Waikato Business News August/September 2023

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6 Piko gin wins silver with the flavours of Aotearoa Infusing gin and the unique flavours of Aotearoa has won Waikato’s Clark Lane Distillery a silver medal at the Asia Spirits Challenge. Co-founders Andrew Thomson, Andre Vandenberg, Duncan Otto and Mark Flyger knew they had stumbled onto something special when they tasted their first batch of pikopiko-infused gin. "Winning this medal validates the exceptional quality we consistently aim to offer," Otto says. Like many good business plans of late, the idea was conceived during the Covid-19 lockdown by a group of blokes Piko co-founders Andrew Thomson, Andre Vandenberg, Duncan Otto and Mark Flyger over a friendly beer discussing how they might experiment with Duncan’s small distillery sitting in the shed at his Clark We’ve discovered one of the nice ways to drink it is with a slice of cucumber, some cracked pepper and just a little tonic Lane home in Te Pahu. “We had experimented with adding different flavours to alcohol but this was a different experience (making alcohol from scratch). We did a bit of research and with the first initial taste we knew we had something pretty good, we just needed to do a bit of refining,” Duncan says. There are several things that set Piko apart from other gins, he says, including the all-important distinctive, sweet asparagus-like flavour from the pikopiko combined with the alcohol which is distilled in fresh spring water sourced from a friend’s property at the foothills of Pirongia. “During the journey, we found that, because we make our own base alcohol where 97% of gin distilleries don’t, we get a very clean alcohol. It's not bitter, it's a very nice flavour.” Harvested annually, the pikopiko fronds were originally sourced locally but the team have since planted hundreds of asplenium bulbiferum, commonly known as hen and chicken fern, on a friend’s farm in Taranaki to provide a consistency in quality and flavour. Their gin journey has also seen a move from Duncan’s home still to larger distillery equipment based at his pub Biddy Mulligans on Hood Street in December last year. They’ve also taken on sales and marketing manager Stuart Atiken to help boost the profile of Piko – starting locally before moving to the international markets of China, Japan and the UK. Aitken says Piko is a highend gin and this is reflected in the price – retailing at $95 for a 700ml bottle. “We've been targeting premier liquor outlets, such as Hamilton Beer and Wine, the Keg Liquor Merchant, Cambridge Fine Wine and the Mount Wine Barrel. We've got it in places like Ernest and Palate and others have expressed an interest.” They are currently bottling around 500 Piko gins a month and keen to go bigger when the time is right. “Our long-term plan is to open up a commercial distillery somewhere so it’s not upstairs (in Biddy’s) and introduce a few new products over time,” Duncan says. In the meantime, being based at Biddy’s means they can hold Piko tastings upstairs at the pub. “We’ve discovered one of the nice ways to drink it is with a slice of cucumber, some cracked pepper and just a little tonic,” Aitken says. Dubbed as the world’s most important gin competition, the team have also entered Piko into the London Gin of the Year Awards and, with a silver at the Asia Spirits Challenge, they are hopeful for some positive results in November. ••• Book a Piko gin tasting at sales@clarklanedistillery. co.nz or 027 560 4621 Option 1 - $30 pp for 1 hour tasting. Three different mixes of Piko gin to taste. Option 2 - $60 pp for 2 hours. Three different mixes of Piko gin with tapas and a cocktail. Procuta Associates Urban + Architecture 07 839 6521 www.pauaarchitects.co.nz “ Architecture takes you to a place you are unlikely to arrive at on your own. It is the ultimate opportunity to make your home or work environment personal and purposeful.
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 7 1. 2. 3. 4. Chamber announces business awards finalists 5. 6. The finalists in this year’s Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction Group, were announced recently at an event at Waikato University’s The Pā, with 21 businesses named in the line-up. Head judge Dr Heather Connolly of Waikato University’s Management School said the panel of 29 judges was impressed with the quality of the finalists. “We were also pleased to see the number of entries up on last year, with a total of 76 entries this year. The calibre of entrants was excellent and it’s always encouraging to see businesses enter for the first time,” Connolly says. “As judges we feel privileged that the entrants again have provided us with the opportunity to find out more about what makes them special. And as businesses in the region, there are some amazing things happening. Of note this year was a strong international trade element among the entries.” Tickets for the gala dinner, to be held at Claudelands Event Centre on November 17, are available for purchase at www.waikatochamber.co.nz/ business-awards-2023/ Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards finalists 7. 8. BUSINESS GROWTH AWARD Treadlite NZ MS Civil Construction Limited Pure Lighting 13. COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION Dive Zone Whitianga South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) Ninja Valley 9. 10. FOR PURPOSE AWARD Hospice Waikato Central Kids Early Education South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) 14. 1. Abdullah Hussaini, Claire van der Most | 2. Chontelle Burkitt, Jenni Falconer| 3. Tania Cooper, Tanekaha Murphy| 4. Megan Weir, Ben Weir | 5. Chris Gardner, Jason Dawson, Vicki Jones 6. Jason Cowan, Mark Morgan, Jeremy Hughes | 7. Jo Goodwin, Megan Campbell, Sean Williams | 8. Richard Ferdinands, Leonard Gardner | 9. Tania Witheford, Heather Connolly, Ellie Wilkinson 10. Pat Mellsop, Jane Hill, Kylie Harcourt | 11. Tania O’Sullivan, Frances McInnes, Jason Trower | 12. Amardeep Khasariya, Tash Davies, Mark Wylie, Craig Tamblyn | 13. Scott Ratuki, Adam Findlay, Ross Pacey, Ben Royfee| 14. Shaun van Praagh, Whetū Taukamo, Heather Connolly, Jess Vanxay INNOVATION AWARD Helix Flight Manufacturing Machines Ltd Flight Structures Ltd Emergency Consult - Rethinking Healthcare Delivery INTERNATIONAL TRADE AWARD Helix Flight Manufacturing Machines Ltd Manta5 Hydrofoil Bikes Invivo Wines MARKETING AWARD Treadlite NZ Hamilton Airport Pure Lighting 11. MICRO BUSINESS Neuflow Projects Wyreframe CFO 4 U PEOPLE & CULTURE AWARD MS Civil Construction Limited Ninja Valley Wyreframe SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD My Mortgage Normans Transport Safety Genius SUSTAINABILITY AWARD Dive Zone Whitianga NZ National Fieldays Society Inc EMERGING LEADER OF THE YEAR Carl Saywell Adam Norman Jenni Falconer 12. The Waikato Business Awards are supported by Foster Construction Group, while the category sponsors are Chow:Hill Architects, Company-X, Deloitte, Hamilton Airport, Mitre 10, Montana Food & Events, Sky- Point Technologies, Sleepyhead, Tompkins Wake, Trust Waikato, the University of Waikato and Wintec Te Pūkenga. The judging process is sponsored by 2degrees, while other support sponsors include ACLX, Air New Zealand, Barker Photography, Claudelands, Emblems, Fairview, INDx Media, Virtual Print, and Waikato Business News.
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Waikato Business News August/September 2023

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