Northland 'taste' showcase positive

The Northland food and wine producers at Taste of Auckland were (Back: left to right) Lee-Ann Hamilton, Evan Davis, Ada Davis, Angela Flitta, Isaac Flitta, Don Windley, Theresa Anderson, Andrea Loggia, Marzia Loggia. (Front: left to right) Clint Meyer, Isabella Loggia and Paolo Loggia.

A total of eight Northland food and wine producers hit the Taste of Auckland and marked the launch of the new Savour Northland Food and Wine brand.

The four-day event at Western Springs in early November was the perfect location to not only showcase what the region had to offer but also to launch the collective power of Northland producers.

The businesses included Kerikeri's Sovrano Limoncello which makes lemon liqueur from Bay of Islands lemons, and Hokianga's Fire Dragon Chillies, which won the Ultra Hot division of the World Hot Sauce Awards with its Dragons Fury sauce, for the second year running.

Parua Bay's Handy As made the trip to Auckland too with its disposable party plates, along with the Maungaturoto farm-based business making blends of garlic, spices and salt called Down at the Farm.

Pataua North's Tahi Honey was there too, as was Happy Beekeeping, which produces Manuka honey, Kanuka honey, Bush honey and Blended honey from their 500 hives.

Mangawhai's Echo Valley Olives (EVO), which was established in December 2002 and has been busy producing extra virgin cold-pressed quality oil and vinaigrette represented Northland also, along with Te Whai Bay Wines, which makes Chardonnay, Merlot, Bordeaux style reds and Pinot Gris.

David Templeton, business growth manager at Northland Inc, which supported the creation of the new Northland brand, said the feedback from the producers and the public at Taste of Auckland was "overwhelmingly positive".

He said the exposure that this type of event brought to Northland was vital in positioning the region as a leading food and wine destination and brought opportunity for both national and global export supply.

A new limited-edition Savour Pack was also developed for the event, showcasing nine artisan products from around Northland, while a new website, savournorthland.co.nz, has been created to promote Savour Food and Wine Northland as well as a social media page.

Templeton said an amateur photography competition was also running to encourage the local community to capture Northland in its natural element, while conveying an essence of food and wine.

"Taste of Auckland allowed us to work with a number of keen people including producers, artisans and Northland food and wine advocates, as we look to support the forming of a collaborative network under the Savour Food and Wine Northland brand."

He said the Northland food and wine producers would be forming a leadership group, with Northland Inc providing support to further develop opportunities in the sector.