JAMES TUCKER (MAD MEX FRESH MEXICAN GRILL) GRAEME CLARE (PLANT & FOOD RESEARCH) 62 ANNUAL DIRECTORY 2018 KYLIE MATTHEWS (KAI CARRIER) JANE HUNTER (HUNTER’S WINES) 2017 has been a big year for Hunter's Wines and owner Jane Hunter. The company’s 2016 Hunter’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc won gold and 93 points at the 2017 San Francisco International Wine Competition, with its Pinot Noir also picking up gold and 90 points at the prominent wine show. In fact, the wins have provided a ‘breakthrough moment’ for the winery by helping enlighten American wine drinkers about the quality of New Zealand wine…and Hunter’s in particular. "By and large, New Zealand Pinot Noir is not well known in America, and recognition at this level shows consumers that it is definitely worth trying," Hunter says. The Sauvignon Blanc is produced with fruit sourced from the central Wairau sub-region of Marlborough - an area renown for producing the distinct grapefruit and passionfruit flavours found in the region's flagship variety. The Pinot Noir is produced with fruit grown in the clay soils of the Southern Valleys of Marlborough, which adds masculine elements and more structure and depth of flavour to the wine. www.hunters.co.nz MICHAEL MEREDITH (MEREDITHS) Even though he has just closed his Auckland restaurant Merediths to spend more time with his children, master chef Michael Meredith is not hanging up his apron for good. Since opening in 2007, his restaurant – which operates a ‘dine by donation’ scheme once a week where every cent spent on food goes to charity - has consistently rated among the best in the country, clinching a three-hat rating in the annual Good Food Awards. But Meredith says the cost of success impacted on his family, and he will be launching another project with “a massive social side to it,” with some pop-up restaurants in the future. Meredith says New Zealand needs to appreciate native ingredients, and chefs must feel confident using them. “We need to cook our own food and have our own palette on the plate,” he says. Meredith founded Eat My Lunch in 2015, and is often found packing school lunches at the social enterprise. He is also consultant chef to Air New Zealand, alongside chef Peter Gordon. www.merediths.co.nz Supplying no less than 120,000 bark beetles for testing on fumigant options to methyl bromide has clinched Clare the science of international quality award at the 2017 Forest Grower Research Awards. The plant and food researcher used internationally ground-breaking science to provide the necessary uniform insects, which had to be kept fed and supplied on planned dates to the gassing team. The data from the research supports MPI in market negotiations with China and India, and has been presented at two international conferences recently. www.plantandfood.co.nz Preparing for motherhood, Kylie Matthews knew she wanted to feed her children homemade food free from any additives or preservatives… and succeeded until her daughter was eight months old. Always being on the go, Matthews discovered the convenience of the pouch format as an easy, no mess way of feeding her daughter, but couldn’t find anything on the market she could fill with homemade food. Her Kai Carrier range includes a variety of reusable pouches that also reduce the carbon footprint, are BPAfree, microwavable, freezable, dishwasher-proof and have won several environmental awards. “I want more than anything for my children and grandchildren to be able to swim in the ocean and have the joy of seeing marine life in the wild,” the Te Atatu mum-of-three says. Kai Carrier has also helped community groups raise more than $4000, and has a carbon neutral status for its business operation emissions. www.kaicarrier.co.nz Noting the popularity and explosive growth of Mad Mex and its Mexican cuisine in 2012, Tucker opened the first New Zealand Mad Mex store in Wellington in 2013…with Auckland CBD, Manukau, Sylvia Park, Botany, Ponsonby, Albany, West City and Hamilton following closely behind. New joint venture stores in Wellington, Wynyard’s Quarter and New Plymouth are the next to go live, and Tucker is on the lookout for joint ventures and franchise partners. www.madmex.co.nz
FT-Annual Directory 2018-eMag
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