Maciek Ganc, left, Bart Stus, and Karolina Stus own Barlovska. Photo / Karolina Stus
Maciek Ganc, left, Bart Stus, and Karolina Stus own Barlovska. Photo / Karolina Stus
Barlovska Craft Liqueurs is holding its own on the national spirit stage.
The uniquely crafted small-batch liqueurs have taken out the Champion Trophy at the recent New Zealand Spirits Awards for the Liqueurs category for the second consecutive year.
Barlovska is co-owned by good friends, Maciek Ganc, Bart Stus, and Karolina Stus, all originally from Poland.
Barlovska was initially a homemade product that was made in small batches and sold directly at the markets, but when the three friends took over the business they had big plans for it.
The trio knew the product before taking over the business and liked it because it reminded them of home.
So when the opportunity to buy Barlovska came up they were excited at the chance to develop the brand.
They started production soon after buying the business in 2020, before moving it from the Hutt Valley to Kāpiti and getting onto the market.
Since the three of them live and work in Kāpiti - Maciek is a businessman, Bart a doctor, and Karolina a photographer and artist - they all feel connected to the community and felt it was the perfect place to run Barlovska.
Maciek said he and the rest of the team are so proud of the achievements of the liqueurs over the past two years.
“When we moved production to the Kāpiti Coast we found a beautiful farm in Te Horo called Stanmore Farm, where all the magic began.”
He said upon meeting Kate and Tim Gibbs, whose family have owned Stanmore Farm for generations, the team knew it was the perfect place to continue Barlovska.
“We attribute the delicious taste of our product to the blackberries grown on the farm giving us the highest quality ingredients and also the high-quality groundwater.”
The winners for the New Zealand Spirits Awards were announced at a gala dinner in Auckland last month.
This year there were 426 entries from 24 countries, including 281 from New Zealand, and they were assessed by 30 judges from New Zealand and Australia.
Barlovska took out several awards, including the Champion Trophy for the Liqueurs category, a gold award for its Blackberry Liqueur, and silver awards for its Spiced Honey and Feijoa Liqueurs.
“Winning the trophy at the New Zealand Spirits Awards for the second consecutive year speaks volumes about our success and the dedication of the whole team, we are incredibly proud,” the company said.
“The awards are a great opportunity to reflect on our product goals of delivering to premium international standards and we received valuable feedback from judges so we can continue to innovate and elevate our product standards.”
Previous awards have included the Champion Trophy in the Liqueur category at last year’s New Zealand Spirits Awards, and the New Zealand Liqueur Producer of the Year at last year’s Melbourne International Spirits Awards.
