Beverages

Quady Winery celebrates 50 years of the road less travelled

Andrew Quady is an innovator, risk taker, and pioneer of California’s sweet and aperitif wines, known for varietals including the Electra Moscato and Vya Vermouth. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a generation of winemakers, mostly in California, transformed the American wine industry, emphasizing quality, terroir, and individual expression. James Conaway, in “Napa: The Story of an American Eden,” called these men and women the “Second Wave” of American winemaking. Looking back, we can also call them our “greatest generation,” in recognition of the risks they took and the accomplishments they made. Most of the recognition of these winegrowers has centered on Northern California, but the movement existed throughout the entire American wine industry, with important pioneering wineries in Oregon, Washington and throughout the entire state of California. Today, most of these groundbreakers have retired, sold their businesses or have been unable to sustain their wineries through the many difficult cycles of the industry. Andrew (Andy) Quady is one of the last remaining members of this generation still active in the industry. Graduating from U.C. Davis with a master’s in enology in 1973, he became a winemaker that same year, beginning in Lodi and later moving to Madera. However, unlike his fellow graduates, who ended up making notable cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and pinot noir, Andy forged a different path. He took advantage of opportunities as he saw them and focused on wines that would be the very best versions of what he could make in the region where he was, no matter how popular they may have been at the time. It was at Davis that Andy met Darrell Corti. Darrell, owner of Corti Brothers stores in Sacramento, was a benefactor of many young winemakers in the Second Wave. He encouraged the movement by purchasing their wines and promoting them […]

Palazzo di Varignana Introduces “September in the Vineyard”: A Celebration of Wine, Gastronomy & Nature

Palazzo di Varignana’s month-long “September in the Vineyard” experience offers exclusive events such as tastings, tours and the Cantina in Festa harvest The month-long event connects wine, food and wellness through a new curated restaurant menu, bio-walks and Sangiovese-infused facial treatments Newly released Villa Amagioia Blanc de Blancs Metodo Classico Brut sparkling wine showcases Palazzo di Varignana’s innovative winemaking approach Exclusive “September in the Vineyard” packages start at €541 per couple, with luxury accommodation, access to Varsana SPA, and the experiences included Bologna, Italy – Palazzo di Varignana, the elegant resort set in the Bolognese hills, has announced its new “September in the Vineyard” experience for 2024. Running from September 1st to 30th, the month-long celebration will offer a series of exclusive events – from tastings to tours – centred around the connection between people and wine. Located in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, Palazzo di Varignana and its meticulously curated festival invites guests to explore its rich traditions of grape cultivation and harvesting. This includes the highlight of the season, the Cantina in Festa, on September 15, where visitors can witness a harvest firsthand with morning and evening sessions. Enhancing the year-round Vinum Experience with outdoors elements, the “September in the Vineyard” feature begins with a premium wine tasting held in the estate’s semi-underground cellar, where guests can sample a selection of Palazzo di Varignana’s wines. From its Chardonnay Colli di Imola DOC to Sangiovese Superiore DOC to Pinot Nero Rubicone IGT, Palazzo di Varignana now produces five wine labels from its 57 hectares of vineyards. The “September in the Vineyard” event is further enriched by tastings of monovarietal and blended extra virgin olive oils, as well as a bio-walk through the vineyards of Agrivar, Palazzo di Varignana’s own agricultural estate. Wine also takes centre stage in the Italian resort’s wellness […]

Australia’s best dry gin is made in New Zealand

Bluff Gin receives highest accolade in the Australian Gin Awards. New Zealand’s newest gin maker, Bluff Distillery is riding high off the back of winning the trophy for ‘Best in Class Classic Dry Gin’ at the Australian Gin Awards 2024. Revealed in Sydney, the southern-most contender swept up the category which attracted over 400 entries across seven categories. Co-Founder and Distiller of Bluff Distillery, Chris Fraser, says it’s such an honour to be recognised on the international stage for a gin that represents the ruggedly beautiful spirit of Bluff. “It’s great validation for us as a team. Just as everything else in Bluff – the gin is what it says on the tin, we wanted to make a gin that respected the classic London Dry recipes created hundreds of years ago,” adds Fraser. “There’s been exponential growth in gin brands in the past few years with all sorts of non-traditional botanicals and infusions. A bit like Bluff, we decided to stay authentic to the heritage of Gin so it’s great to see our strategy – to stay true to who we are – has been recognised by the judges.” The Award is a particularly stunning achievement, given the brand with its distinctive glass buoy bottle only launched in March 2024, selling out the first batch within five days. “There’s something remarkable about winning a trophy in Australia for a classic London Dry Gin distilled in Bluff 19,000kms from the UK,” adds David Nash, Co-Founder and Brand Director. “You wouldn’t know it, but we decided on the gin before we decided on the bottle. As a team we knew we were onto something special with what Chris had distilled, so we needed to house it in something that could proudly sit on the top shelf,” adds Nash. Bluff’s blue-green glass bottle […]

Food Recycle seeks $3m capital raise for commercialisation of food waste to animal feed technology

Food Recycle CEO Norm Boyle (pictured) co-founded the company with his son Nathan Boyle to tackle the global problem of food waste. Food Recycle has patented and patent pending technology to convert any commercial food waste into high-performance animal feeds for industries including poultry, pigs, and aquaculture. Australian company, Food Recycle Ltd, has developed technology to turn commercial food waste into animal feed, leading to less waste in landfill, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to a circular economy. After successful trials with layer hens, prawns, barramundi, and aquaponics, Food Recycle is seeking a $3m capital raise via crowd-funding platform, Swarmer, to commercialise the technology and scale-up in Australia and New Zealand. “The funds raised will be put towards facility mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and systems design, to allow for the first commercial-scale production facility to be built under the Food Recycle patented technology and knowhow agreement,” says Food Recycle CEO, Norm Boyle. “The funds will also help with cash flow requirements as we look to appoint a technology and knowhow licensee for Australia and New Zealand, which will construct multiple production facilities, with Food Recycle receiving royalty payments on the sale of feed by the licensee,” he adds. “The licensee will be required to construct a minimum of 25 production facilities over a 10-year period, and we would expect 12 of these in the first five years.” The Swarmer crowd-funding campaign – which enters a three-week Expressions of Interest (EOI) phase on August 8, followed by a three-week investment phase – allows individual investments starting from $100, with investors given shares in the company. Food Recycle technology is part of a truly circular economy, keeping valuable resources circulating and out of landfill and the environment. The food waste problem According to multiple sources, including the […]

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An Australian-first set to become the drink of Summer

Summer has arrived early… Antipodes Gin Co has released Australia’s first Certified Organic, vegan-friendly and carbon neutral Watermelon Gin, just in time for Christmas. Nothing beats a cool slice of watermelon in summer. With that in mind, Antipodes Gin Co decided to give this quintessential summer melon a more adult edge by making a gin laden with its incredible flavour. Through months of experimentation and plenty of trial and error, the perfect blend of watermelon, juniper and lemon myrtle was finally developed. The resulting delicately nuanced spirit joins the tasting flight of their range of vegan friendly, certified organic gins and liqueurs. “We’ve been dreaming about summer here at Antipodes Gin Co and after years of wrestling with some huge watermelons for our kids and wondering if it is really a fruit or vegetable, we asked ourselves how we could give it a more adult edge. “We had been discussing watermelon for a while and thinking that it could help deliver the most perfect summer gin – and we weren’t wrong. We’ve created a juicily aromatic spirit with the delicate sweetness of watermelon perfectly balanced by the tartness of lemon myrtle. We cannot wait to share it with your summer,” he said. Antipodes Watermelon Gin works in a variety of cocktail expressions. It sits perfectly in a spritz, as a riff in an old fashioned or paired with some yuzu soda. It’s not precious – you can even go low-brow and splash it in with a bit of Solo and ice – just add sunshine, BBQs and the beach! Established in 2015, Antipodes Gin Co is Australia’s first certified organic, vegan friendly, carbon neutral spirits company. Their distillery in Canberra distills GMO, chemical and pesticide free spirits and liqueurs. With so many over-used slogans in the spirits category of ‘drink […]

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Trans-Tasman non-alcoholic beverage producers experience surge in downtime

Research from OFS shows a 12.5% reduction in non-alcoholic drinks production in Australia from April to June The impact of unplanned downtime has surged and accounted for 37% of production time The average producer made 5,550 units of drinks per hour, compared to a potential 10,413 Waste efficiency continued to improve, with just 1.32% of units lost between the start and end of production Manufacturing performance software company, OFS, today announced findings from its quarterly Non-Alcoholic Beverage Benchmark Report, which provides insights into how data can be used to improve production efficiency in the non-alcoholic beverages industry. The report analysed the production of millions of litres of kombucha, coconut water, dairy drinks and soft drinks by Australian, New Zealand, and U.S. producers between April and June this year to determine a view of ‘what good looks like’. It includes key performance benchmark data and explains why knowing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) can make a significant impact on a producer’s bottom line. The data shows that non-alcoholic beverage production decreased by 12.5 per cent between April and June compared with the previous three months, as producers were thwarted by unplanned downtime. All up, filling lines spent 37 per cent of operational time in unplanned downtime, a rise of more than a third from the previous quarter, leaving producers with just over half of the possible yield achievable. “This might seem like grim reading, but demand for non-alcoholic beverages overall has shot up quite dramatically so it’s not too surprising to see teething issues in production,” said James Magee, CEO of OFS. “Really, this is an opportunity to double down on that demand and meet it in a smart, sustainable way. With this kind of data in hand, non-alcoholic producers can not only capitalise on the market opportunities, but potentially avoid totally […]

Marketing solution enables Kiwi wineries to sell to international consumers

From September, Wine Collective Direct, a global marketplace where New Zealand wine producers have their own e-cellar door, is adding a Digital Success Programme to its offering. The Wine Collective Direct (WCD) team know that international digital wine marketing can be daunting and so has created a collaborative digital marketing solution to help local winegrowers better market their craft wine to the world. “We’re absolutely thrilled to see producers experiencing high-value direct sales on the platform since launching in May this year. It’s evident that the producers who are making early sales (averaging $606.59 NZD per case and $52.57 per bottle) are proactively promoting their international e-cellar doors across their own digital channels,” says Ryann Calder, Manager of Producer Growth at Wine Collective Direct. “However, it’s highlighted to us that a large majority of wineries find driving international sales and promotions online a challenge.” The Digital Success Programme (DSP) solves the problem of many local wine producers not having the tools, time, or financial resources to reach international consumers via effective digital marketing methods. In 2019, NZ Winegrowers reported that 776, 599 international wine tourists visited New Zealand and spent $3.26 billion. It’s no secret that wine tourism is the lifeblood of many local vineyards, but with borders closed there are no international visitors at the cellar door. Wine Collective Direct recognises that digital promotion online is the most effective means of connecting with international customers in this current climate. “Different to the fast-moving commodity wine category, the craft wine category is characterised by consumers actively looking to connect at a personal level with the actual producer. Despite the decline in international tourists, overseas consumers haven’t lost their passion to discover the premium wines of Aotearoa,” says Calder. The Digital Success Programme harnesses the aggregate power of 100,000+ detailed data […]

New appointments at Asahi Beverages NZ support continued growth

Asahi Beverages NZ has appointed people into senior roles to support ongoing growth, build capability and provide opportunities for its people as it continues to invest in establishing itself as one of New Zealand’s leading beverages companies. CEO Andrew Campbell says the appointments reflect Asahi Beverages NZ is a growing business focused on delivering preferred alcohol and non-alcohol beverages to valued customers and consumers, as well as attracting and retaining great talent. “We’re excited to be welcoming new people to our team who bring with them outstanding, and in several cases, global experience to drive future growth.” Tom Robinson is among those joining the business in a newly-created role of GM Supply Chain based at Asahi Beverage’s Papakura manufacturing site. British-born Robinson is currently Plant Manager at Asahi Beverages’ Yatala Brewery on the Gold Coast, which is Australia’s largest brewery. A highly experienced and effective site GM, Robinson has run multiple brewing and cider making operations and held his role at Yatala for over 11 years. He was previously a Head of Manufacturing for Heineken based in the UK for four years. Robinson has also worked for leading UK brewers Scottish and Newcastle and has a degree in Chemical Engineering. He has commenced his new role remotely and will move to Auckland when the travel bubble between Queensland and Auckland reopens. Asahi Beverages NZ has also appointed Mark McGuire to the new role of NZ Capital Projects Manager responsible for the businesses’ supply chain function. McGuire has been with Asahi Beverages NZ for over 12 years and was previously Manufacturing Operations Manager.

Coal not in Fonterra’s future

Fonterra has been working on its transition to renewable energy for some time and says it can, and will, get out of coal, with a couple of practical constraints. Nine of its 29 sites use coal and Chief Operating Officer Fraser Whineray says there’s been a lot of progress over the last few years to get the Co-op to a position where it can make this commitment. “With customers in more than 140 countries we have global insights and long-term trends supporting these actions, which have been in progress for some time. “Last year we achieved our target of a 20 per cent reduction in energy intensity from a 2003 baseline after making thousands of improvements across sites here in New Zealand. Lifting energy efficiency is a valuable pre-requisite to larger investments. “More recently we reduced the total quantity of coal we use by 10 per cent when we converted our Te Awamutu site to burn wood pellets and this builds on our experience from converting our Brightwater site in 2018 to co-fire on wood biomass.” Conversion or replacement of existing coal boilers to renewable energy is a significant, logistical, technical and financial undertaking. “We’ve built a lot of capability in-house and with partners in New Zealand and internationally and this provides us with comfort that solutions are sustainable. “It’s important to us that New Zealand continues to be at the forefront of sustainable food production – and getting out of coal is one way we can help with this. “We already have the lowest carbon footprint among major milk producers around the world and we want to continue to build on this competitive advantage,” says Whineray. “While we’re working on this transition, we need to make sure we can deliver on our […]

Hawke’s Bay companies create world-first functional beverage

A collaboration between two Hawke’s Bay exporters has developed a new world-first beverage, a shelf-stable collagen and artesian water blend. The new Adashiko Collagen Refresh water is the first in the world to contain pure collagen and pure water – with no preservatives, no flavouring, colours or other additives and is set to introduce nutraceutical beverages to the hospitality industry. The company already has interest from customers in export markets around the world as it looks to capture a share of a $2 billion global collagen RTD category. Luci Firth, Adashiko CEO, says the new beverage is designed to rejuvenate the premium bottled water industry. She says the product was also ranged in local supermarkets within its first week of launch and is already exceeding initial sales forecasts. “The bottled water category in the hospitality industry typically consists of unflavoured still and sparkling varieties and has seen little innovation for some time. “Many New Zealanders will struggle to pay for bottled water and with so little value added by suppliers, restaurateurs and bar owners are left to compete head-on with tap water, while still having to cover the cost of supplying it. “The addition of a functional water product to this category means they will now be able to offer a competing product which they can justify retailing at a premium price point,” she says. Firth says the neutral-tasting, odourless collagen water can also be used as a mixer for cocktails. The development of the product took over a year and was a joint venture between her company and Hawke’s Bay manufacturer Parker Beverages. Doug Speedy, managing director of Parkers Beverage Company, says specialised equipment allowed them to pasteurise the product to a precisely controlled temperature. “After several iterations in the trial process, ultimately it was the purity of the […]

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