pure-nz-ice-cream

Where artisan beats chemistry

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:05:59 GMT

There’s something unmistakable about the first spoonful of real, naturally made ice cream - the kind crafted with fresh cream, organic vanilla beans speckled throughout, and berries ripened in the NZ sunshine. It’s not just dessert — it’s flavour that lingers, deepens, and feels connected to where it came from. In an age when artificial flavourings can mimic almost anything, why do natural ingredients still taste so much better? The answer lies in how nature builds complexity and how our taste buds are wired to recognise it.

Real ingredients

Think about biting into a fresh berry in the middle of summer. It’s sweet, yes, but it’s also tart, floral, sometimes even grassy. There are hundreds of flavour compounds inside that berry, developed through sunlight, soil, and slow ripening. When you churn berries into ice cream, those same compounds are carried into every bite. The taste isn’t one-note; it’s layered, surprising, alive.

Now compare that to an artificially flavoured berry ice cream. It may deliver a recognisable berry taste, but it’s a simplified version — mostly sweetness with a single synthetic note layered on top. It doesn’t unfold on the palate the way the real thing does. Instead of sparking curiosity and delight, it satisfies in the moment but leaves nothing behind.

Why natural tastes stronger

It’s not just ice cream

This principle isn’t limited to frozen treats. Bread made with a natural sourdough starter carries a tang and richness that factory-made yeast can’t mimic. Coffee brewed from freshly ground beans offers notes of chocolate, fruit, and spice that no instant blend will ever deliver. Even something as simple as a tomato sauce changes dramatically when made with vine-ripened tomatoes rather than tinned puree.

Wine offers perhaps the clearest example. A glass of wine made from carefully grown grapes tells the story of its vineyard — the soil, the weather, even the year it was harvested. Each sip can reveal layers of fruit, spice, earth, and minerality, shifting and unfolding as the wine lingers on the palate. No artificial flavouring could ever recreate that depth. The beauty lies in complexity: a chorus of natural compounds working together to create a taste experience that is both unique and memorable.

In every case, natural ingredients deliver flavour because they’re alive with variety. Each harvest, each season, even each farm will lend a slightly different nuance. Artificial flavours, by design, are consistent — but they’re consistent in their sameness.

Natural flavour can take you places

There’s also something deeply human about tasting the real thing. The delicate citrus burst of kaffir lime in an ice cream, for example, might transport you to a summer garden or the aroma of freshly crushed leaves in a kitchen, while a sorbet zested with lemon might spark memories of childhood lemonade stands. These connections can’t be bottled in a laboratory.

Artificial flavours often bypass that emotional depth. They can remind us of sweets or packaged food, but rarely of orchards, farms, or the seasons themselves. Natural ingredients tell a story. Artificial ones tell a shortcut.

Real natural ingredients beat chemistry every time

Choosing natural ingredients reflects a philosophy of care. Ice cream made with real cream, cage-free eggs, and seasonal fruit honours both the ingredients and the eater. It requires sourcing, patience, and skill. It often costs more, but it gives more in return — not just in flavour, but in the experience of eating something crafted with intention.

This commitment also means resisting the temptation to add stabilisers and emulsifiers. These are often used in industrial ice cream to smooth texture, extend shelf life, and mask the absence of fresh ingredients. But the trade-off is flavour — stabilisers can dull the brightness of fruit, and emulsifiers can coat the palate, muting those delicate top notes that make natural ingredients sing. When ice cream is made simply, the way it used to be — with natural ingredients — you don’t just taste cold sweetness; you taste the real character of the ingredients in all their intensity .

Crafting flavour naturally

Multiple Medals at the 2025 NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards!

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:17:21 GMT

We’re thrilled to share that PURE New Zealand Ice Cream has once again shone at the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards, bringing home two Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals across a range of flavours.

This year’s awards saw a record number of gold medals handed out, with an impressive 20% increase in entries from last year – a massive 29 ice cream and gelato makers competing. Chief Judge Geoff Scott praised the creativity and quality on display, highlighting the strong showing from boutique producers like PURE.

Our 2025 Medal-Winning Flavours

�� Gold

Mango & Coconut Gelato wowed the judges and here’s what they had to say, ‘a creamy coconut base and delicious authentic mango flavour, with a very appealing appearance‘.
Dark Chocolate Ice Cream - The judges were equally impressed and commented that it has a rich, indulgent, and perfectly balanced flavour with a touch of bitterness for depth.

�� Silver

Tiramisu Ice Cream - The judges loved the beautiful coffee flavour with chocolate notes.
Boysenberry Gelato - ‘Bursting with berry colour and flavour and smooth and creamy to the finish’, commented the judges.

�� Bronze

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – a classic elegant flavour.
Mascarpone, Date & Orange Ice Cream - warm cardamom and spices, with a creamy texture and striking appearance.
Kaffir Lime & Ginger Ice Cream – a bold ginger hit with delicate floral kaffir notes.

Celebrating Craft & Creativity

With over 266 entries judged across 15 categories, these awards celebrate the best of Aotearoa’s ice cream and gelato makers.

We’re incredibly proud of our team for continuing to craft ice creams and gelatos that not only taste amazing but also showcase our commitment to premium, all-natural ingredients and intensity of flavour.

Congratulations to all the winners again this year. And importantly, thank you to all our fans and resellers. Here’s to another year of PURE Excellence!

It’s a Kiwi Classic, but what’s the story behind Hokey Pokey Ice Cream?

juliette@marketelements.co.nz (Juliette Richards) — Thu, 29 May 2025 04:52:13 GMT

When you think of iconic New Zealand foods, Hokey Pokey ice cream is right up there with fish and chips on the beach or a good meat pie at the rugby. This golden, crunchy-sweet treat swirled into creamy golden syrup ice cream is more than just a dessert - it’s a piece of Kiwi culture. But how did it come to be New Zealand’s unofficial national ice cream flavour?

So what exactly is Hokey Pokey?

Strictly speaking Hokey Pokey itself is not unique to New Zealand. It is in fact small pieces of honeycomb toffee made from sugar, golden syrup, and baking soda. You can find honeycomb toffee all around the world. What is uniquely Kiwi is the name ‘Hokey Pokey’ and its association with ice cream. There’s also a huge cultural nostalgia about Hokey Pokey - most Kiwis have grown up eating Hokey Pokey in some form, most often in ice cream!

Origins in the 1950s

The exact origin of Hokey Pokey ice cream is a bit fuzzy, but it’s widely agreed that it was popularised by Tip Top, a New Zealand ice cream company founded in 1936. In the 1950s, Tip Top began experimenting with adding toffee pieces to their vanilla ice cream. While this was a big hit, it wasn’t until the 1980’s that Tip Top decided to use small balls of honeycomb, or Hokey Pokey instead. The combination of crunchy toffee and smooth ice cream struck a nostalgic chord with locals and quickly became a best-seller.

At a time when imported flavours were rare and refrigeration was still becoming widespread in households, Hokey Pokey was an affordable indulgence that felt extra special. It became the second most popular ice cream flavour in New Zealand, just behind vanilla—and for many, it was the flavour to have at the local dairy or beachside shop.

The Name Game

“Hokey Pokey” itself is a term with mysterious origins. Some trace it back to 19th-century English street vendors selling honeycomb toffee, using chants like “Hokey pokey, penny a lump!” Others say it comes from an Italian phrase—“oh che poco,” meaning “oh how little”—used by ice cream vendors in the early 1900s.

Whatever the origin, in New Zealand the term stuck and it became synonymous with the honeycomb treat we know today.

A Global and Local Favourite

Hokey Pokey ice cream remains a New Zealand treasure. It is more than a dessert - it’s a slice of Kiwi identity. It represents nostalgia, simplicity and local creativity. Whether enjoyed on a hot summer day or as a late-night scoop at home, it’s a taste of New Zealand’s sweet side.

At PURE we hand make our Hokey Pokey using the very best, all-natural ingredients. True to the origins of the ice cream, we then swirl chunks through a premium golden syrup ice cream. The result – a truly mouth-watering, all-natural and uniquely Kiwi treat.

Tiramisu takes Gold at Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards

juliette@marketelements.co.nz (Juliette Richards) — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 20:44:06 GMT

Hold onto your spoons — we are delighted to announce that there’s a new champion in town and it’s scooped up gold! Our brand new, all-natural Tiramisu Ice Cream has just taken home top honours at the prestigious Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards. And trust us, this isn’t just any ice cream — it’s a creamy masterpiece, a combination of delicious PURE-made mascarpone, coffee, cocoa and eggs that’ll make you want to savour every single spoonful.

The Sweet Journey to Gold

Creating an award-winning ice cream isn’t just about bringing together a few ingredients — it’s a labour of love, a taste experiment and an adventure all in one! Creating a new flavour also takes a considerable amount of time, from the sourcing of the ingredients (all-natural of course) to perfecting the recipe for the ultimate taste sensation and PURE natural goodness. The goal is to create a dish that’s perfect for every occasion, be it a quiet night in or a dinner party dessert.

“We’ve worked hard to perfect what we feel is a fun yet sophisticated addition to our range – and of course it’s ridiculously delicious! We’re delighted with the uptake of the new flavour and we’re churning flat out to produce stock for stores across both Islands.” Anna Howard, Director and Head of Production.

Why This Flavour Stands Out

Tiramisu means ‘pick-me-up’ in Italian, and we believe this describes the flavour perfectly. At PURE we are all about purity of flavour, so you can be sure our ice creams use the best natural ingredients to produce ridiculously delicious flavours. It’s not just us that think we have it just about right - according to the Outstanding NZ Food Producer judges our Tiramisu has perfect balance and great coffee flavouring. And best of all, like all our ice creams, gelatos and sorbets, it is all-natural and free of artificial preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, colour and flavour enhancers.

Where to Get Your Tub

Our flavours are available at select New World, Fresh Choice and all Moore Wilsons and Farro Fresh stores.

We would also like to congratulate all the medallists in this year’s the Outstanding NZ Food Producers awards.

2 Gold Medals at the 2024 NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards

juliette@marketelements.co.nz (Juliette Richards) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 22:53:20 GMT

We get pretty excited about the NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards, as it’s a great opportunity to find out what everyone across the industry has been up to. We pride ourselves on producing delicious, all-natural ice cream, gelatos and sorbets; so it’s very satisfying to hear that the judges agree! Of course, we also love winning awards for our products - who wouldn’t?

Our Medals

This year we’re delighted to announce that we’ve won an amazing 10 medals in total – Two Gold, Four Silver and Four Bronze. Our new flavour, yet to be announced, won a medal too… We are pretty excited and humbled all-round.

It was Gold for Lime Sorbet and Boysenberry Sorbet. Silver for Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Hokey Pokey Ice Cream, Boysenberry Gelato and our new flavour coming soon (watch this space!). Bronze for Mango and Coconut Gelato, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Chocolate Sorbet and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

You can find out more about these flavours and more on our flavours page .

About the awards

The 2024 NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards have an esteemed panel of 20 food judges, led by new Chief Judge Geoff Scott. They had the arduous task of evaluating - aka tasting - 233 entries with meticulous attention to detail in late July, and after careful deliberation awarding a number of medals acknowledging premium quality and flavour.

Says Geoff Scott, “Kiwis’ growing love affair with gelato was reflected with record gelato entries. Sorbet delivered on its signature palate-cleansing zing with the category giving judges lots of fruity examples using passionfruit, mango, raspberry, apricot and lemon.”

Families buying in larger formats from supermarkets weren’t overlooked in the quality stakes either. Premium Flavoured and Premium Vanilla ice cream categories performed strongly reflecting the great quality of take-home ice cream packs in New Zealand. Popular flavours included; Strawberries & Cream, Banana Split, Fig & Honey and Chocolate Truffle with Chocolate Ganache.

This year’s NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards highlights incredible talent and innovation within New Zealand's ice cream and gelato industry. The competition is a showcase of dazzling flavours, textures, and styles, each demonstrating the dedication and passion of the makers behind these frozen treats. From classic favourites to daring and inventive combinations, the medal winners set the standard for excellence in the New Zealand ice cream and gelato industry.

Anything but plain

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 02:25:42 GMT

With so many exciting and trendy flavours of ice cream available, vanilla is often viewed as the underdog - somewhat middle of the road and predictable – often on the menu to accompany a delicious dessert.

The truth is vanilla is anything but plain! In fact, it is an extremely complex and versatile flavour, used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It also has an exotic history and when it comes to taste, quality really does matter.

Did you know…

Producing vanilla is an extremely labour-intensive process.
Vanilla grows on a vine with orchid flowers that open for one day, once a year. Vanilla growers hand pollinate each flower.
Each flower produces one bean. After 9 months growing on the vine vanilla beans are harvested by hand.
After harvesting, the vanilla beans are cured. This takes another 9 months. Each day the beans are laid out by hand to dry in the sun and each night they are manually wrapped up to heat and cure.
Vanilla originated in Mexico and was first cultivated by the Totonac people. The Aztecs later adopted it, and it spread globally through Spanish colonisation.
According to a recent survey by Synergy, when it comes to taste consumers prefer pure vanilla extract over natural vanilla flavour. It’s easy to see why - pure vanilla extract contains over 200 compounds, contributing to its complex and rich flavour.
There are many different types of vanilla flavour, depending on where the vanilla is produced. Madagascar is the world's largest producer of vanilla, followed by Indonesia and Mexico. Madagascan vanilla was voted the most popular flavour in the recent survey by Synergy.
When it comes to purchasing vanilla ice cream, 28% of consumers prefer Vanilla Bean over French Vanilla and Vanilla.

At PURE we are passionate about producing ice cream that is all natural and offers intense flavours. To ensure this happens we carefully select the very best ingredients. We use pure Madagascan vanilla extract and real organic vanilla bean paste for our Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Our supplier is also passionate about taste, as well as sourcing vanilla that is ethically produced and sustainable. We know this investment in quality is worth every penny.

Now you know a little more about the ice cream world’s underdog, try PURE’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and see for yourself.

Silver at the Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards 2024

juliette@marketelements.co.nz (Juliette Richards) — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 21:52:06 GMT

We are delighted to announce we have won a Silver medal at the Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards 2024, this time for our delicious Kaffir Lime and Ginger Ice Cream.

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream is a truly artisan, handmade product and our Kaffir Lime and Ginger Ice Cream is no exception. Whole NZ organic kaffir lime leaves are hand-blended with ground ginger (no lime syrups or lime juice added) to create a truly epicurean flavour, popular with NZ and international palettes.

The awards

Over 250 New Zealand-made food and non-alcoholic drinks have been recognised for their quality, receiving medals in the 2024 Outstanding Food Producer Awards.

Awards Head Judge, Lauraine Jacobs said, “After eight years we’re seeing more new products entered each year and I believe producers have more imagination and show more innovation in presentation and taste as they develop new food ideas. There’s always a danger that new ideas can be over the top but this year there was plenty to stimulate the palate, which managed to provide flavour while retaining allowing real, natural to shine without being over-processed.”

A judging highlight for the panel of 23 judges this year was a dedicated Chocolate category, merging the NZ Chocolate Awards into the Outstanding Food Producer Awards. Sixty chocolate products were assessed. New Zealand is known for great honey and the range of distinct flavours, coupled with excellent texture in so many of the honey entries this year was noted by the judges.

A huge congratulations to all the award winners this year.

Another huge scoop at the NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards | Sorbet Wins Gold

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 05:41:11 GMT

The 2023 results are out and we are delighted to announce that our Dark Belgian Chocolate Sorbet has won Gold!

Overall at this year’s awards, we have picked up an impressive 11 medals in a highly competitive industry confirming that PURE New Zealand Ice Cream continues to create delicious, all-natural artisan ice creams the judges and our consumers love.

As well as Gold for our delicious Dark Belgian Chocolate Sorbet, we were awarded 6 Silver Medals:

Lime Sorbet

Kaffir Lime & Ginger Ice Cream

Mango & Coconut Gelato

Boysenberry Gelato

Mānuka Honey & Fig Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

And Bronze Medals were awarded for:

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream

Mascarpone, Date and Orange Ice Cream

Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Choc Orange Ice Cream (only available at Dominos)

The Awards

The NZ Ice Cream Association undertook a thorough tasting of over 270 entries from ice cream makers across Aotearoa. Head judge, Jackie Matthews, was supported by a panel of 20 judges and 10 stewards to assess New Zealand ice creams, gelatos, sorbets and dairy-free frozen products.

Jackie Matthews made special mention of the high standard of entries in 2023, noting flavour trends were an evolution on those observed last year.

“The ice cream, gelato and sorbet from the boutique makers were especially fabulous with sensory indulgent, rich, complex flavours. While dairy-free products are following global trends with entries made with an oat base growing rapidly,” Jackie says.

After careful deliberation, a remarkable 183 medals were awarded; among these, an impressive 64 Gold Medals, 74 Silver Medals, and 45 Bronze Medals were bestowed upon the finest Kiwi-made ice cream and gelato creations.

As always, congratulations to all the ice cream makers across Aotearoa from the team at PURE.

Bread and Cinnamon Butter Pudding with PURE New Zealand Hokey Pokey Ice Cream

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 21:43:24 GMT

PURE New Zealand Hokey Pokey Ice Cream is the perfect accompaniment to Bread and Cinnamon Butter Pudding. This delicious recipe has been created by Outstanding Food Producers Judge, Kathy Patterson.

Kathy's advice

Slightly stale bread, a good soaking and a water bath are key to a soft and silky pudding according to Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards judge and recipe guru Kathy Paterson. Kathy’s generous with the sultanas as she loves the texture they provide, but you can cut back the amount if they are not to your taste. The extra pop of flavour comes from Westgold Cinnamon Butter. Serve with PURE New Zealand Hokey Pokey or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Serves 4

½ cup sultanas

2 tablespoons verjuice

4 thin slices slightly stale wheatmeal bread

50g Westgold Cinnamon Butter, softened or melted

3 tablespoons red fruit jam

1 orange

1 tablespoon soft brown sugar

200ml full cream milk

150ml cream

3 eggs

icing sugar for sprinkling, optional

Method

Put the sultanas in a small saucepan with the verjuce and a tablespoon of water. Gently heat to soften and plump the sultanas then set aside to cool. Drain, if needed.

Lightly grease a 3-cup-capacity ovenproof dish with butter.

Trim the crusts from the bread slices. Butter both sides of the bread and spread both sides with the jam. Cut each slice into 4 pieces.

Scatter half of the sultanas in the prepared dish then finely grate over half of the orange zest. Scatter over half of the brown sugar. Arrange the bread slices in the dish and top with the remaining sultanas and brown sugar.

Whisk together the milk, cream and eggs. Strain into a jug then pour slowly into the dish – the bread will start to soak up the custard mixture. Leave to sit for 30 minutes or for up to an hour, if time allows.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C.

Put the dish inside a high-side roasting tin and fill halfway with hot/boiling water to make a bain marie (water bath). Cover with compostable foil.

Put in the oven and cook for 15 minutes then remove and carefully remove the foil. Return to the oven and cook for a further 12-15 minutes until golden and the custard still a little wobbly. Remove from the oven. The pudding will continue to cook a little as it sits in the water bath.

Remove pudding from the water bath as soon as you can. Grate the remaining orange zest over the pudding.

Serve warm sprinkled with a smidgen of icing sugar, if wished and with scoops of vanilla or hokey pokey ice cream.

Tip

Put the sultanas in a small bowl along with the verjuice and water, cover and sit overnight to soak and plump.

Recipe developed by Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards to showcase outstanding NZ produce. More recipes at www.outstandingfoodproducer.co.nz

Why does ice cream make you happy

brian@etholdings.co.nz (Brian Thomas) — Thu, 18 May 2023 01:05:59 GMT

Let’s face it – most of us feel like there’s nothing like a delicious bowl of ice cream. In fact, ice cream is the ultimate happiness. Whether you prefer a cup or a cone, from the first lick to the last mouthful, ice cream is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and add a spring in your step! It’s not just an old wives’ tale either – science has proven that ice cream can indeed have a positive effect on our mood.

Endorphins

When we consume something that we enjoy, it triggers our brain to release endorphins, a natural chemical that can induce feelings of pleasure and happiness. The cold temperature of ice cream can enhance this effect by providing an invigorating and refreshing experience, especially on a hot day. Add to that the enormous variety of flavours that are bound to have your taste buds jumping for joy. Who knows what kind of happiness the next scoop will bring!

Positive Memories

Ice cream is often associated with positive memories and experiences, such as childhood treats, summer fun or enjoyable social occasions. It is also a great way to bond with others and make new memories. These positive associations create a sense of nostalgia and happiness - it’s not just about the taste, but also the memories and emotions that are tied to it. Whether you are sharing a scoop with your family on a hot day or enjoying an ice cream dessert with your best friends, there’s always a little more fun and happiness when ice cream is involved.

Comfort Food

Ice cream, along with chocolate, is often seen as a comfort food providing a temporary escape from stress or negative emotions and soothing our mood. When we feel down or anxious, indulging in a little ice cream can provide a temporary distraction and, according to science, help our body to produce Serotonin, a feel-good hormone. In fact, one study from the Institute of Psychiatry in London found that consuming ice cream can stimulate the same pleasure centres in our brain that are stimulated when winning money or listening to your favourite music. So next time you need a little pick-me-up reach for a bowl of chocolate ice cream!

Let’s not forget the sugar

Yes we all know that too much sugar is not good for our health, but a little treat here and there can also be good. Sugar can temporarily boost our mood and energy levels. When we consume sugar, our brain releases Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that can create a sense of pleasure and reward. However, it is also important to remember that consuming too much sugar can lead to a crash and negative feelings afterwards. Remember – moderation is key.

Why does ice cream make you happy?

From releasing endorphins, Serotonin and Dopamine to positive memories and social well-being, there are lots of reasons why ice cream can make you happy. And while we don’t recommend eating too much ice cream, since PURE is handcrafted and naturally delicious, having a scoop or two of your favourite flavour with a balanced diet is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and add a little extra happiness to your day!

More Gold for Gelato …

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 05:18:14 GMT

The 2023 Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards results are out and we are excited to announce our Mango and Coconut Gelato won Gold in the Free-From category. This on top of winning Gold and being named Category Champion in the 2022 NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards.

The Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards celebrate Kiwis who harvest, grow and make the very best New Zealand food and drinks. This year more than 290 locally harvested, grown and made food and drink products were assessed. The ‘Free-From’ category is new this year and includes food made and marketed to meet the requirements of a specific diet such as gluten-free, dairy-free, carb-free, keto, vegan or meat-free. The category was highly contested with 54 products being assessed and 40 medals awarded in this category. Congratulations from the PURE Team to all the other medal winners this year.

Our 2023 award

Like all our ice creams, our Mango and Coconut Gelato is hand-crafted with all natural ingredients. So not only is it dairy-free, it’s also free from artificial preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, colour and flavour enhancers. Premium mango fruit creates a stunning amber ripple through our ultra-smooth and creamy white coconut base. According to the judges this dreamy gelato has a “nice mango aroma and flavour combined with a strong coconut flavour. A great dairy-free gelato option”. We couldn’t agree more!

Our certified dairy-free sorbets

Our certified dairy-free gelatos and sorbets are becoming increasingly popular, both in New Zealand and in Japan, with consumers looking for a delicious lactose-free dessert.

Ice cream, gelato and sorbet fans looking for allergen-free, naturally delicious treats can find a list of our stockists here . We have 9 dairy-free gelato and sorbet options on offer, but for those who love traditional premium ice creams – don’t worry, we will continue to develop this range too. Find out more about our flavours.

Spice up your ice cream!

juliette@marketelements.co.nz (Juliette Richards) — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 23:05:37 GMT

At PURE New Zealand Ice Cream we are, naturally, big ice cream fans! And while our intensely delicious flavours are sensational by themselves, we love to find ways for PURE lovers to enjoy more. If you're looking for more ways to enjoy PURE, then take a look at some of these scrumptious ideas.

Add some crunch

Adding nuts or chocolate is a great way to add a little crunch to your ice cream. Make sure you choose quality and natural additions. We added some homemade granola to our Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Boysenberry Gelato to make this deliciously healthy parfait.

Mix with some fruit

Our fruit-based ice creams, gelatos and sorbets lend themselves to accompanying a bowl of delicious and locally sourced fresh fruit. For a special dessert, how about trying this… our dairy-free dark chocolate sorbet, black Doris plums and halva. Halva, a delicacy from the Middle East, is made from tahini and is similar to fudge.

Make an Affogato

Need a little pick me up? Just add a scoop of delicious PURE Vanilla Bean Ice Cream to your morning espresso. A sure way to brighten your day.

Add some kick

And if espresso and ice cream isn’t quite enough, why not try adding some rum. We love this rum affogato, made with a scoop of PURE Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and a splash of spiced rum from Karven Craft Distiller. The perfect after dinner digestif.

Layered Ice Cream Cake

Straight from our kitchen, this layered ice cream cake is not to be missed. Layers of PURE Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and PURE Dark Chocolate Ice Cream separated with a delicate wafer. Topped with Hokey Pokey pieces and chocolate sauce.

Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich

We actually can’t take the credit for this recipe. It all started by our friends at Harvey Street Merchant, Waitati, and we were immediate fans! Take your favourite homemade cookie recipe, or artisan made cookies and add some of your favourite, artisan PURE flavour. This sandwich uses PURE New Zealand Lemon Curd Ice Cream.

Love ice cream? Sign up for more PURE News

Celebration Lemon Cake with PURE Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 00:31:00 GMT

Spring is finally here and what better time to enjoy cake and ice cream on a sunny afternoon. This stunning lemon cake relies on tart lemons to really show it off. Serve it with a good scoop of delicious, all-natural PURE New Zealand Lemon Curd Ice Cream to heighten the flavours and textures in the cake.

Recipe serves 8-10

225g butter

1 cup caster sugar

3 free-range eggs

250g crème fraiche

2 tablespoons thin-shred marmalade (preferably lemon or lime marmalade)

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 ¾ cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Lemon syrup

¼ cup caster sugar

¼ cup water

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Lemon filling

300ml Double Cream

1 cup store bought lemon curd, such as Taste of the Alps Lemon Curd (or for a homemade version, see below for recipe)

200g ricotta

Method

Heat the oven to 170°C. Line the base of a 22cm round springform cake tin with baking paper. Lightly grease the sides and dust with flour, tapping to remove excess.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce electric mixer to low speed, add the crème fraiche and marmalade and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from the beater.

Add the lemon zest then sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Carefully fold in until combined as you are trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

After removing from the oven leave for 10 minutes before removing from the tin to a wire rack, to cool.

Meanwhile, make the lemon syrup. Put the sugar and water in a small pot. Add the lemon zest and juice and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for a minute to make a light syrup. Leave to cool.

Make the filling, whip the cream until thick. In a separate bowl, mix together half of the lemon curd and the ricotta. Add half of the whipped cream and gently fold in.

To assemble the cake, cut the cake in half horizontally and put the bottom half on a cake plate. Spoon over half of the lemon syrup. Spoon the remaining syrup over the top of the cake.

Spread the lemon ricotta mixture over the bottom half of the cake and carefully put on the top half. Swirl the remaining lemon curd through the remaining whipped cream and spread evenly over the top of the cake. Decorate with nasturtium flowers and a few leaves or pick their petals and scatter over.

To decorate and serve

Nasturtium flowers and small leaves or use other edible flowers or shredded and blanched lemon rind.

Serve with PURE New Zealand Lemon Curd or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Homemade Lemon Curd

Makes 1 medium jar plus 1 small jar

1 cup caster sugar (170g cup)

115g butter

finely grated zest and juice of 2 large lemons (about ½ cup juice)

3 free-range eggs (use larger eggs)

Put the sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice in a heavy-based pot. Put over medium-low heat to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter.

Remove from the heat and sieve the eggs into the pot, stirring quickly using a wooden spoon at the same time. Return to the heat and cook, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens without boiling, as it will curdle. (If it does curdle a little, remove from the heat and give the mixture a good whisk). Leave to cool before putting into clean jars with tight-fitting lids. The lemon curd will thicken as it cools too.

This recipe has been created by Kathy Paterson in conjunction with Outstanding Food Producers NZ .

Biggest Scoop Ever

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 03:49:35 GMT

The NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards results are out... And we are delighted to announce that we have achieved our biggest scoop ever - a Category Champion and a total of 12 medals!

The New Zealand Ice Cream Awards recognise the quality of locally produced ice cream in Aotearoa and are a major event for boutique and commercial ice cream, gelato and sorbet makers from across the country. The 2022 awards celebrate 25 years with the addition of two exciting new categories and a new name that encompasses the continued growth of gelato alongside ice cream in New Zealand. Chief Judge Jackie Matthews and her team of 20 judges and 10 stewards, judged a total of 290 New Zealand ice creams, gelatos, sorbets and dairy-free frozen products.

After last year’s awards were cancelled due to Covid, Jackie Matthews says that the large number of medals awarded this year is a reflection of the quality of locally produced ice creams, gelatos and sorbets. “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.”

Mango & Coconut Gelato - Category Champion

We are delighted to announce that our Mango and Coconut Gelato has been named 2022 Dairy-Free Category Champion. This dreamy gelato will take you on a tropical flavour journey. Premium mango fruit creates a stunning amber ripple through our ultra-smooth and creamy white coconut base. It’s a huge honour to lead in this important category and we’d like to congratulate all the gold medal winners.

Our 2022 Award-Winning Ice Creams

It’s the biggest haul in the company’s history and overall we received 3 Gold Medals, 5 Silver and 4 Bronze Medals for our handcrafted Wānaka deliciousness. From 72% Belgium Callebaut Dark Chocolate to New Zealand's finest berries, local Mānuka honey and homemade salted caramel you can be sure your scoop will be PURE indulgence.

And the winners were…

Gold medals for:

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream – Made with 72% Belgian Callebaut Chocolate this ice cream is dark rich and satisfying.
Choc Orange Ice Cream – New Zealand navel oranges are added to our Dark Chocolate Ice Cream to create this flavour sensation. This flavours is exclusive to our friends @dominosnz!
Mango & Coconut Gelato - 2022 Diary-Free Category Champion. A delicious combination of premium mango fruit and creamy coconut.

Silver medals for:

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – made with organic vanilla bean seeds & extract, a firm favourite with PURE followers.
Salted Caramel Ice Cream – stovetop caramel is combined with Marlborough flaky sea salt to produce this delicious taste collision.
Mānuka Honey & Fig Ice Cream – enjoy the natural benefits of Canterbury Mānuka Honey combined with the natural sweetness of slow cooked figs.
Kaffir Lime & Ginger Ice Cream - whole NZ organic kaffir lime leaves are hand-blended with ground ginger in our delicious ice cream base.
Boysenberry Gelato – Purely made from berries produced in the Bay of Plenty, this gelato has huge berry and cream flavours.

Bronze medals for:

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream – PURE-made hokey pokey is scattered through a golden syrup ice cream for this iconic Kiwi treat.
Roasted White & Dark Chocolate Ice Cream - white chocolate ice cream made with oven roasted and caramelised white Belgian Chocolate is folded with our Dark Chocolate ice cream producing a double chocolate flavour with a unique caramel twist.
Damson Plum Sorbet - Hawke’s Bay Damson Plums with their deep pink colour, silky smooth texture, natural sweetness with a hint of tartness, make this the perfect dairy-free indulgence.
Dark Belgian Chocolate Sorbet – made with 72% Belgian Callebaut Chocolate and premium cocoa - it’s hard to believe this full bodied sorbet is dairy-free.

Head over to our stockists page to find out where you can pick up your tub of award-winning PURE.

Overnight Cinnamon Buns with Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 22:31:44 GMT

Afternoon tea on a cold day doesn’t get any better. Whether you’ve managed to hit the slopes or been out for a good bike or hike, coming home to cinnamon buns with delicious Roasted White and Dark Chocolate ice cream is a real treat.

Recipe makes 12

225ml milk
1tbsp active dried yeast
90g+ 1tbsp sugar
550g strong white flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
75g butter, melted
1tsp salt

Filling

6tsp butter, room temp
180g soft brown sugar
2tbsp cinnamon

Maple Frosting

120g cream cheese
3tbsp butter, soft
75g icing sugar
1tbsp vanilla extract
4tbsp maple syrup
Pinch of salt

Method

Warm milk to finger temp, add yeast and 1 tbsp sugar. Rest for 5 mins
Put flour in a bowl with cinnamon and salt. In another bowl add 90g sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and melted butter. Combine and add to flour mix with milk. Mix until a dough forms.
Knead for 10 mins, till smooth and springy. Put in a lightly oiled bowl and cover for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Grease and line a tin.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface and form a rectangle 40 * 60cm. Spread filling of soft butter with mixed sugar and cinnamon over dough and press down.
Start at long edge and roll like a Swiss Roll. Cut into 12 pieces and place in tray and cover. Leave in fridge overnight.
Bring to room temp for 1hour and bake a 200/180°c for 20-25mins.
Combine all ingredients for frosting with a whisk and spread over buns while they are still warm.

Serve with PURE New Zealand Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Introducing Brian Thomas

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:21:00 GMT

Since 2018, Brian Thomas and Anna Howard have been the driving force behind PURE New Zealand Ice Cream and have seen the business go from strength to strength.

Already familiar with the brand, and established devotees of the product, Brian, his wife Linzi and Anna didn’t hesitate to seal the deal when the company appeared on the market in 2018. They became owners and stewards of the brand in September of that year. Brian and Anna, who run the business day-to-day, quickly identified PURE’s 3 brand pillars: Nothing Artificial - Ever; Intensely Delicious Flavours; and Leave only the Lightest Touch on the Environment. The recipe seems to have worked!

Read on to find out more about Brian and the success of PURE New Zealand Ice Cream...

Moving to Wanaka

Brian originally hails from the UK and married Linzi in 1990. He studied Management and Marketing at Leicester University and spent 16 years in the Royal Air Force, finishing up as a personnel and finance officer in his mid-thirties in 1997.

Having always wanted to backpack around the world, Linzi convinced Brian to spend 7 months on the road living out of a backpack on 25 US$ per day in 1998-99. After adventures across South America, New Zealand was the second stop on the itinerary. The couple shocked Dean, the Queens Street Backpackers Manager in Auckland, when they rented a Britz Camper through him and casually announced they were going to see the whole of NZ in 2 weeks!

Of course, they didn’t quite manage to see the whole of NZ – but they did take in many of God Zone’s finest sights, finding themselves in Wanaka in September 1998 drinking a “latte bowl” (remember those?) on the lakefront whilst seriously contemplating why they were commuting for up to 4 hours a day around London.

“As we moved on to Australia, China, Thailand, India and Nepal for the next 5 months, it became increasingly apparent that NZ and Wanaka had ruined the rest of our trip…. all we could think about was how we could return and make a living there.” Brian and Linzi returned to Wanaka 1999 and in two weeks bought land in the township, engaged a builder, trades and professionals and started work on an 8 guest room Boutique Lodge.

Building a business (and family)

Back in the UK and working for an Oxfordshire-based Precision Marketing firm to generate cash for the build, Brian managed the build with Linzi via email and a fledging World Wide Web. "The internet hadn’t yet seen the likes of Google and I remember building a crude website for the Lodge that could be picked up by search engines such as Lycos, Red Dog, Alta Vista and CompuServe. You could use programmes downloaded from the internet for a small USD$ fee to boost your rankings as there was no such thing as SEO or SEM.”

Google or no Google, the lodge was an instant success and was runner-up in the 2001 NZ Tourism Awards after only 12 months in operation. Children came along in 2002 and 2003 and the business was sold in 2003 to concentrate on the new family. In 2004, Brian and Linzi built and created another boutique tourist accommodation that achieved Qualmark 5 Star rating.

In 2006 Brian had begun to play a role in marketing a start-up marine accessories business, which went on to expand into the automotive accessories sector in markets in Europe and the USA – most notably winning a supplier contract with Scania in Sweden. With this business well established, Brian became a founding partner in an innovative marketing support company in 2010, picking up small-medium business clients from Invercargill to Auckland.

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream

In 2018, along came the opportunity to purchase PURE New Zealand Ice Cream! “We’re really proud that PURE’s Artisan Team has doubled since we took over the brand and they have won over 20 industry awards since 2018. And despite the headwinds brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging economic effects of the War in Europe, we’ve increased our NZ supermarket count to around 140, become the premium ice cream supplier to Domino’s nationally and have begun exporting PURE to Japan, where ice cream lovers in Tokyo are now enjoying PURE New Zealand Ice Cream.”

Brian’s role in the business encompasses everything that isn’t production and supply chain related, such as Finance, Marketing, Logistics, Business Development and Account Management - as well as tea and coffee making for the Production Team. And when needs must, Brian can be spotted on the dating machine, forklift or getting the milk in. But as much fun as this appears to be for him, the team generally agree that this should be left to the professionals whenever possible…

Outside his day jobs, Brian is a keen skier, boater, hunter and tramper with his wife and their 2 grown-up children who are now in tertiary education. He’s also a self-confessed news and current affairs junkie!

Our Dairy-Free Sorbets are also Outstanding

Tue, 31 May 2022 02:52:32 GMT

PURE, naturally delicious and handcrafted sorbets

At PURE New Zealand Ice Cream it’s our mission to produce PURE and naturally delicious, handcrafted ice cream and we are delighted to announce that our ice creams continue to win medals at the annual Outstanding New Zealand Food Producers Awards. In fact, our flavours have won an incredible 60 awards since 2011.

This year we chose to enter three dairy-free sorbets in the Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards. These awards celebrate Kiwis who harvest, grow and make food and drinks right here in New Zealand. Each year the judges have seen not only growth in the number of products entered, but also improved quality, making judging more and more challenging each year!

Our 2022 awards

Our Damson Plum sorbet, made with succulent Hawke’s Bay Damson Plums, was the judges’ favourite of the three sorbets and came away with a Silver Medal. The judges commented that this flavour will be the perfect sorbet for some (we tend to agree!). The deep pink colour, silky smooth texture and slightly tart flavour of this sorbet will fool you into thinking this is a premium ice cream... making it the perfect dairy-free indulgence!

Our runners-up were our Lime Sorbet and Chocolate Sorbet, both earning Bronze Medals. We have recently introduced both of these popular dairy-free sorbets into our 500ml range. Our deeply refreshing Lime Sorbet, made with organic lime juice from Hawke’s Bay, can be eaten as a palate cleanser, treat or dessert. And our Chocolate Sorbet will definitely not disappoint. Made with 72% Dark Belgian Callebaut Chocolate and Cocoa, this sorbet is hugely satisfying and is a perfect dairy-free alternative to premium dark chocolate ice cream.

Like all our ice creams, our sorbets are handcrafted with all natural ingredients. Our consumers and the judges at the Outstanding Food Awards recognise quality and naturally intense flavours and we are delighted to have come away with awards for all three of our entries. Our team would also like to congratulate the medal winners across all the categories.

Our certified dairy-free sorbets

Our certified dairy-free gelatos and sorbets are becoming increasingly popular, both in New Zealand and in Japan, with consumers looking for a lactose-free dessert and those looking for a satisfying treat without consuming more dairy.

If you are seeking a healthy, allergen-free, PURE and naturally delicious frozen treat - you can find a list of our stockists here .

We have 9 dairy-free gelato and sorbet options on offer, but for those who still love traditional ice creams – don’t worry, we’ll be continuing to develop this range too.

Chocolate Pavlova with fresh berries and Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 03:43:33 GMT

There's truly nothing like a pavlova for Christmas. This one with delicious berries and one of our favourite flavours is not to be missed!

If you are looking for some last minute inspiration, try this delicious Chocolate Pavlova (recipe from Nigella Lawson). We serve it 'deconstructed', which not only shows off this delicious dessert, allows for everyone to choose their toppings! Perfect for any summer evening! Enjoy...

Recipe
6 egg whites
300g caster sugar
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder, sieved
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
500g of raspberries and blueberries

Method
Preheat the oven to 180'C and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Sprinkle over the cocoa, vinegar and chopped chocolate. Then gently fold together until the cocoa is mixed in.

Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle, approximately 23cm in diameter, smoothing the sides and top.

Place in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 150'C. Cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top. When you press it, it should feel a little squidgy! Turn off the oven, open the door and let the meringue cool completely.

Serve with fresh berries, and of course PURE NZ Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream!

PURE Team Profile - Emmilee

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 19:01:09 GMT

Meet our Emmilee… or “Em”, as she’s affectionately known to the PURE Team. Em originally hails from Raglan and has taken quite an adventurous and interesting route from Wellington to PURE NZ Ice Cream in Wānaka.

After finishing her studies (Media Studies and Linguistics at Victoria University, Wellington), first up was Canada in 2012, where Em began following the winter seasons as a lift operator - first at Grouse Mountain in BC, then in 2013 at Panorama Mountain Resort. Em also found time in 2013 to offer her time and skills as a volunteer carer for children and adults with a range of special needs and disabilities at a respite camp in Iowa, where she had previously spent a gap year at Camp America.

Back in NZ, Em has had customer services roles for NZ Post and BNZ, before heading off again - this time to Japan in the winter of 2015 to work in ski resorts with English and Japanese speaking guests. Next up was Australia, where again Em operated lifts and offered first class customer service to resort guests.

Em has been practising Yoga since discovering the discipline in her teens. She loves the combination of the calming effects on the mind and how the physical side of the practise left her body feeling, so in 2016 she embarked on Yoga Training in Thailand.

Again, the call of the mountains drew Em to Cardrona Alpine resort in 2017 - now a seasoned lift operator and expert customer service representative; all the while, Em was quietly consolidating her yoga training and obtaining her level 3 and 4 NZQA certificates in Anatomy and Physiology – and starting training as a yoga therapist with Svastha Yoga in 2018.

In October 2018, an ad for a production assistant for PURE NZ Ice Cream in October 2018 took Em’s eye and she was hired in a heartbeat. Em brings all her skills as an empathetic hard worker, organiser and planner to the business every day; consequently, she has become the absolute mainstay of our Product Support and Dispatch operations.

Em recently became engaged to fiancée, James, and they have two rescue dogs – Orbit and Bronson. All three keep Em happily busy in her many outdoor and mountain adventures they enjoy together when she’s not at PURE or her Yoga Studio in Cromwell.

Kia Ora Em!

Now available in Japan

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 23:03:22 GMT

We are delighted to announce that PURE New Zealand Ice Cream is now available in Japan.

We announced earlier this year that PURE New Zealand Ice Cream was Tokyo bound ! We are delighted to be able to say that after lots of market access work and liaison with the importer and Japanese authorities our ice cream is now in demand in the Tokyo region and our importer is just as excited as we are!

You can read more about the Japanese market for ice cream in our previous blog . Below we wanted to share a little information about our importer, horizonfarms.jp , who like us, believes in natural food with a delicious flavour.

Horizon Farms

Our importer, Sam and his family, have over 10 years’ experience in the retail and meat industry in Japan. Their message is clear – they source all their meat and dairy products from local family farms and businesses that care. They believe in ethical farming, sustainability and quality. They source, ship, store and handle all the products under one roof and everything is traceable, from farm to table. Good farms mean better food.

At PURE New Zealand Ice Cream we also source our ingredients from local and carefully selected suppliers. From Nelson berryfruit, to Canterbury Manuka honey and Hawke’s Bay Citrus Fruit, as well as handmade inclusions such as Hokey Pokey and Salted Caramel - you can be sure that only the best produce available has been used to handcraft your serving of PURE Indulgence!

Our relationship with an importer in Japan with the same business values is certain to be PURE Success.

PURE Team Profile - Adele Holland

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 01:59:25 GMT

Adele is an immensely important part of our ice cream team. Find out what makes her so special, her extra talents and all about her exciting past cooking for the stars below…

Cooking for the stars...

Adele was born and raised in Romford, Essex in the UK and spent her secondary school years at New Hall Boarding school in Chelmsford, an old hunting lodge that belonged to Henry VIII. She loved tennis, rounders, skiing and cooking but photography was her real passion! After school Adele attended the renowned Leith’s School of Food and Wine in Kensington, London. After a few months she had already caught the attention of Dame Prue Leith (of ‘Great British Bake Off’ fame!) and was recruited by her to cook at the Royal Dart Yacht Club in Dartmouth, home of the Royal Naval College.

After Dartmouth Adele went to work for Angela Hartnett, a protégée of Gordon Ramsey, at her Restaurant, “Angela Hartnett at the Connaught”. In Adele’s own words she learnt tons working here!

From there she went to The Ivy, a restaurant popular with celebrities, and she brushed shoulders with the likes of Bob Geldof, the Beckhams and Kate Moss as well as learning her work ethic - 130 covers for lunch and up to 340 covers for dinner service regularly!

A change of scenery took her to the Globe Theatre Restaurant where she worked for 3 years to help build the restaurant business, the new bar and events scene. She then had the good fortune to hook up with 2 entrepreneurs who founded BistroTech - possibly the world’s first pop-up restaurant business. Adele worked with the Head Chef in the Benthal Green restaurant in E. London and then with many of the other pop-up restaurants around London, as needed. Here she found herself mixing with the arty crowd of the 90’s, such as fashion designer, Alexander McQueen and broadcaster, Janet Street-Porter CBE.

Back to the mountains...

In 2010, Adele finally got to enact her childhood dream and her first of 9 consecutive winters in Verbier. Cooking in Chalets by night – skiing and having resort fun by day. The most memorable moment was breaking her leg - stone cold sober, not on skis, but walking down the road and slipping on a discarded champagne bottle…. The next few years Del found herself returning to the UK in summer and working as Cook-at-Large across the BistroTech Group and as a Chalet cook in the winter in Verbier - until her last 4 winter seasons when she remained in Europe, hung out with friends and tramped until the next winter came along.

Whilst in Verbier Del was spotted by the family behind a global fast-food brand who took her on as their private chef – flying her around in their private jet as needed. This arrangement lasted until as recently as Christmas 2020-21 when Del was flown to their home in South Africa to be Christmas Cook for the family!

On one of her summers away from Europe, Del found NZ and made the break from Verbier to Cardrona in 2018. Del cooked with Cardrona Alpine Resort from 2018-2019 and joined PURE New Zealand Ice Cream in May 2019. She brought all her cooking skills and her unbelievable work ethic to bear and makes magnificent ice creams, sorbets and gelatos. In what is a very physical environment, with 25kg bags of sugar and 20kg pails of ingredient par for the course, she brings her culinary skills, hard work and energy to work every day – and sometimes at weekends!

But that’s not all. Del also uses her childhood passion for photography and is our very own in-house food photographer. She’s able to capture amazing images of our product…. aren’t we lucky?!

She has a great group of friends who, like her, enjoy the outdoors and tramping - so Del can be found at Mueller Hut, French Ridge Hut or on a Great Walk when she’s not making ice cream or taking amazing photographs.

We’re grateful to have you Del, you’re an absolute treasure!

Tokyo Bound

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 21:17:01 GMT

We have exciting news… PURE New Zealand Ice Cream is Tokyo bound. This week we will send our first shipment of ice cream to Japan and there is plenty of potential for a regular, on-going relationship with the importer.

How it all began

Our story begins a year ago when we were approached by a European importer living in Japan who had seen our success at the 2020 New Zealand Outstanding Food Producers Awards . Since then, we have been working hard on the relationship and products appropriate for the Japanese Market.

Along the way we have had some invaluable help: firstly, from Wanaka-based mentor, Mike Henderson, of Business Mentors New Zealand and who has helped us with strategy and tactics to support PURE New Zealand Ice Cream’s long-term growth; and secondly, from the NZTE team in Dunedin who have connected us with key people and resources and assisted us with the MPI regulatory process.

The Japanese ice cream market

The Japanese market is one of the fastest growing ice cream markets in the world and take home and bulk ice cream lead the way in their market growth. This is largely due to the increasing consumption of ice cream during the winter months – originally seen as a summer dessert and an impulse buy, there is a growing interest in eating ice cream at home, despite the snow falling outside! Japan also has some of the most interesting ice cream flavours. Traditional flavours include matcha, sweet potato, cherry blossom and brown tea, but if you are feeling adventurous you can try mayonnaise, seaweed or even garlic!!

In Japan ice cream is still a luxury product and small is best. Initially, we will be exporting our 500ml pack sizes. The Japanese are eager to try some Kiwi flavours so we will be exporting 5 of our most popular – vanilla bean, salted caramel, roasted white and dark chocolate, boysenberry gelato and berry fusion sorbet.

We can’t wait to see how the Japanese enjoy PURE New Zealand Ice Cream!

Outstanding Flavours

Tue, 25 May 2021 23:00:02 GMT

And it's not just us that thinks so!

We are undeniably very proud of our flavours. After all, we put a lot of time and effort into ensuring they are not only delicious, but that they are all natural too. In fact, it’s our mission to create the purest and most natural ice cream that delivers incredibly intense flavours.

And we are delighted to say that the New Zealand Outstanding Food producers think so too! Two of our most popular flavours have won awards again this year. Read on to find out more about how we make the flavours of our award winning PURE New Zealand Salted Caramel Ice Cream and our PURE New Zealand Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream so amazing!

How do we decide what makes a tasty ice cream flavour?
Our artisan kitchen team work hard to provide flavours that are unique . We use only natural products and handmake each and every batch. Provenance is important to us too, so we source as much locally produced ingredient as possible. Combine all this and you end up with an ice cream that is full of natural goodness, with flavours that are genuine and innately intense.

All natural…
Not only that, PURE New Zealand ice creams are truly Free of Artificial Preservatives, Emulsifiers, Stabilisers, Colours and Flavour Enhancers. This means that you can be sure that everything that goes into our ice creams is natural. We work with our suppliers to ensure that all our ingredients are of the highest quality. For example, our PURE New Zealand Salted Caramel Ice Cream contains PURE-made stovetop caramel that is sprinkled with New Zealand Marlborough flaky sea salt to create the delicious collision of flavours in the lightly salted caramel. No wonder the Outstanding Food Producers panel of judges think this flavour is worthy of a medal!

And for our PURE New Zealand Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, our other medal winner this year, we oven roast and caramelise Belgian Callebaut white chocolate, then fold this together with our award-winning Dark, 72% Belgian Callebaut Chocolate Ice Cream to create a swirl of unique white and dark chocolate flavours. The effect is a unique caramel twist with a visually arresting swirl, taking our Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream to the next level. The Outstanding Food Producers panel of judges found the chocolate a real highlight!

The judgment

The Outstanding Food Producers celebrates Kiwis who harvest, grow and make food and drinks right here in New Zealand. The judges access over 200 products each year and medals awarded are a guarantee of product quality. About 75% of the marks for the products are based on aroma, appearance, taste, texture and quality with the final 25% being about sustainability and brand story. Products winning these medals are truly outstanding. PURE New Zealand Ice Cream is stoked to say we have won 57 awards since 2011.

Where can I get my hands on this amazing ice cream and test it out for myself?

You can buy PURE New Zealand Ice Cream in all Farro Fresh stores and select Countdown stores, as well as Moore Wilsons, Fresh Choice and select New World and Raeward Fresh stores around New Zealand. Check out our full list of stockists here .

Rhubarb & Cinnamon Cake with PURE Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 23:00:39 GMT

Our Ice Cream Maker and Chef, Adele Holland, gets creative for autumn…

Adele Holland is a talented chef, as well as our Production Team Leader at PURE NZ Ice Cream. As the nights draw in, she's created a dream dessert combo that will top off any dinner on these slightly colder evenings as we roll into autumn. Enjoy...

Recipe
300g Dark, soft brown sugar, plus an extra 60g (for sprinkling at the end)
65g Unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Eggs
250g Plain yogurt
1 Cap vanilla extract
300g Sifted plain flour
1/4 Flat tea spoon cinnamon powder
1 Flat tea spoon bicarb of soda
Lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
250g Of cut and trimmed rhubarb (2cm pieces)

Method
Adele says grease and line your cake tin(s) per below and put your oven on fan bake at 170 degrees C.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale. Add 1 egg at a time - it should be well combined before adding the second egg. Stir in the yoghurt throughly.

Then add all the dry ingredients and the grated lemon zest. Fold together and then gently add the cut rhubarb to the mix.

Pour the mix into your lined tin, sprinkle the extra 60g of soft brown sugar evenly over the top of the cake.

Bake until the cake is cooked through - about 40 mins, but check with a skewer. If it comes out clean, it's ready.

A delicious autumn dessert, best eaten fresh with PURE NZ Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!

5 Suprising Health Benefits of Ice Cream

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:28:41 GMT

Did you know that New Zealand is the world’s largest consumer of ice cream per capita..?

We love ice cream! In fact, so does most of New Zealand. Did you know that New Zealand is the world’s largest consumer of ice cream per capita? It’s true. As Kiwis, we’re also lovers of the great outdoors and natural, wholesome food! After a long bike ride, hike or visit to the gym, it’s time to stop feeling guilty when you dig into a bowl of PURE New Zealand Ice Cream. Let’s look at some of the surprising health benefits of ice cream.

1. Loaded with vitamins and minerals

Ice cream’s main ingredient is milk. Milk and milk products contain a great balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates and are a good source of nutrients, including calcium, riboflavin, phosphorous, vitamins A and B12. Add to this the ingredients used to create the flavours and you often add more nutrition! For example, dark chocolate is loaded with iron, magnesium and zinc, especially if it contains over 70% cocoa, like the 72% dark chocolate used in PURE NZ Ice Cream. In fact, PURE NZ Ice Cream is packed with wholesome milk and our flavours are created using natural ingredients – that means no artificial additives and lots of pure vitamins and minerals.

2. Calcium helps strengthen your bones

Most of us know that calcium is good for our bones. Did you also know that the recommended daily intake of calcium for adults is 700mg . Calcium accounts for 1-2% of adult body weight and 99% of that is stored in our bones (the remaining 1% is found in our blood). Milk and milk products (including ice cream), along with green leafy vegetables and nuts, are great sources of calcium. By the way, to absorb calcium you also need vitamin D. We get most of our vitamin D from the action of the sun on our skin. What better excuse do you need for a bowl of ice cream on a warm sunny day?

There’s even better news about calcium. There is a growing body of research that suggests that calcium may help weight loss. A small study published in the Obesity Research Journal found that a calcium-rich diet enhances fat burning!

3. Stimulates the brain

A scientist at Kyorin University in Tokyo conducted a study to see whether an ice cream breakfast could stimulate the brain. The researcher compared a group of people who had ice cream with a group who had a glass of cold water first thing in the morning – the group who ate ice cream were much more alert. Ok, so there’s no information to say whether or not the water drinkers also had food to eat, so we should take this research with a pinch of salt… Having said that, according to a report by The Telegraph , Nutritional Psychology Doctoral Researcher, Katie Barfoot said, "Our brain needs glucose to function and a high-glucose meal will aid mental capacity considerably compared to a fasted brain”. We will leave that to you to decide!

4. Gives you energy

it’s a fact that ice cream contains lots of sugar - and sugar contains glucose, a key nutrient that provides our bodies with instant fuel. Sugar has a reputation of being unhealthy, but the truth is that a little sugar is not so bad. PURE New Zealand Ice Cream contains natural cane sugar, with no synthetic sugars or artificial additives. Feeling like you need some instant energy – go grab a small bowl of PURE!

5. Makes you happy

Ice cream, along with chocolate, is well known for helping when we might need a pick-me-up. We’ve all seen a movie where someone consoles themselves with a tub of ice cream. But did you know this is actually backed by science! Ice cream helps to produce Serotonin, a feel-good hormone. Neuroscientists at the Institute of Psychiatry in London scanned the brains of people eating vanilla ice cream and discovered that a spoonful lights up the same pleasure centre in the brain as winning money or listening to your favourite music!

Eat in moderation...

OK, so while eating a bowl of ice cream can have health benefits, going overboard can result in health problems. We do not advocate you eat only or too much ice cream; but since PURE is handcrafted and naturally delicious, we recommend that consumed as a part of a balanced diet, ice cream can only be good for you!

CHURNING SUCCESS

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 01:04:31 GMT

PURE Gold and Four Silvers in the 2020 NZICMA Awards...

In a year which many would describe as at best difficult, Wanaka-based PURE New Zealand Ice Cream continue to churn success as we reach our 55th award since we began creating our natural, hand crafted ice creams in 2009.

The 2020 NZ Ice Cream Manufacturers’ Awards announced their medallists this week and we've been awarded a coveted Gold Medal for our Boysenberry Gelato, as well as silver medals for another 4 of our top selling ice creams: Salted Caramel, Mascarpone Date and Orange, Roasted White and Dark Chocolate and the iconic Hokey Pokey.

Earlier this year, our Boysenberry Gelato was named Dairy Champion in the 2020 Outstanding NZ Food Producers’ Awards, where the Judges praised the gelato for its natural boysenberry flavour and creamy texture, complaining “…it’s difficult to resist”.

The Awards, owned and run by the NZ Ice Cream Manufacturers Association, have been held since 1997 and are in their 23rd year. It is New Zealand’s only national ice cream, gelato, sorbet and dairy-free frozen products competition. The NZ Ice Cream Awards benchmark the best in New Zealand and celebrate the local industry.

Ice cream, gelato, sorbet and dairy-free producers throughout New Zealand are encouraged to submit products for consideration with the assurance that judging is objective and transparent, conducted by an independent panel of food experts.

Director and our Head of Production at PURE, Anna Howard, says “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive recognition from our industry again this year. Each year we pit ourselves against all other producers in the sector and we are always humbled when the attention to detail and hard work of the our Team is recognised with medal success. National awards are also a great way to reassure consumers that they are choosing genuinely premium ice creams, gelatos and sorbets when they choose PURE”.

Best in Category is a pinnacle award and is announced at the NZICMA Awards Dinner at the Cordis in Auckland on the 4 November and will be attended by Anna. PURE NZ Ice Cream are also finalists in the Westpac Otago Business Awards in the Sustainability Category – Sustainability being a key brand pilar for PURE. The winner will be announced at the Awards Dinner in Dunedin on 13th November.

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream is available from supermarkets and food service businesses nationwide.

For more information - click here .

To vote for us in the People's Choice Awards - go here .

NEW TUB SIZE - NEW LOOK!

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 23:31:58 GMT

PURE Launches New 500ml Tub & Brand Look

PURE NEW Zealand Ice Cream have made the move to a 500ml tub for five of our popular flavours, to coincide with summer and Christmas. We've re-invigorated our brand too, bringing more emphasis on our purity, provenance and the truly handcrafted nature of our artisan ice creams, sorbets and gelatos.

The handy 500ml tub size will be available initially for the Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel, Roasted White and Dark Chocolate ice creams – as well as the Boysenberry and Berry Fusion Gelato and Sorbet. The new 500ml range will be carried by select Countdown stores nationally and Foodstuffs South Island stores from October.

All PURE’s products are certified gluten-free and peanut-free, our gelatos and sorbets are also certified dairy-free. And all our tubs and lids are 100% re-usable and recyclable... right here in NZ!

“Demand for premium, natural products such as ours has continued to grow this year, despite the challenging market conditions. We feel that by offering our range in the new 500ml tub, the lower entry price will mean even more ice cream-loving Kiwis and our visitors can have access to our brand,” says Brian Thomas, an Executive Director at PURE.

Click here for orders or more information.

Ultimate Boysenberry Ice Cream Pairing

Tue, 05 May 2020 23:40:22 GMT

Annabel Langbein's Ultimate Chocolate Brownie is a dream pairing for our Champion Boysenberry Ice Cream...

We take ice cream on its own, in a tub or in a cone; but ice cream is probably best when it's paired with something spectacular that showcases the ingredients and flavours of both.

So we've chosen Annabel Langbein's Ultimate Chocolate Brownie to pair with our Champion Boysenberry Ice Cream.

Annabel is one of NZ's most loved Celebrity Cooks, foodwriters and publishers and she's based in PURE New Zealand Ice Cream's lakeland hometown of Wānaka.

When asked what’s in this deliciously moreish brownie, Annabel says "...they’ll never guess my secret ingredient – dates. As well as making it extra-rich and moist, the dates make it a whole lot better for you than the everyday brownie, adding a healthy quotient of antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and essential nutrients such as iron. Some dates are much drier and harder than others so may take longer to soak and become soft."

On the other hand, there's no secret ingredient in our Boysenberry Ice Cream - just plump Nelson berry fruit with its natural antioxidant properties, fresh whole cream and cane sugar, all brought together to create a burst of creamy, intense berry flavour in the way only PURE can.

Lets' get down to it:

Prep time: 10 mins + standing | Cook time: 50 mins | Makes: 30 pieces

2 cups chopped dates
1 tsp baking soda
¾ cup boiling water
200g / 6½ oz finely diced butter, at room temperature
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups caster sugar / superfine sugar
1 cup dark cocoa, sifted
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
250g / 8 oz dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (I use Whittaker's 72% Cocoa Dark Ghana)

Preheat oven to 160°C / 325°F and line a 30cm x 24cm / 12 inch x 9 inch slice tin with baking paper.

Put dates in a large bowl, add baking soda and boiling water and stir to combine. Add finely diced butter and stir until melted. Leave to stand for 20 minutes.

Mash softened dates with a fork to break them up to a creamy consistency. Stir in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the sugar, then add the cocoa, flour and baking powder and stir until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.

Smooth into prepared tin and bake until it is set in the middle and begins to come away from the sides of the tin (about 50 minutes). Cool before cutting into squares. Stored in a sealed container it will keep for a couple of weeks.

Serving suggestion

When the Brownie is almost cool enough to eat, take out your Boysenberry Ice Cream and remove the lid to allow to soften for 3-5 minutes. The ice cream is naturally soft and creamy so don't over do it.

When the brownie is cool and the ice cream is just right, take your favourite china plate and a fork and pop one or two scoops of the Boysenberry Ice Cream on top of the brownie. Stand back and admire the deep magenta of the ice cream and leathery brown of the brownie and then begin to eat slowly, savouring this heavenly pairing...

For more information on our ice creams or for pairing suggestions, Contact us or Register Now for our news and specials.

PURE Named Diary Champion...

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 00:27:07 GMT

Pure New Zealand Ice Cream has been named Emerson's Dairy Champion in 2020 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.

At a time when kiwis are rediscovering home cookery, the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards announced its 2020 Champions today – the best of the country’s locally grown and made food and drink products.

Pure NZ Ice Cream, Boysenberry Ice Cream was named Emerson’s Dairy Champion . As is all the Pure NZ Ice Cream range, this ice cream is gluten and peanut free and made from ingredients which are locally sourced wherever possible - in this flavour, the boysenberries are from sunny Nelson. Judges praised the ice cream for its natural boysenberry flavour and creamy texture complaining ‘it’s difficult to resist’ .

Twenty-five judges and eight stewards worked in panels to assess a record 225 food and drink entries at AUT School of Hospitality & Tourism on Saturday 7 March 2020. Following the judges’ assessment of aroma, appearance, taste, texture and quality which accounted for 75% of marks, products were assessed for sustainability and brand story. Winning products will be recognised as they proudly wear Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Champion, Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals—a guarantee of product quality.

The PURE NZ Ice Creamery is located off Anderson Road in Wanaka Township and ships product daily via frozen distribution to retailers, wholesalers, tourism businesses and food businesses as far South as Invercargill and as far North as Auckland. Our products are available from Farro Fresh who are also a major ONZFPA sponsor, select Fresh Choice, New World and Raeward Fresh stores, as well as through Bidfood nationally and at a wide range of independent food service businesses. Contact us now for more details.

It's Official... We're Outstanding!

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 21:02:04 GMT

PURE Gold in the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream have won a Gold Medal for Boysenberry Ice Cream and a Silver Medal for Blackcurrant and Coconut Gelato in the 2020 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards. The results were announced today and our business owners, Anna Howard and Brian & Linzi Thomas, are thrilled with the recognition brought by these influential, annual awards .

The Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards , principally sponsored by NZ Life and Leisure Magazine, celebrate Kiwis who harvest, grow and make food and drinks. Each year a team of specialist judges assess around 200 products, awarding the best products with an Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Gold, Silver or Bronze Medal - giving Kiwi food lovers confidence they have found a delicious, locally made product. Gold Medal winning products, like PURE NZ Ice Cream, are eligible to win Champion and Special Awards.

Anna Howard is Head of Production and says, "I'm delighted for the PURE Team that we've received this recognition, as it really does require a team effort to produce outstanding foods. The ingredients list of our Boysenberry Ice Cream is really short! Boysenberries from sunny Nelson and full cream deliver a really intense, creamy berry flavour making it a natural winner. The fruit in the Blackcurrant and Coconut Gelato is also from Nelson, combined with premium coconut cream for a knock-out dairy-free treat."

PURE NZ Ice Cream has a strict philosophy of using 100% natural ingredients, nothing artificial whatsoever, and locally sourced wherever possible. "Sticking to this philosophy comes really naturally to us, and it means all our ice creams, gelatos and sorbets have deliciously intense flavours and colours. Consumers, retailers and hospitality value this point of difference with ordinary ice creams.", adds Anna.

The PURE Freezery is located off Anderson Road in Wanaka Township and ships product daily via frozen distribution to retailers, wholesalers, tourism businesses and food businesses as far South as Invercargill and as far North as Auckland. Our products are available from Farro Fresh and select Fresh Choice, New World and Raeward Fresh stores, as well as through Bidfood nationally and at a wide range of independent food service businesses. Contact us now for more details.

2019 NZICMA Award Success...

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 22:37:54 GMT

More awards scooped by PURE!

Wanaka’s PURE NEW Zealand Ice Cream scooped 4 new awards at the prestigious 2019 NZ Ice Cream Manufacturer’s Association Awards in Auckland in November.

The awards take place annually and were held this year at Auckland’s Grand Millennium Hotel, where over 300 flavours were entered from over 50 Members and non-members. PURE were awarded silver medals in the Premium Ice Cream Category for their Manuka Honey and Fig Ice Cream, the Open Creative Category for their Beetroot and Ginger Sorbet and the Sorbet Category for their Lime sorbet and Berry Fusion Sorbet.

Anna Howard, Director and our Head of PURE Production and says, “I’m enormously proud of what our Team is creating in our artisan kitchen in Wanaka, along with the distinctive flavour choices we make. It’s reassuring that we’re producing ice creams that are not only of the highest quality but are continuing to delight people.”

Brian Thomas, Director and our Business Manager, says, “We’re really pleased with our performance this year, particularly as the market is becoming increasingly competitive. It’s gratifying to know that the effort we put into creating genuinely super-premium ice creams with 100% natural ingredients continues to be recognised by our industry colleagues.”

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream are in our 10th year of operation, so have seen ice cream trends and industry players come and go, but PURE have managed to retain top tier status as one of only a small number of truly super-premium ice cream producers in NZ.

Now in the second year of ownership of the business, Anna and Brian attribute the continued success of the brand to a strict philosophy of the use all-natural ingredients and to having a well thought out environmental plan. As well as containing award winning ice cream, their tubs are designed to be sturdy and fully reusable and are made from materials that are 100% recyclable in New Zealand. “There’s a lot of confusion in the marketplace around what is and isn’t recyclable, and what is recyclable in NZ. Paper tubs with PET linings tubs are a prime example, as they look and feel environmentally friendly, but are not yet widely recyclable in New Zealand.”, said Anna. The business is keenly aware that Retailers and Ice cream consumers are becoming increasingly tuned in to the need to make smart food and packaging choices and that they are weighing these factors more and more when making purchasing decisions.

Our products are available nationwide at New World, Raeward Fresh, Bidfresh, Fresh Choice, Moore & Wilson and Farro Fresh, as well as at food service businesses supplied by Bidfood. For more information, Contact Us .

PURE Team Profile - Anna Howard

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 02:41:24 GMT

Anna Howard

About Anna

Behind every great brand is a dedicated, creative professional. Anna Howard, Ice Cream Maker In-Chief and Head of PURE Production, is exactly that person.

Anna was born and raised in Akaroa on Banks Peninsula, Southeast of Christchurch. She grew up on a small family farm where at meal times, every morsel on the plate had usually been grown or raised on the property. "My parents and our land have instilled in me a life-long love of natural, quality food" , says Anna.

It's no surprise that most of Anna’s professional history has been rooted in the food, beverage and hospitality industry. Anna studied Hospitality and Management, going on to work in a collection of successful restaurants and resorts in Sydney, Cairns, London, France and around New Zealand.

On returning to New Zealand, now with husband, Ross, Anna and partners opened and operated a Coffee & Bagel business in Christchurch’s iconic Cathedral Square. Its prime location, innovative branding and business model made it an instant success with locals and visitors. Having established the business, a growing family meant Anna took a step back from hospitality whilst Ross explored farming opportunities in Canterbury.

However, the Christchurch earthquakes lead to the loss of the family home, so the Howards gathered themselves up and moved South in search of a fresh start.

Ice Cream Heritage

Lake Wanaka and the pristine Mount Aspiring National Park that we are privileged to call our backyard are responsible for inspiring many an artisan and it got Anna reminiscing.... Anna's Grandfather, William Joseph Kenny, a fitter and turner by trade, came to NZ from the post-war UK Midlands in the late 1950's. His son John, Anna's Uncle, had the Papanui Milk Bar in 1963 and decided to buy an ice cream churn. John discovered that virtually all churns were imported either from Italy or the USA and when they discovered the price, they decided to jolly well make their own.

William and John had started an engineering company, Kenfol Engineering. "We made a prototype and installed it on loan to a supermarket in Brighton, where it worked quite well and enquiries came in to purchase them. We built 6 more and they were all sold before we finished. So we made a further 12 which were also sold before completion" says John. They then set about building 27 machines (amounting to all the parts available at the time) and had a small assembly line in place, when a visitor to the factory announced that he wanted to buy 100 machines. He offered one third deposit, one third at the halfway build point and the final third before delivery. The deal was conditional on the pair selling them only to his company. The visitor turned out to be the manager of a new company being set up by General Foods (at the time, the biggest ice cream manufacture in NZ) and the company they were setting up was a certain 'Mr Whippy'.

Even back then, to use the term 'ice cream', the product had to have a milk fat content of at least 10%. Mr Whippy used a product made from a milk powder which had less than 10% milk fat, so they cleverly branded the product 'Snowfreeze'. Many stores also wanted to sell Snowfreeze - and now of course, General Foods had the sole agency for the churns. So they proceeded to install them all across NZ, with John holding the contract to install them. "Our agreement was never reduced to writing, only a handshake, which was honoured by all of us for quite a few years" says John.

With her ice cream heritage a matter of history, becoming involved in the industry seems to have been pre-ordained for Anna...

Nearly 60 years on from her Grandfather's and Uncle's pioneer exploits, Anna is now the brains and much of the elbow grease behind a busy, creative freezery nestled off the beaten track in the Lake Wanaka Township. Commercial neighbours and passers-by are mystified by the constant stream of supply trucks heading in and freezer trucks heading out, as there is no overt branding to give away what's going on at 78 Anderson Road, Wanaka.

Anna's focus is always twofold: to never deviate from and to continue to enhance PURE's philosophy of make truly outstanding ice cream, free of any artificial additives and full of goodness and flavour; and to make sure her PURE Team have fun making ice cream and are able to achieve growth and their personal objectives whilst at work.

If you want to talk to Anna about PURE New Zealand Ice Cream, or anything connected to genuinely good food and drink, feel free to call her on +64 3 443 7792 click here to message her.

PURE Team Profile - Rachel Scott Wilson

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 22:58:17 GMT

Rachel Scott-Wilson

Being a competitive Otago Women's Rugby player and certified Sports and Management Coach has been a definite advantage for PURE NZ Ice Cream Maker, Rachel Scott-Wilson. Those who know the ice cream business will have an insight into how physical the job can be. Whether it's handling an 18 Kg pale of ice cream mix or loading pallets into the frozen distribution truck, Rachel brings it like a pro all day every day. She also leads the team like she does on the sports field - with success and a focus on the group front of mind!

Rachel has a Bachelor Degree in Consumer Food Science, with experience in the food and beverage industry as far afield as Melbourne and as locally as Central Otago. Her skills in Research and Analysis and Food Quality and Safety Management make her an incredibly valuable asset for us at PURE.

"I really like hand-filling the ice creams into our transparent 1 litre tubs. I see it as a kind of art-form, showcasing the ingredients for the consumer - like folding in the delicious swirls of blackcurrant or mango into the contrasting creamy white coconut base. I can do 200-300 tubs and never really notice the time pass because I'm so focussed on each tub. I also love the fact that we make everything from scratch, with no fillers or flavours - that's pretty cool!"

Rachel recently married her husband, Henry, and they are expecting their first baby in the spring. We'll miss her whilst she's away on her maternity leave which starts later this month, and we'll be happy to welcome her back in the summer. If we're really lucky, we may see bubba on the odd day too...

5 Good Reasons to Eat Natural Foods

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 23:59:23 GMT

Natural ingredients are not just better for you and taste better, there are other great benefits too...

Why eat natural food?

Natural food ingredients are a passion and a bottom line for PURE NZ Ice Cream. But with all the shortcuts and cost-savings available in today's food industry via processed ingredients, artificial additives, thickeners and colourings, why invest the time and money in sourcing real food and creating natural food products?

We've thought of 5 good reasons why we do what we do.

Number 1: Hug a Farmer

You're giving a farmer a hug by choosing their natural produce over lab produced food science products. Agriculture is the largest sector of the tradable economy in New Zealand, so everyone from the berry farmer in Blenheim, to the Beekeeper in Canterbury - to the ice cream lover in Kaitaia benefits if this sector remains vibrant and innovative.

Number 2: Intensity of Flavour

Natural ingredients are rich in nutrients and colour, offering up more natural, intense flavours than their synthetic counterparts.

Number 3: Heart Healthy

Natural ingredients are Heart-Healthy, as they are loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that support good heart health, including magnesium and healthy fats. Eating a diet rich in nutritious, unprocessed foods may also help reduce inflammation, which is believed to be one of the major causes of heart disease.

Number 4: Higher in Fibre

Natural ingredients are higher in Fibre, helping you feel more sated with fewer calories, as well as aiding digestion and metabolic health.

Number 5: Rich in Antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds that help fight free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage your body's cells. They are found in all real food ingredients, especially colourful fruits and berries.

PURE Commitment to Natural Food

At PURE New Zealand Ice Cream, we're dedicated to using carefully selected, natural ingredients so you can be sure that every serve of PURE indulgence has NO E-numbers, artificial additives, thickeners, flavours or colourings.

It's a good idea to check the ingredients on all food packaging before you make a decision to purchase, as everything isn't always what it seems and everything certainly isn't PURE...

To find out more about PURE New Zealand Ice Cream's commitment to natural ingredients contact us or call us on +64 3 443 7792.

Food Packaging - Both Sides of the Debate...

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 02:37:59 GMT

"Good food packaging reduces waste. Responsible reuse and recycling reduces litter and landfill..."

Why package food in the first place?

For good reason, there's a lot of discussion around sustainable food packaging. Like most food products, PURE New Zealand Ice Cream relies on packaging so we are keen to be responsible and to be a part of the solution to bad environmental practices in the industry.

The overarching purpose of any type of food packaging - whether paper, plastic, metal or glass - is to protect the food and to keep it safe in storage, transit and distribution. By doing this, waste and spoil is dramatically reduced and the product arrives safe for the consumer to eat.

Another important purpose of packaging is to provide a platform for branding and information, such as ingredients, dietary information, storage instructions and best by date, etc.

Plastic food packaging - Good or Bad?

Put bluntly, plastic food packaging can be both good and bad!

On the plus side, there are clear benefits, such as the ability of certain plastics to endure extreme conditions and resist degradation in hot and cold temperatures. This is good because it preserves the safety and integrity of the food inside it. It also serves to protect your food from unwanted moisture, oxygen, dirt, UV and odours. Well designed plastic packaging can be reused, so it can take on another life after it has stopped storing your food and therefore stays out of recycling and landfill.

An example of good reusable packaging are the technical 1lt, 500ml and 110ml tubs developed by PURE New Zealand Ice Cream. We utilise plastic tubs and rim lock lids made from No. 5 Polypropylene - one of the most versatile plastics in use and 100% recyclable right here in NZ! The clear tubs serve to showcase our PURE ingredients and the dramatic, natural colours of our ice creams, whilst keeping them safe and good to consume. Our tubs are microwave safe, impact resistant and rated for ultra-low temperatures. So not only can the tub beautifully preserve your ice cream until you're ready to eat it, you can use the container to heat food or to freeze soups, stocks and stews, etc. The container is also sturdy enough store those screws, nuts, bolts and nails in the garage. Or maybe use it as a lunch box for the kids, instead of the trendy plasticware that is often flimsy and expensive to replace?

We have invested in easy-peel, recyclable labels for our 5lt food service tubs. This means that our consumers and food service partners can easily and cleanly remove the labels and reuse these valuable containers until they are finally recycled in NZ.

On the bad side, some plastic food packaging is what most of us have come to know as single use , i.e. it is intended to be used only once before being thrown away as it cannot be easily recycled. These include, among other items: grocery bags, chip packets, food and drink pouches, straws and foil lids. Only around 10% of plastics ever produced have been recycled, so it's much better if plastics have multiple uses. And recycled materials such as plastics are a commodity so when demand for them is low even recyclable plastic can find its way into landfill. So reuse and up-cycling is definitely a great way to go.

Paper food packaging - Panacea or Problem?

The demand for and benefits of paper-based packaging are now well understood. The material has an excellent environmental record and has a justifiable buzz around it as we struggle with global environmental issues. On average, corrugated outer boxes manufactured in leading OECD nations can contain around 70% of recycled fibre and once used are easy to recycle. In countries like the UK, the collection of packaging is highly successful, with over 80% recovered for recycling. This astonishingly high rate prevents an area of paperboard the size of Greater London from going to landfill.. every 4 months!

When it comes to using paper in directly packaging food (i.e. next to the food itself), there are still clear benefits and many consumers express a clear preference to have their food products sold to them in paper packaging. But there are downside factors which are often overlooked or misunderstood...

Many manufacturers promote use of paper food packaging next to their products as a responsible environmental step and are justified in doing so, as many utilise relatively unadulterated recyclable paper and paperboard in the packaging. However, certain foods like ice cream, require a moisture barrier to keep them safe and good to eat, so the paper is lined with polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

It might come as a surprise to learn that PET lined paper packaging generally isn't recyclable. After all, it's mostly made of recyclable paper, right? And PET itself is recyclable too, right? While on the whole these statements are true, it’s the method of assembly that renders it un-recyclable, as the layers become integrated at the point of contact, meaning they can't be separated and recycled. So, despite the fact that you carefully placed that PET lined paper food packaging into your recycling bin - it's into the landfill stream it goes when it arrives at the sorting depot!

Some packaging manufacturers have taken the responsible step of setting up the collection of used PET lined paper packaging and establishing their own, specialist recycling facilities. PURE New Zealand Ice Cream is working with one such company and has developed a range of 110 ml packaging in regions where our used paper tubs can and will be recycled.

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream is a responsible and ethical food producer and was a finalist in the 2020 Westpac Otago Business Awards for Business Sustainability, and is also a member of the NZ Ice Cream Manufacturer's Association.

For more details contact us or call us on +64 3 443 7792.

This article is included in Twinkl's Eco-Friendly and Sustainability campaign and is part of their article Some great ideas to be more sustainable in 2021 .

pure-nz-ice-cream

Where artisan beats chemistry

Real ingredients

Why natural tastes stronger ﻿

It’s not just ice cream

Natural flavour can take you places

Real natural ingredients beat chemistry every time ﻿

Crafting flavour naturally

Multiple Medals at the 2025 NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards!

We’re thrilled to share that PURE New Zealand Ice Cream has once again shone at the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards, bringing home two Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals across a range of flavours.

Our 2025 Medal-Winning Flavours

Celebrating Craft & Creativity

It’s a Kiwi Classic, but what’s the story behind Hokey Pokey Ice Cream?

So what exactly is Hokey Pokey?

Origins in the 1950s

The Name Game

A Global and Local Favourite

Tiramisu takes Gold at Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards

The Sweet Journey to Gold

Why This Flavour Stands Out

Where to Get Your Tub

﻿

2 Gold Medals at the 2024 NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards

Our Medals

About the awards

Anything but plain

With so many exciting and trendy flavours of ice cream available, vanilla is often viewed as the underdog - somewhat middle of the road and predictable – often on the menu to accompany a delicious dessert.

Did you know…

Silver at the Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards 2024

The awards

Another huge scoop at the NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards | Sorbet Wins Gold

The 2023 results are out and we are delighted to announce that our Dark Belgian Chocolate Sorbet has won Gold!

Bread and Cinnamon Butter Pudding with PURE New Zealand Hokey Pokey Ice Cream

PURE New Zealand Hokey Pokey Ice Cream is the perfect accompaniment to Bread and Cinnamon Butter Pudding. This delicious recipe has been created by Outstanding Food Producers Judge, Kathy Patterson.

Why does ice cream make you happy

Endorphins

Positive Memories

Comfort Food

Let’s not forget the sugar

Why does ice cream make you happy?

More Gold for Gelato …

Our 2023 award

Our certified dairy-free sorbets

Spice up your ice cream!

At PURE New Zealand Ice Cream we are, naturally, big ice cream fans! And while our intensely delicious flavours are sensational by themselves, we love to find ways for PURE lovers to enjoy more. If you're looking for more ways to enjoy PURE, then take a look at some of these scrumptious ideas.

Add some crunch

Mix with some fruit

Make an Affogato

Add some kick

Layered Ice Cream Cake

Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich

Celebration Lemon Cake with PURE Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Recipe serves 8-10

Lemon syrup

Lemon filling

Method

To decorate and serve

Homemade Lemon Curd

Biggest Scoop Ever

The NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards results are out... And we are delighted to announce that we have achieved our biggest scoop ever - a Category Champion and a total of 12 medals!

Mango & Coconut Gelato - Category Champion

Our 2022 Award-Winning Ice Creams

Overnight Cinnamon Buns with Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Afternoon tea on a cold day doesn’t get any better. Whether you’ve managed to hit the slopes or been out for a good bike or hike, coming home to cinnamon buns with delicious Roasted White and Dark Chocolate ice cream is a real treat.

Recipe makes 12

Filling

Maple Frosting

Method

Introducing Brian Thomas

Since 2018, Brian Thomas and Anna Howard have been the driving force behind PURE New Zealand Ice Cream and have seen the business go from strength to strength.

Moving to Wanaka

Building a business (and family)

PURE New Zealand Ice Cream

Our Dairy-Free Sorbets are also Outstanding

PURE, naturally delicious and handcrafted sorbets

Our 2022 awards

Our certified dairy-free sorbets

Chocolate Pavlova with fresh berries and Roasted White and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

There's truly nothing like a pavlova for Christmas. This one with delicious berries and one of our favourite flavours is not to be missed!

PURE Team Profile - Emmilee

Why natural tastes stronger

Real natural ingredients beat chemistry every time