Three-peat for Barker’s at food awards

It was a three-peat for Barker’s of Geraldine at the New Zealand Food Awards, with the business scooping a category award for the third time in a row.

Barker’s took out the top spot in the Non-Alcoholic Beverages Award category in association with Villa Maria, with its Squeezed Fruit Botanicals Syrup: Squeezed Lemons with Lime, Cucumber and Mint.

The company won the dry category award in 2015 with its New Zealand Seedless Berry Bramble Preserve, and the dry category section again in 2016 with its New Yorker Mustard Relish.

Barker’s of Geraldine company director Michael Barker believed a company winning an award for three consecutive years may be a first in the history of the awards.

Winning the award this year made for a ‘‘very proud moment’’, he said.

Both the Squeezed Lemon, Lime, Cucumber and Mint syrup and the Squeezed Blood Orange, Lime and Bitters syrup were released in October last year, and were both nominated for the award.

‘‘Many products get entered into the awards ... and only some make the final. We had two products make the final.’’

The Squeezed Lemon, Lime, Cucumber and Mint won, which Barker suspected it would given it was a ‘‘stunning’’ product.

‘‘We’re using squeezed juice, not from concentration ... we actually squeezed the cucumbers ... we brought five tonne of cucumbers, threw them in the press and hoped like hell, and it worked brilliantly.’’

The fruit syrup could be used with sparkling water and also went well in a margarita, he said.

The New Zealand Food Awards ceremony was held in Auckland on Thursday night.