Organic NZ Brand of the Year

This award recognises a company, brand or product line with organic certification and/or Hua Parakore verification that is independently owned and based in Aotearoa. It is open to successful organic brands who are leading the way to mitigate climate change and build a just society in harmony with nature and the planet.  

Nominations must be for a New Zealand company, brand or product line that demonstrates organic values and markets itself as organic, with organic certification or Hua Parakore verification.  

The criteria

Nominations will be assessed on the following criteria.

• Environmental Protection – how well does the brand connect consumers with organic values through storytelling? What efforts have been made to enhance consumer awareness of climate resilience?

• Social Responsibility – what links does the brand have with local communities/tangata whenua?What evidence is there of innovation or creativity to meet market challenges? How is the brand responding to consumer trends?

• Economic sustainability – What evidence is there for the financial viability of the work? How successful are the products or services provided?

Note: judges will also take into account other practices consistent with organic production. The following are examples of relevant practices and are not requirements for entry: packaging practices, sustainable energy and resource use, advocacy for organics and other certifications such as living wage, carbon zero.  

The finalists are

TranzAlpine Honey 
TranzAlpine Honey are a 5th generation of family beekeepers, certified organic, and committed to the health of the environment. They are constantly innovating to reduce their impact in order to produce healthy food without compromising future generations’ ability to do the same. TranzAlpine Honey account for 68% of all certified organic New Zealand honey exported to the EU annually.  

Karma Cola 
Karma Cola are on a mission to be the world’s most ethical soft drink. They aim to connect consumers with farmers and growers in a way that respects everyone and everything involved. They are proudly certified organic by the Soil Association, and have an impressive list of achievements that sarted in one village in Sierra Leone and is now across 8 communities, impacting 3,000 people. 

Roots, Shoots and Fruits  
Roots, Shoots and Fruits provide organic fertilisers and nutrition products alongside education and scientific trials to combat incorrect assumptions about organic products. A recent success has been the Home Gardening range, to let a wider audience see what commercial growers had been using for decades to grow the biggest, brightest, juiciest produce.