.co.nz

The Tea Thief

Hand-blended in Auckland, the Tea Thief prides itself on taking loose-leaf tea from mundane to magical. With eco-friendly packaging, every sip is delightful and eco-conscious. Gold medal-winning Cool Brew is a tummy-friendly caffeine-free blend with a smooth lemony flavour, the peppery bite of kawakawa and vivacious ginger.
theteathief.com

Elta Ego Alcohol-Free Adaptogenic Cocktails

Award-winning nonalcoholic cocktails containing adaptogens that help lift your mood and take the edge off your day. Since your body is your temple, Elta Ego cocktails are low-sugar/calorie, all-natural, vegan and hangover-free. Try their delicious Raspberry + Yuzu G&T and Mojito now. Santé!
Drinkeltaego.com

Daily Good

Daily Good, an impact-driven brand that produces Organic Immunity Shots, has again been recognised for its exceptional quality, marking its third year of back-to-back wins. Locally made with all-natural superfood ingredients, these daily shots are designed to support your health and wellness with a powerful dose of nutrients.
Dailygood.co.nz

The Wild Fermentary

This spicy Bloody Mary Mixer is a gold medal-winning probiotic drink from The Wild Fermentary in Clevedon. Pour over ice for a nourishing tonic, splash into dressings, slam back a gut shot, or add vodka for a probiotic twist on a classic cocktail.
thewildfermentary.co.nz

FREE FROM

Molly Woppy

Baked in New Zealand with 100 per cent love using only the best ethical ingredients, there has always been magic in every bite of a Molly Woppy cookie. Their scrumptious Choccy Coconut Ruff and Oaty Super Seedy cookies are not only delicious but are both silver medal winners.
Mollywoppy.co.nz

Island Gelato

Waiheke favourites Island Gelato blend traditional Italian craft with a local approach to flavour and sourcing when producing their high-quality gelato. They’ve taken out gold medals for their Pineapple Mojito Sorbet and Chocolate & Forest Berry Gelato Cake, silver for Strawberry Cashew Cheesecake Sorbet and bronze for Waiheke Plum & Coconut Pavlova Gelato. Islandgelato.co.nz

Chantal Organics

Chantal Organics is a New Zealand company driven by a passion to fuel families and protect the planet. Packed full of organic, wholefood ingredients and Fairtrade cocoa, the Cocoa Crunch and the Keto Granola are an indulgently delicious way to start your day. Both award-winning granolas are produced by their team in Hawke’s Bay.
chantalorganics.co.nz

Well & Truly

Well & Truly’s award-winning range is handcrafted in their Christchurch kitchen. Decadent and delightful, this artisan granola is naturally gluten-free with the Crossed Grain Coeliac Certification. The products are made using a base of primarily nuts and seeds, meaning no gluten-containing filler — just a nourishing product.
wellandtruly.nz

Sabato

This high-performing, gluten-free flour was developed by top chef Kate Fay following a diagnosis of coeliac disease. Kate’s appreciation of the impact top-quality ingredients have on taste and texture has resulted in an outstanding Sabato GF flour that bakes brilliantly, with great texture and no aftertaste.
sabato.co.nz

The Damn Good Food Company

The Damn Good Food Company’s plant-based frozen dessert slices are dairy-free, cane-sugar-free and gluten-free. Lovingly handcrafted in their Taupo-based factory, they are made from nuts and fruit. Superfood goodness without any of the bad stuff, they’re your perfect choice for healthy, guilt-free indulgence.
damngoodnz.com

Raglan Food Co

Plant-based food producer Raglan Food Co brought home a whopping five medals at this year’s awards, plus their second Outstanding Sustainability Award. Their Natural Greek-Style won gold alongside their delicious Organic Passionfruit. RFC’s dairy-free range of yoghurt, kefir and condiments has been produced in Raglan since 2014. Their new-look labels launch this month too.
raglanfoodco.com

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream

PURE believes in purity, provenance and sustainability — meaning all their flavours are naturally intense. Carefully selected ingredients include premium coconut cream and exotic mango flesh, so you can be sure that only the finest produce is used to handcraft your serve of deliciousness.
purenzicecream.com