Alliance wins gold

The awards celebrate Kiwis who harvest, grow and produce New Zealand’s outstanding food and drink. Entries are judges on a range of criteria including aroma, visual appearance, flavour, consistency, quality, sustainability, brand story and packaging.

Shane Kingston, general manager sales at Alliance Group, says the gold medals underline the co-operative’s reputation for food excellence and innovation.

“There is exceptional demand for Handpicked Beef, which is wet aged for 55 days – a significantly longer period than other wet aged products on the market. Our team has found that his period profoundly increases the meat’s flavour complexity, tenderness and texture.”

Kingston says Alliance’s reputation for producing some of the world’s finest lamb is well-known.

“The passion, pride and dedication of our farmers and our meticulous commitment to quality are hallmarks of Pure South Lamb. Whilst external recognition is always appreciated, this gold medal will be no surprise to our many customers around the world who seek out Pure South Lamb for its delicately flavoured eating experience, fresh aroma and leanness.”

The judges commented that Pure South Lamb was “an incredibly luxurious fine textured lamb. The little layer of fat around the rack was perfectly  proportioned and made the cut. The flavour of fat was tasty and fantastic -- have not tasted better”.