8 JUNE 2018
Taranaki’s youngster distillery Juno
Gin has been awarded the highest
possible honour at the prestigious
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
by winning a double gold
medal for its label design – special
awards reserved for the very few
entries that receive gold medal
ratings from every judge in the
competition. Co-owners Jo and
Dave James says they are elated
on winning, after receiving strong
feedback about their label and
bottle, and say being the best of the
best is extraordinary. “We also want
to pass on congratulations to Craig
Jones of Strategy Collective who
designed the label,” Jo James says.
“The collaborative relationship we
have with CJ and his team has been
incredible. They helped us push the
boundaries of what our label might
communicate. It captures the divine
nature of the goddess Juno, speaks
to our ethos of harnessing nature’s
finest flavours, and the connection
we have to our land and Taranaki
in particular. Finally, we want to
thank Massey University for their
recommendation of using a black
bottle to avoid light strike. A bottle
isn’t just about aesthetics but also
about preserving the product.” Juno
– which also won a silver medal at
the competition for its signature
range Extra Fine gin – was judged
via blind taste tests, with judges
saying its product was among the
best examples in the category by
showing “refinement, finesse and
complexity.” Jo James says she
loves gin and working with flavours.
“The goal right from the start of
our Juno journey was to produce
an extraordinary, world-class gin.
We are really proud of the gin and
to be acknowledged on the world
stage is truly heart-warming and
affirming.” On top of its Extra Fine
gin, Juno also produces limited
edition seasonal gins, of which the
most popular will be put forward as
entries to next year’s San Francisco
competition. www.junogin.co.nz
Disposable glove choices may significantly
contribute to the spread of
Listeria, Norovirus and other hand-glove
transmitted pathogens in food processing
and clinical situations. New research
from international scientific food safety
and glove consultant Barry Michaels, in
association with New Zealand disposable
products supplier Eagle Protect, has
found that vinyl (PVC) gloves are up to
three times more likely to spread bacteria
than nitrile gloves, due to their chemical
characteristics. The study compared
the surface free energy of gloves and
their propensity to pick up and transfer
soils (contaminants) between products,
gloved hands and surfaces, Eagle Protect
chief executive Steve Ardagh says. “With
vinyl disposable gloves commonly used
in aged care and fast food in New Zealand,
the glove suppliers are potentially
ignoring a major food safety and health
risk by not considering the implications
of careful and educated glove choice,”
he says. “Health and safety managers
are gambling with the odds of a Listeria
monocytogenes or Norovirus outbreak
or some other extreme event if they
do not look at the science involving
bacterial transfer and disposable gloves.
Conditions for cross-contamination can
be disrupted by making scientifically
based, safe glove selection choices. In
the food industries, while considerable
and careful care is given to food origin
and processing, it seems little concern is
given to the product that touches food
last - the glove. Aged care is another
area of concern in terms of glove choice
based on the right reasons. Cross-contamination
involving Listeria and other
hand/glove transmitted pathogens is no
accident.” Eagle’s ongoing scientific research
is aimed at helping New Zealand’s
industries incorporate these findings
into their hand hygiene and food safety
practices to lower their risk of adverse
cross-contamination events.
SMARTFOODS SIGNS
WITH ALIBABA
Leading New Zealand food producer Smartfoods has
signed a $4.5 million sourcing agreement with Tmall, one
of Alibaba Group’s business to consumer e-marketplaces
in China. Smartfoods managing director Justin Hall says
the agreement will increase the presence and availability
of Vogel’s cereal to the 515 million annual active customers
on Alibaba’s e-marketplaces. While nine other Australasian
companies were invited to participate, Smartfoods
was the only New Zealand representative and will sell
the cereal over the coming 12 months. “While this
represents only a portion of Smartfoods overall sales in
Greater China, it signals the importance of Alibaba as a
key channel for our future growth and our recognition
of the benefits of partnering more closely,” Hall says.
“Partnering with Alibaba and Tmall will provide some
enormous benefits for Smartfoods. Chinese consumers
are interested in healthy imported foods and are buying
more of their food online than ever before. Working more
closely with Alibaba will assure consumers of both greater
accessibility to our products and an enhanced shopping
experience. Alibaba’s e-marketplace gives us unconstrained
access to Chinese consumers and cements
Vogel’s position as a leading imported healthy food brand
in China.” Smartfoods has been selling Vogel’s cereals in
China via Alibaba for six years and launched its flagship
store on TMall.hk in 2016. Sales have accelerated rapidly,
culminating in more than NZ$1m of Vogel’s exports in
one month alone to support the Double 11 Shopping
Festival late last year. Vogel’s was hand-picked to sign a
Sourcing Agreement due to the brand’s sustained growth
in China and its track record of e-commerce success, Hall
says. Since commencing trading in 2004, Smartfoods has
expanded at a compound annual growth rate of 23%,
with more than 50% of percent of revenue now coming
from exports.
A GLOVE
PROBLEM
TARANAKI GIN ON TOP
/www.junogin.co.nz
