One Nelson-based brand of cider is turning what could have been a devastating event into a tasty opportunity.
When a hailstorm damaged hundreds of export quality Fuji apples in Motueka last year, Māori owned Nelson cider brand Tutū leapt at the chance to turn them into a brand-new cider.
One of the brands owned by food and drinks company Kono, Tutū Cider is another product in its portfolio that celebrates hihiritanga – or doing things better.
“Hailstorms can turn apples into mush or into the world’s best cider and we opted for the latter. Utilising rescue fruit from our orchard also feeds into our broader sustainability journey, which will see Tutū Cider and Kono be waste-free by 2028,” Tutū Cider spokesperson Rōpata Taylor says.
“The purpose of Kono is to preserve and enhance our taonga for the benefit of current and future generations. We’ve been gardeners in Motueka for a long time, nourishing the community around us and always working in harmony with the environment but we’ve never lost sight of having fun along the way. In rain or in sunshine, life is full of beauty and Tutū is proof of our commitment to working with the environment and with what nature gives us.”
“We know that there will always be storms. The hau, or essence of Tutū isn’t about waiting for a storm to pass, sometimes it’s about dancing in the rain.”
