Five award finalists from Wairarapa

There are five Wairarapa finalists in the 2014 Mindfood producers awards - Clareville Bakery, Kingsmeade Cheese, Pirinoa Station, Matahiwi Estate, and Cocodeli syrups. PHOTO TAKEN FROM FACEBOOK

Wairarapa, the "foodbasket of the Wellington region", is punching above its weight when it comes to top-quality produce.

Judging has been completed for the Mindfood producer awards which aims to showcase the Wellington region's top produce as part of the Wellington on a Plate festival.

This year, five out of 12 finalists are from Wairarapa: Clareville Bakery, Kingsmeade Cheese, Pirinoa Station, Matahiwi Estate, and Cocodeli syrups, made by Glenys Almao of Main St Deli.

Three finalists are from Wellington City, three are from the Kapiti Coast and one is in the Hutt Valley.

Michael Kloeg from Clareville Bakery said he was "very pleased" the bakery had been selected as a finalist after only 10 months in business.

The product they supplied for the Wellington on a Plate festival was a turkish flatbread called lavash. "The judges came and looked around the business, they quite liked the product so here's hoping."

Andrea Didsbury from Pirinoa Station said they supply their lamb to top Wellington restaurants such as Logan Brown and Pravda.

She said Pirinoa Station was "happy to be selected among stiff competition".

"The judges came and watched how the business operates, they watched my husband hand select the lamb."

Fleur Nicol from Matahiwi Estate said they are entered in the "sustainable business" category of the producer awards - the judges spent a "good hour" studying their practices but "gave nothing away". The estate also supplies wines for Wellington on a Plate.

Kingsmeade Cheese is entered in the sustainable business category and supply various types of cheese which are selected by Wellington on a Plate restaurants.

Owner Janet King said the judges "ate a fair bit of cheese so that's a good sign".

Glenys Almao, owner of Main St Deli in Greytown, is in Europe but has supplied Cocodeli "drizzle" made from imported organic coconut sugar from Indonesia and spices.

The criteria for the competition is as follows: "To qualify to enter the Mindfood Producer Awards, producers must be based in the wider Wellington region and have their product used within a menu during Visa Wellington On a Plate

"The awards put importance on seeing producers working holistically within the broader community; hiring local workforce, using the best possible environmental conditions within the region, resulting in quality produce being created."

The winner will be named later this month.