Elemental Cider won two trophies and multiple medals over three different competitions.
Elemental Cider won two trophies and multiple medals over three different competitions.
A local cider maker has won top awards.
Ōtaki-based cidery Elemental Cider, founded by Carmen Gray, has won awards at three recent competitions - the NZ Cider Awards 2024, 2024 NZ Artisan Awards and the 2024 Australian Cider Awards, winning prizes at all three events.
Gray, who started the business in 2019, said she’s pleased to win the awards.
“I’m the only specialist female cider maker in New Zealand so I guess that’s quite special. There are a lot of female brewers but I’m the only specialist cider maker.”
While she started the business five years ago, Gray said she had been growing her cider plans for some time before.
“I had planted apple trees but this would take seven years. So during that time, I decided to study a post-grad in wine science at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay. After that, I travelled the world as a winemaker. I spent five years in Australia and then I travelled Europe, where I had the privilege of making wine in a 16th-century tunnel. I returned home once the apples had grown so I could start making cider.”
At the NZ Cider Awards this month Elemental Cider’s Dry As flavour won the bottled fermented trophy and the Pōhutakawa Flower won the cider with hops, spices, botanicals or honey trophy.
The company’s three other flavours Totally Oaked won silver medals while Orchard Falls and Pear Drop won bronze.
“We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to create something new and unique with Pōhutukawa Flower. Winning this trophy for a second year was a wonderful surprise and a testament to our commitment to quality, innovation, and hard work ... Premium cider made from cider apples provides a playground for innovation, giving rise to flavours and aromas that offer an authentic taste experience with real provenance.”
Elemental Cider founder Carmen Gray with the awards she won across three different competitions.
A week later, the company’s Pōhutukawa Flower cider won a bronze medal at the 2024 NZ Artisan Awards.
Gray said the business also received international recognition, with her Totally Oaked cider earning a bronze medal at the 2024 Australian Cider Awards.
“It’s an incredible honour for Elemental Cider to receive this industry acknowledgement across multiple competitions.”
She said she creates her ciders using locally sourced ingredients.
“We source pears from Kuku and feijoas from Manakau. Another point of difference is that our ciders are sugar-free and made using locally sourced ingredients. We don’t put in sugars or preservatives - there’s no room to hide when it comes to quality.”
Gray said the wins showcase the company going from strength to strength.
“We’ve gone from our humble beginnings in Ōtaki to operating a larger facility near Manakau, south of Levin, investing in advanced processing equipment from Austria. The cidery now boasts the largest commercial specialist cider apple orchard in New Zealand, with trees flourishing in Ōtaki and Ōhau.”
