It’s the first time AUCKLAND-based New Zealand Best and Pure has entered the annual New Zealand Ice Cream Awards and the company has scooped up six coveted accolades. And the company only started making ice cream last year for its Kiwi Kiss Restaurant in Penrose.
New Zealand Best & Pure wins six awards at the 2014 New Zealand Ice Cream Awards.
Sold to its customers under the Kiwi Kiss brand, New Zealand Best and Pure walked off with the top award – Best Overall award in the Open Creative categories for both the Ice Cream and Sorbet/Gelato sections for its White Chocolate & Wasabi ice cream. In the Open Creative Ice Cream class New Zealand Best and Pure won two Golds for its White Chocolate and Wasabi ice cream and for its Apple Shortcake ice cream. In the Gelato category, New Zealand Best and Pure won a Gold award for Chocolate Stracciatella gelato and two Silver awards for Italian Hazlenut Amaretto and for Orange Stracciatella gelato.
The newcomer to the ice cream awards was competing in categories against manufacturers likeTip Top Ice Cream,Kapiti Ice Cream, Puhoi Valley Cafe and Cheese Store, Emerald Foods, Valention’s Gelato and Zuzu’s Gelato. “We are so thrilled to win all these awards for the first time we have entered the awards,” said New Zealand Bestand Pure director Leanne Banno. “We have been making ice cream, gelato and sorbet in our Kiwi Kiss Restaurant in Penrose for only six months under our Kiwi Kiss brand. We have launched the Kiwi Kiss brand as a franchise in New Zealand and are planning to do the same in Australia and Asia.
“Winning these awards means we will attract a lot more interest among potential franchisees who have already shown interest in the brand. Our many flavours – including other unusual flavour combinations – have been a huge hit in our restaurant. We will also be opening Kiwi Kiss outlets this year in Auckland’s CBD and in Blenheim “We only use the best natural ingredients including real fruit and our milk is sourced from a local supplier.” This year 11 Categories were judged with a total of 302 ice cream, gelato, sorbet and low fat entries (307 entries in 2013). The awards were presented on 18 May at the New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturers Association annual conference in Blenheim.
