The Hive Awards 2024 has recognised and celebrated some of the country's most innovative food and beverage companies and operators. The awards were presented yesterday at The Everleigh, Sydney, to a room buzzing with excitement and anticipation.
BEST INGREDIENT AWARD: Australian Plant Proteins
The first company in Australia to develop and commercialise a plant protein isolate powder.
BEST PROCESSING AWARD: East Forged
East Forged created a new way to enjoy tea, infusing cold brew tea with nitrogen and CO2 to create its Cold Brew Nitro Tea.
BEST PACKAGING AWARD: George Weston Foods (Don Smallgoods)
Don developed a resealable flow wrap pack that sets a new standard for the smallgoods industry. It has reduced plastic waste by 50-70 per cent, uses 50 per cent less energy to produce, uses 50 per cent less plastic than its current packaging, and 69 per cent less than competitors.
BEST NPD AWARD: Perfection Fresh
Perfection Fresh’s Perfection Air Fryer Veggie Kits are a unique offering in the fresh produce section, providing consumers with new and interesting ways to increase their vegetable intake while also tapping into the air fryer trend.
LOCAL MANUFACTURING: Openway Food Co
Openway Food Co was established to bring small Australian businesses under a single platform where they could share resources and foster growth in the health and wellness sector.
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD (HEADCOUNT >75): The Dinner Ladies
From two friends in a domestic kitchen, to a medium sized enterprise, The Dinner Ladies have managed to maintain the quality and taste of its meals and the culture of the organisation.
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD (HEADCOUNT <75): Kommunity Brew
From a garden shed in 2015, Kommunity Brew is a trailblazing functional beverage company with a culture of innovation, inclusion, sustainability, and relationships that permeates everything it does.
RISING STAR: Compassion Creamery
Sara Qian’s Compassion Creamery Oat Crème Cheese is a game changer in the vegan cheese market. With immense determination, persistence, and unfailing commitment to quality, Sara has already had a significant impact on the market.
GAMECHANGER: OzHarvest Ventures and Kakadu Kitchen
This unique collaboration developed the Conscious Drink, a lightly sparkling zero-alcohol wine alternative that transcends traditional categories and champions a kinder, less wasteful world that empowers Indigenous communities.
THE GOLDEN HIVE: Kommunity Brew
Across every aspect of its business, Kommunity Brew reflects the excellence and innovation the industry is capable of. From a garden shed in 2015 to today, a new brewery made from recycled and reclaimed materials, sustainability embedded in all it does, engagement with CSIRO and universities to drive its research and strategic planning, investment in technology to foster growth and mitigate vulnerabilities, an enviable workplace culture, and constant new product testing and development to guarantee growth all lend themselves to creating a very special company.
