Mark Dillon grew up in a family where there was always something "being made". "Mum and Dad's kitchen was a ramshackle mix of jams, mustards, chutneys and cordials overflowing on stoves. I wanted nothing to do with it," laughs Mark.
Always involved in the food and beverage industry, with a degree in marketing, Mark went overseas to work as a chef and later in wine brand management. "Cider was huge in Europe and I tried an elderflower version and couldn't believe how delicious it was."
When he came back to New Zealand, he realised that heavenly taste was one of the things his mum had been making for years. So rather than continuing to shun it, he learned how to make it. "Farmers were battling elderflower everywhere round where we lived, and trying to pull it all out. It defied logic when I realised what could be made from it."
Five years ago he made his first batch of elderflower syrup from Canterbury elderflowers and Moore Wilson snapped it up. It sold out fast so he kept making more and the rest is history.
The range expanded from the elderflower cordial into a ready-to-drink sparkling range. "I ended up adding other pure juices to counteract the sweetness of the elderflower - rhubarb, blackcurrant and feijoa and they were a hit - especially the rhubarb. It even won some awards," says Mark.
