WellingtonNZ.com,
New Zealand 

Lot Eight Olives and Olive Oils

boutique olive oils story begins in 1997 when Nalini, a barrister, and her husband Colin Baruch fell in love with the Wairarapa. Lot Eight recently took home the Best in Class award for the second year running at the Olives NZ Extra Virgin Olive Oil awards. www.Lot8.co.nz

Whittaker’s Chocolate

James Henry Whittaker got a taste for the sweet stuff when he was just 14 years old, working in a confectionary factory in England before arriving in NZ in 1890. Fast forward a few years and Whittakers still helm the company – in the form of James Henry’s grandsons, Andrew and Brian. www.whittakers.co.nz

Tuatara Brewery

Carl Vasta started home brewing after returning from London in the 80's. Sometime later by way of a few twists and turns he set up Tuatara Brewery. Carl built the first brewery by hand from modified dairy tanks, and some equipment he had lying around. What a guy! www.tuatarabrewing .co.nz

Marlborough Flaky Sea Salt

is Certified Organic and all ingredients (sunshine, wind, pure ocean water) are sourced locally.  Flaky sea salt's unique characteristics make it a valuable product for blending with other herbs and flavourings to further add value to its delicate texture and taste. www.dominionsalt.co.nz 

Antipodes

Founded by Simon Woolly this is the only New Zealand water with EU certification – the highest standard in the world – and it was also the first water in the world to be certified as carbon-neutral.  Woolley is a keen water advocate. He spends a lot of time getting people to taste the water as if it were wine. www.antipodes.co.nz

Mojo Coffee

Steve and Julie Gianoutsos are rightly considered coffee royalty in Wellington. They've grown from a small boutique roastery in 2003 to over 20 stores nationwide. They source coffee beans from all over the world, and his chief roaster, his father Lambros, roasts well over 300kg of beans a day. www.mojocoffee.co.nz

Rutherford and Meyer

Jan Meyer knows all about eating right. “I’ve always been passionate about putting healthy food into people’s bodies,” says Jan.  The company began life as a cottage industry between two farming friends who experimented with old family recipes to preserve surplus ripe fruit from the farm.  www.rutherfordandmeyer.co.nz

Shott Beverages

The Wellington café scene was booming all around them when Shott directors Tami Louisson and Richard Plimmer realized that New Zealand cafes relied on American and French imported syrups for coffee flavouring. So they set up a co-owned business working to offer a better product made locally. Their key driver was flavour. www.shott.co.nz

Lavender’s Green

producers of mustards, chutneys, jellies, curds, fudge, and preserved fruit but are best known in NZ and Australia for their flag-ship products, Lemon Cordial and Lime Cordial. The lemon and limes are hand-squeezed and organically grown on owners Mary and Peter Biggs’ farm in Wairarapa. www.lavendersgreen.co.nz

Soprano Limoncello

Flamboyant Italian restaurateur, Corrado Ronchetti, a native of Italy's ruggedly beautiful Amalfi Coast, began making limoncello because of the dearth of lemons falling down from his own and neighbours’ trees. They've now turned their hobby into a thriving business.  www.sopranolimoncello.co.nz

Whitestone Cheese

“It’s more fun selling cheese than shearing sheep.” Bob Berry founder of Oamaru-based Whitestone Cheese has no regrets about his move from one side of the farm fence to the other. Windsor Blue is the flagship cheese having won 10 trophies including NZ Supreme Champion in 2006. The founding cheese was their well known Farmhouse. www.whitestonecheese.co.nz  

Regal King Salmon

Raised in the pure spring-fed streams of New Zealand’s South Island before being transferred to the pristine waters of the Marlborough Sounds, Regal King Salmon enjoy a wild, untouched environment renowned for producing premium, award-winning, quality seafood. www.regalsalmon.co.nz

Download the list of producers and winemakers below including recipes and tips on where to get your hands on all this good stuff.

• Download 'wlg-fresh-2011.pdf' PDF, 4.5 MB