It's what you would call a spirited primary industry pivot.
Southland sheep and cropping farmers Rob and Toni Auld were previously used to watching the produce they grew heading out the driveway never to be seen again. Now they are growing grain to produce their own spirits, including whisky.
Rob and Toni operate Auld Distillery on their 200ha Scotts Gap property. The history of arable farming on the property dated back to 1883 while the Auld family have been growing grain there for three generations.
Their nominator said they had a forward focus in creating a legacy for their children as well as promoting Southland as a quality consumer goods-producing region. They were committed to creating jobs and providing opportunities in the region.
Next year, the Auld family will mark 100 years on the farm and, with three sons, they wanted to ensure the next generation had the best opportunity to either go farming or follow other dreams, Rob said.
They loved farming and did not want to change that so instead, they looked at how they could add value to what they loved — and that was making a product from the grain they produced.
Distilling moved from the kitchen into the woolshed and then into a shipping container as the business continued to evolve and it was now a fully-fledged distillery, the third-biggest in New Zealand.
What Rob enjoyed most was the satisfaction of taking a product to customers, saying "we grew this" and sharing their journey of growing the grain with them.
After a great reception domestically, the couple had to pinch themselves at times as they moved into the export market. The first export into target markets in South East Asia and the United Kingdom was due in October.
Rob acknowledged that sending whisky to the UK was a little like sending "coals to Newcastle" but the UK was fascinated with the world of whisky. Australia and New Zealand were in the category of new world distilleries; they leaned on the traditions of Scottish distillers while also exploring different grains and trying different things, and that excited consumers.
He believed Auld Distillery was the only distillery in the world doing nine different grains which also cemented it as being an educational distillery.
Looking back on their journey, he laughed that it had been "a bit brutal".
There were not many people to ask questions of and the processes and strategies had to be developed themselves.
"Don’t get me wrong, I loved doing it ... it takes a heck of a lot of time and energy, that wears you down.
"It’s quite a pioneering approach doing a distillery in this part of the world.
"Knowing what we know, we wouldn’t go back and start again right now."
But they were happy with where they were now and Rob reckoned he could not go back to just solely farming.
They loved meeting visitors to the farm and distillery and showing customers how they could trace their spirit of choice back to a certain paddock.
And there were some unexpected community benefits; buckets of left-over oranges from the distilling process were destined for the local Otautau School where their children took them to share with fellow pupils.
Rob and Toni loved Southland and particularly enjoyed putting it on the map. At the legendary Southland Party at Parliament in June, they were invited along, supplying gin and whisky for the event.
The couple, who were named Arable Food Champions at the recent Arable Awards of New Zealand, were involved in a value-add arable group to help other arable farmers bring ideas to fruition.
— Sally Rae
