Doing things differently is paying off — again — for a Hawke’s Bay chicken farm. The company won five gold medals in the 2022 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, as well as the Paddock Co-Champion title.

In 2020, George and Ben Bostock took out the Supreme Champion award for their organic, free-range chicken, which tasted “like chicken used to taste”.

This year, they’re back again, scooping up the Paddock Co-Champion award with Middlehurst Delivered and the Outstanding Sustainability Champion award.

In this year’s awards, the Bostocks won five gold medals for their size-14 whole chicken, chicken drumsticks, chicken nibbles, chicken thighs and marinated butterfly chicken. The judges said the latter was “juicy, meaty, moist and delicious, with a good seasoning distribution”.

“Pastoral care” seems to be the best way to sum up how the Bostocks care for their antibiotic- and hormone-free birds. They have the right to roam on organic Hawke’s Bay apple orchards, eat maize grown on the property and sleep in specially designed solar-powered chalets.

The Bostocks have fully opted out of the prevailing fast-food production model, and it shows in the quality of their product, the welfare of their livestock and a genuine focus on sustainability that includes packaging the birds in fully home-compostable wrapping.

“Bostock Brothers is paving the way for a new type of farming that doesn’t compromise on values and gives back to employees and their community,” the judges said.

About the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards

The winners of the sixth Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards make some of the most delicious food and drink Aotearoa has ever tasted. Salute the medallists and winners and show your support by buying their gourmet treats.

CATEGORY CHAMPIONS

Supreme Champion: Pure Pāua, Chatham Island Food Co, Chatham Islands
Giesen Paddock Co-Champion: Organic Free-Range Marinated Butterfly Chicken, Bostock Brothers Organic Free-Range Chicken, Hawke’s Bay
Giesen Paddock Co-Champion: Lamb Short Ribs, Middlehurst Delivered, Upper Awatere Valley
Emerson’s Dairy Champion: Marinated Cloud Fresh Goat Cheese in Oil, Nieuwenhuis Farmstead Cheese, Te Hauke
Seafood New Zealand Water Champion: Pure Pāua, Chatham Island Food Co, Chatham Islands
Farro Earth Champion: Uncut Raw Comb Honey of Aotearoa, J. Friend & Co, Christchurch
Label & Litho Drink Champion: Hill Road Orange Juice, Hill Road Orchard, Gisborne

Find the full list of winners here, and medallists here.

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