Enterprising Locals

Mahurangimatters 5 September 2012 | 35

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enterprising localsPUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT

Rodney companies looking to expand their market, launch into exporting, increase business contacts, fund research and development, or up-skill their staff are invited to take advantage of the programmes and services offered by Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED).Specific ATEED services include the Westpac Auckland North Business Awards, funding for skills and expertise development, funding for research and development, rural business support, the Starting off Right programme for new businesses, and referrals to other organisations.ATEED also provides business mentors – 61 local businesses have been matched with volunteer mentors in the area in the last 12 months, and there are 109 mentors who offer their services to the Rodney region.The Effective Network for Auckland North businesses meets bi-monthly in different locations including Warkworth, Te Hana, Orewa and Kumeu. ATEED business growth north manager Ngaio Merrick says businesses are encouraged to attend as a way of increasing their business

Small is bigAccording to ATEED statistics, of the 8751 businesses in Rodney, 98 percent are small businesses employing fewer than 20 people. The largest local employment sector is the construction industry with 1100 employees, closely followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing with 1030 employees. The Rodney retail trade employs around 800 people, while accommodation and food services provide 710 jobs.

Support services offered to grow business

contacts and raising their company’s profile in the local area.“ATEED is here to assist all businesses from start-ups to established companies whether they are small, medium or large enterprises,” Ms Merrick says.“All businesses are eligible for networking, connecting and referrals.

“However, some specific programmes do have their own parameters. For example, to receive a business mentor the business must have under 25 employees and be actively trading; for training funding the business must be operating in a commercial environment and aspire to grow. For research and development funding there are a

variety of terms which can be discussed directly with the business.”Ms Merrick says the rural specialist works with various rural-based businesses particularly the food and beverage, equine and aquaculture sectors. During the recent Food Show, ATEED subsidised six artisan food and beverage businesses from North Auckland to exhibit at an Auckland on the Menu stand to showcase this burgeoning sector.Ms Merrick advises small business owners who may be thinking of expanding into Auckland or further afield to talk to ATEED about developing an individual growth action plan for success.ATEED is an Auckland Council controlled organisation.

ATEED offers a range of services for local business including The Effective Network events. Pictured at the Te Hana Te Ao Marama networking meeting, from left, are Linda Clapham, Thomas de Thierry and Ngaio Merrick.

| Mahurangimatters 5 September 20123628

PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT

enterprising locals

www.thevin t ry .co.nz2 Matakana Valley Road, Matakana, New Zealand

p: (09)423 0251

Proudlysupporting

localproducers

andbusiness

Craft brewers ride rising tide of popularity

specialising in producing a select amount of natural hand-crafted premium beers. Each batch is brewed in the age-old tradition, in a copper kettle and fermented in timber-clad fermentation tanks, before being transferred to the stainless steel tanks to condition naturally.All Sawmill beer is unpasteurised, unfiltered and naturally carbonated.

It is made without any chemicals and is free of preservatives. Ultra-filtered rainwater and specialty yeasts are used to further enhance the natural flavours of the brews. Our beer is fresh which is why it goes beautifully with food. The Sawmill Brewery makes six distinctly different beers – a light crystal wheat blend, a traditional

continued next page

It’s been no surprise to Sawmill Brewery owners, Mike Sutherland and Kirsty McKay, that the production of craft beer in NZ increased by about three percent annually over the past three years.The couple took over the brewery in Leigh in late 2010 and their beer sales doubled in their first year.The latest figures from the Brewers Guild of New Zealand Market Survey show that the craft beer market grew by 14 percent from June to December last year.Mike says while their sales increase represents a lot of hard work during their first year, it also reflects how people are changing their beer drinking habits.“We are becoming more aware of the different varieties of beer available,” he says.“For a long time, beer drinkers have stuck to the mass produced beers which aren’t as flavoursome as craft beers. After only being exposed to products from NZ’s main beer producers for so long, a lot of people don’t know what traditional beer should taste like. It should be full of malty and hoppy flavours and aromas, with no artificial additives, sugars or preservatives, and is best served fresh.”Between 2008 and 2011, the number

of small craft breweries in NZ doubled from 15 to 30.Mike says of the 300 million litres of beer produced annually, craft beer has a four percent stake in the market and that share is growing.Originally from Oamaru, Mike studied commerce and horticulture management, including viticulture, at Lincoln University. He worked as an exporter, selling produce, meat and fish for 10 years before he and Kirsty, a lawyer, purchased the brewery from Peter and Decima Freckleton, who had established it in 2004.Mike says they had always been interested in owning and operating a production-based business.“We wanted to get into a growth market and I fell in love with craft beer while in the South Island, where there are a number of small breweries. I had a general idea of how to make beer but before we took over from Peter, he gave me a crash-course in what to do. He wasn’t a trained brewer, but a lot of the craft brewers aren’t. They just have a passion for beer and learn as they go. I’ve tried to spend as much time as I can with other brewers around the country, learning how we can improve our beer and enhance its characteristics.”The Sawmill Brewery is a microbrewery,

Sawmill Brewery owner and operator Mike Sutherland says their Pilsner beer, a traditional blend made by using NZ Pilsner malt and Motueka grown hop varieties, is their most popular brew.


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enterprising locals

OrganicHerbs & Seedlings

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Pilsner, pale ale, dark ale and two specialty beers. The ‘Doctor’ is a dark lager, much lighter on the palate than a stout or Guinness. “It is smooth and rich with warm cocoa and toffee notes, and is best enjoyed with chocolate or a nutty cheese.“The 12 Gauge has a distinctive tropical fruit aroma. A good dose of Motueka hops is added late in the boil resulting in beer that is aromatic but without bitterness. It is excellent paired with duck or a dish with a fruit component.”The brewery can produce 1200 litres in any one batch and it takes around a month to condition. “The amount we are brewing at the moment is about one-third of what we will brew in December. We have two more fermentation tanks coming in this month to get ready for summer. We are also consulting with a German brewmaster. I am confident the more beer we make, the more we can sell. We supply bottles and draught beer to around 50 outlets nationwide with most going to Auckland and Wellington. People can also come in and fill their own flagons.” Mike says his target is to double production over the next 12 months.“We love the area, love what we do and we have a lot of fun. We want to continue growing and have a bigger brewery one day. Our focus at the moment is to sell more beer on tap to independently-owned bars and we are looking forward to making some new beers next year and maybe in the future, a single malt whiskey.”

from page 28Craft brewers

| Mahurangimatters 5 September 201238

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enterprising locals

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989b Matakana Road, MatakanaPhone 422 9169

Email [email protected]

Impressed by the strong cider culture they saw when travelling through Europe several years ago, entrepreneurs Sam Whitmore and Hannah Bower decided to setup their own factory when they returned to NZ.As the founder of the Mt Tamahunga Vineyard in 2007, formerly the Antipodean vineyard, Sam was already familiar with the wine-making process. This, coupled with Hannah’s expertise in advertising, led to the launch of Zeffer Cider, at their vineyard premises in Matakana, in 2009.Hannah says the cider industry took off in the UK when premium international cider Magners redeveloped its brand.“All of a sudden cider became the ‘go-to-drink,” she says. “We knew that with all the Kiwi expats coming home from a large cider-drinking phenomenon, they would have a taste for it. We launched in 2009 at the same time as the large commercial cider producers – Monteith and Isaac’s – which was great for the cider market in NZ, as it gave cider a lot of exposure. With an abundance of top quality fruit in NZ, we wanted to produce a dry- style cider made from freshly crushed

European holiday inspires Matakana cider factory

continued next page

fruit, keeping the product as natural as possible with no added cane sugar, artificial sweeteners or colours.” Joining Sam and Hannah is co-owner Josh Townsend who looks after sales and marketing. Hannah says Josh has been instrumental in driving Zeffers’ sales growth. In their first year, Zeffer crushed seven tonnes of fruit and produced 3000 litres of cider, trialling it at the Matakana Farmers Market. It got rave reviews and Sam and Hannah received some valuable feedback. Now crushing 120 tonnes of fruit and producing more than 100,000 litres of cider, Zeffer has become a nationwide hit and is being exported to Australia and the US. “It’s a growing market, popular with both men and women, and it has a large following from the younger generations,” Sam says. Zeffer makes an apple cider and a pear cider, as well as premium blend Slack Ma Girdle, which is made from a combination of more than 50 different specialised cider apple varieties. The fruit is crushed fresh at their cidery, cool fermented for up to three months and bottled in Auckland.


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enterprising locals

from page 30

Apples are sourced from Nelson and Hawkes Bay, but the premium blend uses special cider apples grown at Omaha and Canterbury.“Because our cider is dry, with no added sugar, the flavours have to be exactly right. We tend to go for cooking and dessert apples such as Cox’s orange and strummer pippin.“Traditional cider shouldn’t taste overtly like the fruit it’s made from. For instance, our pear cider has ginger and honey characteristics. The Zeffer dry range is an everyday session cider while Slack Ma Girdle is a sipping cider suitable for special occasions or for a causal Sunday afternoon drink.”Research from Roy Morgan shows that while cider’s share of the overall alcohol market in NZ is under two percent, eight percent of Kiwis say cider is their favourite tipple, up from less than three percent a few years ago.“Even though New Zealanders are

drinking more cider, we are still a long way behind Australia and even further behind Britain. The drier ciders such as Zeffer tend to appeal to slightly older drinkers (aged 25 years plus) while the sweeter commercial ciders appeal to the 18 to 25-year-old demographic.”Hannah says they have come a long way in just three years.“The first year was full on and we called in every family member and friend we had to help us on the production line, filling, capping and labelling 10,000 bottles. Things are much less labour intensive now the cider is bottled elsewhere.”In between getting Zeffer on its feet Sam and Hannah also became parents to now six-month-old Matilda.Looking to the future, the couple hopes to move to larger premises one with a cellar door and perhaps their own bottling plant.

Matakana cidery

Matakana-based Zeffer Cider,

which takes its name loosely

from the Greek word for light

breeze, is making its mark on the

NZ market.

Enterprising Locals

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