The creamery of the frozen crop
‘‘We wanted to create a product that reflects where we are based. We have long, well-established links to Motueka and the wider region.’’
Mike Elston,
Motueka Creamery
Last week I wrote about the superb artisan producers of gelato and sorbet, Gelato Roma. However, I discovered another producer of premium ice cream products earlier this summer – Motueka Creamery.
This is another brand owned by Talley’s, and is the company’s move into the premium ice cream market.
Last week I visited the plant in Motueka to meet with Lorelle Puklowski, Talley’s Group marketing co-ordinator, and Mike Elston, who is general manager of ice cream production. They showed me around the state-of-the-art facility before we sat down for a chat.
Mike told me Motueka Creamery was created as a premium product ‘‘because the market for ice cream was trending towards one-litre packs and premium products, so as one of the largest producers of ice cream in the country, it made sense for us to be in that market space’’.
‘‘We decided if we were going to be in this part of the market, we wanted to create a product that reflects where we are based.
‘‘We have long, well-established links to Motueka and the wider region, so we started with the brand name that reflects our home. And then we named various flavours after local landmarks and locations.
‘‘For example, our vanilla ice cream is Mt Arthur Snowfall, while other flavours include River Valley Apricot, Kaiteriteri Inlet Lemon Cheesecake, Ruby Bay Sunset Passionfruit, Kahurangi Wildberry, and Split Apple Rock Apple.’’
Apple ice cream? ‘‘We think it’s the only apple ice cream on the market. If you like royal gala apples, you will love it.’’
One of the key things that puts this range of ice creams in the premium category is that real fruit and other ingredients are used.
‘‘Our lemon cheesecake flavour has real fruit pieces and real cheesecake biscuit base mixed through the blend,’’ Lorelle said. ‘‘There are chunks of apricot in the River Valley product, and pieces of apple in the apple ice cream.’’
Another key to the quality of the products is the use of real milk and real cream. Some producers use solely milk powders and anhydrous milk fats or vegetable oils. Mike says both produce an inferior-tasting ice cream.
Motueka Creamery’s products are widely available in New Zealand, says Mike, with a move into international markets on the horizon, ‘‘particularly in Asia’’.
‘‘But it is a very tough market to be in – their food safety standards are incredibly rigorous. I think some countries use high standards like this to make it difficult for producers to enter their markets.
‘‘We pride ourselves on the quality of the ice cream coming out of this factory, and we have a huge focus on hygiene in the factory. We treat everything as if it’s an export product to these high-standard countries.
‘‘If we were to try and meet different standards for each marketplace, it would be a nightmare in the factory, so we simply surpass the highest standards required, and that means we comply with every market we sell in.’’
The most stringent market is Japan, Mike says. The Japanese require milk to be pasteurised by heating it to 83 degrees C for 27 seconds, while here, the standard is 72C for 15 seconds. So processing to just one high standard just makes sense for managing product in the factory.
The laboratory at Motueka Creamery is designed to meet international health and testing standards.
‘‘All product is tested in-house and also externally by Assure Quality,’’ Mike says. ‘‘The Assure Quality testing is essential for export markets, but it is also a doublecheck of our testing systems to make sure we are right at the leading edge of reliable quality.’’
Motueka Creamery also takes allergens very seriously because of the harm that incorrect labelling and handling can cause to some people.
‘‘It seems like every second day, MPI put out product recalls,’’ Mike says. ‘‘We have never had a recall for allergen and hygiene issues.’’
In fact, the company works so hard on this reliable quality that it was awarded the inaugural Allergen Bureau’s New
Zealand Best Practice Food Allergen Award. ‘‘We’re really rapt about that, because it shows how seriously everyone in the factory takes food safety,’’ says Mike.
At the 2019 New Zealand Ice Cream Awards, Motueka Creamery won 14 awards, including gold and best in category in the premium vanilla ice cream category. In 2017, it also took out the Supreme Award for its green tea ice cream.
‘‘While it’s available here, the key market for this is Asia, so winning gold for that is important for our marketing in that region of the world,’’ says Lorelle.
As with everything the Talley Group does, Motueka Creamery is done very well. ‘‘We wanted a simple yet sophisticated look for our packaging – something that was bright, colourful and stood out in the supermarket freezers,’’ Lorelle says.
‘‘The flavour names were inspired by the places we call home, and are also places that many New Zealanders resonate with as holiday hotspots.
‘‘Of course, the fact we’re 100 per cent New Zealand owned is something to be proud of.’’
The next piece of the marketing puzzle is to have some fun, so look out for the new Motueka Creamery caravan at events around the region, including at Mapua Wharf for the K2M (Kaiteriteri to Mapua) marathon in May.