www.foodtechnology.co.nz 65 LINE HART (LINES’S KNAEKBROD) SHAMA SUKUL LEE (SUNFED MEATS) ROBERT OLIVER (STAR FOODIE) Software programmer turned food tech entrepreneur, Lee’s past 12 months have been spent in the global media spotlight. The product architect – who has a BSc in computer science and mathematics, and an MBA - is re-imagining the high protein food system to make meat directly from plants (pea protein) with her innovative start-up company. Using clean technology, Lee takes proteins from plants and creates a hunky toothy chunk of meaty protein that tastes, feels and cooks like animal meat but is healthier and lighter on the planet. Setting up the first plant-based meat processing plant in the Southern Hemisphere, the Aucklander has developed a combined skillset of software development, technical architecture, product management and commercial strategy. Lee is also the founder of Ethiclee, a range of boutique shops specialising in high quality products with low environmental footprints and are sustainable, compassionate and fair. www.sunfedfoods.com NICHOLAS BONNAUD (HONEST CHOCOLATE) Nico Bonnaud has a passion for chocolate, although the Snell’s Beach-based former pastry chef came to New Zealand from France several years ago because of his love for rugby. Bonnaud handcrafts each piece of his chocolate made in small batches using perfected skills, knowledge and creativity, and says his style in influenced by a variety of cultures and cuisine. “Honest food doesn't have ingredients, it IS ingredients,” Bonnaud – who worked at Kauri Cliffs and at Peter Gordon’s Sugar Club – says. “Good and truthful, that is what we want our chocolate to be. So when we say our chocolate is raspberry and ginger, then that is exactly what you're eating.” He doesn't believe in using hidden enhancers, preservatives or additives, and says his specialty is water ganache bonbons which are dairy-free and contain limited amounts of sugar. “Not because it's trendy, but because we believe it goes hand in hand with producing the best tasting chocolates,” Bonnaud says. www.honestchocolat.com A Danish cracker made with recycled grains and with a difficult name to pronounce is being produced in New Zealand by a Danish New Zealander… and Line Hart’s knaekbrod (‘k-neck-bro-the’) is making a splash. The company, which won last year’s Cuisine Artisan Awards, is making crackers using recycled grains left over from the beer-making process at craft brewery Hallertau. Hart, who left her job to focus on her foodie business, says financial sacrifices and loss of family time have impacted on her, but conquering her self-doubt was the hardest challenge. “You have to believe in your product and yourself.” www.linesknaekbrod.co.nz New Zealand chef, author and television presenter, Oliver is also the force behind New Zealand’s first Pasifika restaurant in Auckland. The frontman of television lifestyle show Real Pasifik, Oliver is an ambassador for Le Cordon Bleu in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. His cookbook, Me’a Kai: The Food and Flavours of the South Pacific, was judged at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2010 as the best in the world. Oliver has been on the tasting panel of My Kitchen Rules NZ, and contributes to the Huffington Post in New York and Global Gourmet in Beijing. His television series based on his work and the food culture of the South Pacific has played in more than 40 countries. www.robertoliveronline.com
FT-Annual Directory 2018-eMag
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