Medal winners for this year's New Zealand Ice Cream and Gelato Awards have been announced by the NZ Ice Cream Association.
The panel of 20 judges awarded a total of 189 medals after assessing 290 NZ-made ice creams, gelatos, sorbets and dairy-free frozen products. A record of 61 gold, 66 silver and 62 bronze medals were handed out.
"The quality of these locally produced ice creams, gelatos and sorbets is as good as ever, proven by the high number of gold medals awarded," said Jackie Matthews, Chief Judge.
"It's across the board, we saw strong medal results in the Sorbet and the Best of Chocolate Category. They both offered many stand-out entries on judging day. What's more, the judges were impressed by the innovation in the Open Creative entries, with twice as many gold medals awarded in this category compared to the previous judging in 2020."
The awards have been running since 1997 and continue to evolve with consumer demand. This year was the first time gelato had been included in the awards name.
"Ice Cream and Gelato is the perfect treat for Kiwis to reward themselves at the end of a busy week, and as an industry, we're thrilled that we're giving Kiwis a little taste of joy - which we know is made to the highest quality standards," said Karl Tiefenbacher, NZ Ice Cream Association President.
Winning companies include; Tip Top Ice Cream Company, Island Gelato Company, Much Moore Ice Cream Co, Motueka Creamery, Takapuna Beach Cafe, Little 'Lato, Appleby Farms, Gelissimo Gelato, Ginelli's, Deep South and Pure New Zealand Ice Cream.
A full list of medal winners can be found on the NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards website.
