The company earned two category wins for its Aoraki brand, with the blackcurrant with kāmahi honey cold smoked salmon and the new zesty salmon spread.
It was the only company recognised for two different products at this year’s awards.
The blackcurrant with kāmahi honey cold smoked salmon won the Primary Product Sector Award, while the zesty salmon spread with yuzu and lemon won the chilled/frozen (Coolchain) category.
NZ Food Awards judging convener Nikki Middleditch said the two products demonstrated Aoraki’s rare combination of scientific precision, creativity and respect for both their raw material and the environment.
"They are an outstanding example of New Zealand food innovation at its best.’’
Mt Cook Alpine Salmon chief executive David Cole said the win capped off an excellent year for the company.
“I’m incredibly proud of what our innovation team has produced.
"The blackcurrant with kāmahi honey cold smoked salmon is the first of its kind, and the way Kiwi consumers have taken to it has completely taken us by surprise.
"We introduced it as a limited edition for summer a year ago, and what we thought would last the entire summer sold out in just two months," Mr Cole said.
The ingredients for the blackcurrant creation are sourced locally from the South Island, with organic blackcurrants grown by Viberi in South Canterbury, and kāmahi honey from Forage & Gold in Central Otago.
The judging panel said Aoraki’s “superb product is the result of a bespoke curing process that balances infusion and safety without heat treatment, expanding the boundaries of cold smoking science".
The judges commended its “novel use of blackcurrants" and its partnerships with local producers, describing the salmon as “elegant, intriguing and globally unique — a true first in its category".
Winner of the chilled/frozen (Coolchain) category, the zesty salmon spread with yuzu and lemon, was praised by judges as “delicious, with a creamy fresh flavour", and a “brilliant example of circular thinking in food production — transforming what might once have been waste into a premium, flavour-forward product".
New product development head David Galbraith said both products were the result of extensive teamwork.
“Introducing these two products to market has been a huge team effort — from our hard-working farm staff in Twizel, the processing teams who prepare salmon in Timaru, through to our smokehouse and food technologists in Christchurch.
"There have been many hours spent trialling different woods for the smoking process, testing different concentrations of flavour, and developing different techniques to ensure the best results," Mr Galbraith said.
Both the blackcurrant with kāmahi honey cold smoked salmon and zesty salmon spread with yuzu and lemon were available year-round and nationwide.
The New Zealand Food Awards, held annually by Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, celebrated food and beverage excellence and innovation.
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said the range and calibre of entries in the primary sector category this year reflected New Zealand’s thriving food and fibre sector and its constant innovation.
— Allied Media
