Berries and brews prove innovative

Berry-packing technology and probiotics for animals have won recognition for businesses with Waikato links.

BBC Technologies and BioBrew are among the finalists in the New Zealand Innovators Awards 2015.

Electric farm bikes, dairy-free cheese, anti-cancer treatments and free school lunches were among the other entries on the shortlist.

Machinery solutions for fruit packhouses are BBC Technologies’ area of expertise, and the company’s CURO platform is a finalist in three categories of the awards.

The business has its headquarters at Ingram Rd, near the

Hamilton airport, but also has offices in the US, Chile, the Netherlands, and has been looking at China.

Its CURO-16 filling system allows for high-speed packing – 2000kg an hour – of small fruits such as blueberries.

It can pack containers sized from 125gm to 1.25kg and switch between packaging types.

BioBrew is the company name of a second finalist, as well as one of its products.

The probiotic supplement’s ingredients – along with the microbes – include molasses, kelp and minerals, and it can be given to farm animals such as sheep, cattle and goats.

‘‘Everything that goes into the container is for the microbes,’’ cofounder Don Pearson said.

‘‘What you come out with is a very high number of lactic acid bacteria, so that’s sort of like what’s in yoghurt ... and there are a few yeast in there as well.’’

The company began in Christchurch and runs South Island operations out of a ‘‘brewery’’ in Paretai, near Balclutha. Its North Island based is in Matangi, near Cambridge.

BioBrew prides itself on making brews with live microbes that are ‘‘ready to go’’, as opposed to freeze dried powder. ’ Finalists represented ‘‘game changing innovation’’, New Zealand Innovation Council chief executive Louise Webster said.

Many had gone global from day one. She had also noticed a rise in entries from businesses which wanted to solve social issues.

The 2015 New Zealand Innovators Awards winners will be announced at an event held at Auckland’s Queens Wharf on October 21.

Photo: MARK TAYLOR/ FAIRFAX NZ A fast-packing machine that can be used for blueberries made BBC Technologies a finalist in three categories of the NZ Innovators Awards. Pictured are chief executive Geoff Furniss, left, and sales and marketing manager Jason Walker.