Jersey Girl wins top award
‘‘It’s all been worth while.’’
That was John Vosper’s response to the family business Jersey Girl Organics after it was named the winner of the dairy category in the Outstanding New Zealand Food Producers Award.
‘‘We have got recognition that our milk is outstanding,’’ he said.
‘‘It stands out from other products on the market and it’s confirmation that we are on the right track.
‘‘It’s been worth all the effort and time we have put into it.
‘‘It’s good to have recognition like this. It’s good for the whole team.’’
The winners were announced in Auckland after a panel of 10 expert food judges tasted more than 150 products from 82 growers, farmers and crafted producers at the Fresh Factory in Auckland.
Vosper and wife Liz MacKay accepted the award on behalf of the team, who together make Jersey Girl Organics a success.
And of course the 270 A2 jersey cows on the certified organic farm in Matamata.
Vosper said he is hopeful the win will help the brand gain more recognition and open a few doors.
Shoppers will recognise Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards winners, as their products will carry a gold sticker - a promise of product quality and acknowledgement it is the best of the best that New Zealand offers.
And the accolade is already helping make an impression.
The morning following the awards, they got a call from a New World in Wellington, asking if they could stock the creamy beverage.
The Jersey Girl team already knew they had a pretty outstanding product.
In 2015 Jersey Girl Organics won the dairy category of the Farmers Market New Zealand Food Awards and emerging business award at the MatamataPiako Business Night Out.
It also received feedback from customers and chefs, whose dishes have been transformed since making the switch to the organic milk.
‘‘It’s amazing feedback,’’ he said.
Jersey Girl milk, available in one and two-litre bottles, is produced and bottled in a minifactory inside a shipping container on the farm.
The milk is heat-treated to Ministry for Primary Industry standards for retail sale. to get that