APPLE CRAFT

Pioneering Hawke’s Bay craft cider maker Zeffer are celebrating their 10th year with a huge year of developments and some big wins.

A newly opened taproom at the cidery near Hastings looks very swish – not only showcasing their own awardwinning cider, they have local produce on offer, too. Nigel Anderson (ex Masterchef) is creating a brand new menu for visitors to the cidery door.

Zeffer champion cider making as one of the most sustainable production methods in the world, and they are proud of their sustainable zero-waste process. To that end they have launched new recycled and fully recyclable glass flagons, made by NZ company O-I.

Zeffer recently won gold at the Australian Cider Awards (missing out on being named overall winner by just half a point) and took a trophy at the Brewer’s Guild Awards. In 2017 the Cidre Demi-sec was declared the best cider in the world, taking the Champoin Cider prize at the International Cider Awards.

To finish up they are finalists in the NZ International Business Awards. Not bad for a small Hawke’s Bay cidery (just 12 people with some support from seasonal workers) who are doing everything they can to put New Zealand cider on the map.

Just three years into her career, chef Shuyun (Dani) Chen, from Bellota by Peter Gordon at Skycity has won the 2018 World Tapas Championship in Spain. Her winning tapa featured escabeche vegetables rolled in raw yellowfin tuna.