Karikaas

Butter & Buttermilk

Karikaas is a small factory in Loburn, Canterbury. There they make dutch style cheeses made in a traditional manner. In their early years the milk was supplied from the Christchurch Milk Company, but now the owners of Karikaas has developed a relationship with a local farmer from where they get their milk. Their products are made without any additives are “proud of the quality of our products and the fact that our ecological foot-print is as low as is reasonably possible in today’s legislative environment”.

I use the butter on top of all my bread and the buttermilk goes into my sourdough dough. At the moment the quark is also from here.

 

Origin Earth

Sheep Feta

Origin Earth is dairy company in the Hawke’s Bay. All the milk can be traced back to the farm that it came from, which are all less than an hours drive away from the factory. Although the milk is not organic, the farmers work on the same philosophies as organic by biologically managing trace elements and microbial life in the soils. Within hours of collection, their fresh milk undergoes the absolute minimum processing that is legally required outside of the farm gate in New Zealand.

 

Fish 4 Ever

Sardines

A UK based company promising “good canned fish”. They care about the sea, and also their fishermen and women and their communities. They want good working conditions and fair pay for both the canners and the fishers. They choose to work with whole fish in small factories where most of the work is done by hand and believe that canned fish is a great source of food, is convenient and has very little waste!

All their fish is caught sustainably using selective methods, and can trace the fish from catch to can. None of the fishing methods damage the sea habitat and they do not catch any endangered species. They support local fishing boats, fishing not far from the ports of origin and never buy fish off long distance water fleets. “We support certification and campaign for better management and government systems for the sea.”

 

Taharangi Honey

Honey

I get the honey from my boyfriend Elliott’s parent’s place in Tauhoa on the Kaipara coast. Dave and Lynette’s property is covered with manuka and other native trees and they have a few beehives. Taharangi is māori for horizon. It is my favourite honey!

Dave and Lynette also have a few fruit trees and a magic vegetable garden. Whenever they have too much, they let me pick things like lemons, herbs and greens. Elliott likes to make relish and pickles, and sells them at the shop under the name Serjeant Pickles!

 

Relish the Thought

Jam

Kathy and Rachel live on the North Shore and turned a hobby into a business. They make jams and relishes with no additives, just sugar. They don’t think sugar is bad; it is used to preserve the product and is a natural plant too.

Their Damson plum jam is my favourite and they use their own homegrown plums and from neighbouring properties. Sometimes people trade fruit for jams/relishes, and I think that’s great.

 

Homegrown

Orange Juice, Lemon Juice

Homegrown produces unpasturised juice from their own orchards in the Hawke’s Bay. Its just 100% squeezed juice.

 

Fix and Fogg

Peanut Butter

Fix and Fogg is a Wellington company making the best peanut butter! They get their peanuts from Queensland, Australia and slowly grind them with some Marlborough sea salt, then mix the bigger peanuts in by hand.

 

Waikato Free Range Ltd.

Eggs

I came across these free range eggs at Grey Lynn Farmers Market on Sundays. They come from Ngaruawahia and I pick them up weekly from the market.

 

Fruit World

Fresh Produce

I have become friends with the lovely staff at Fruit World in Ponsonby over the last few years. When I told them I was opening a shop they were happy to help out and can get organic produce for me too.

Because NZ has a smaller market for organic produce and colder weather than other countries, organic produce is not always available but when possible I buy organic produce. And if not, I try get produce from NZ. I also visit the Grey Lynn market on Sunday for sprouts and spray free vegetables and fruit.

 

Ceres Organics

Organic dry goods

Ceres is a distributor of organic goods, and has been around since the late 80’s where it started off as a co-op out of Juliet’s garage. It is now a large distributor of organic goods in NZ and Australia. It is from here I get my dry goods from, like seeds and grains.
www.ceres.co.nz

 

Coffee Supreme

Filter Coffee

Coffee Supreme believes that rather than searching for bargains, they source great coffees, pay a sustainable price to their producers, and develop long-term relationships. I am only serving filter coffee because I like the taste of it compared to espresso, because it has not been pressed under high pressure and heat it is less acidic. This results in a lighter tasting coffee that is more floral and not as bitter!

I will often be serving Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia. It comes to us from the Kochere washing station, situated in the Gedeo zone at the southernmost point of the region. It is a washed Grade 1 coffee sourced for us by our friends at Nordic Approach. To achieve Grade 1 the coffee is meticulously hand-sorted throughout processing, both in the cherry and washed parchment. The pulped coffee is traditionally fermented in tanks for up to 48 hours and then dried on raised beds for 10-12 days.