The Wanaka entrepreneurs behind Pure NZ Ice Cream have licked contenders from all over the country to take the supreme champion title in the dairy product category at the 2020 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.

Scooping the top award for their boysenberry ice-cream was the cherry on top after winning a silver medal for their blackcurrant and coconut gelato flavour. 

“It’s huge for us,” said co-owner Brian Thomas, who owns Pure together with his wife Linzi and Anna Howard. 

“These are prestigious, annual awards and we were up against big, household brands. So to get this kind of validation is a very important signal to us that we’re continuing to make products people love.”

Pure prides itself on using natural produce and carefully sourced products.

Brian described how they make the winning flavour, which judges said was “difficult to resist”.

“Plump Boysenberry fruit from sunny Nelson is basically combined with whole cream and sugar in the ‘Pure’ way, and what you end up with is a delicious burst of creamy boysenberry,” he said. 

Is it the owners’ favourite? 

“It’s definitely up there as a favourite, but we don’t have a particular favourite – it tends to be the one we churned last,” Brian said.

Brian, Linzi and Anna purchased Pure in 2018. “Since then, Pure New Zealand Ice Cream has won eight national awards,” Brian said.

Pure has continued to operate through alert levels four and three because, as a primary food producer, it is an essential service.

The team has been busy supplying supermarkets from Dunedin to Auckland, but is looking forward to a wider reopening when it is possible. 

“The team is champing at the bit to get back to full swing as tourism and hospitality returns, which are also key markets for us,” Brian said.

The Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards take place every year, with a team of specialist judges who assess around 200 Kiwi products to find the cream of the crop.

PHOTOS: Supplied