Trail 3

NEW PLYMOUTH 

[View Trail Photos Here]

Hop on a minivan and visit...

Knead Artisan Donuts

Knead’s sell-out artisan donuts are the talk of the town in New Plymouth and for a very good reason.  Only available three days a week from Thursday to Saturday with flavours rotating every week,  there is always something to tempt your taste buds - from the classic ring ganache smothered donuts or ones filled with to the brim with cream, custard or other delicious flavours.  Ashleigh and Kate are the second owners of this highly popular bakery.   During this visit you will hear their story about starting off working in the bakery to taking the big step to buy the business together, as well as their future plans to build on Knead’s current success.  

And we're sure you won't be able to resist leaving without a donut or six!

Juno Gin

Juno is the handiwork of husband-and-wife duo Jo and Dave James.  They met at primary school in New Plymouth and six years ago, this unassuming couple, left their careers and combined their science backgrounds and passion for gin to start dreaming and experimenting crafting their ideal gin.  Along with the success of their multi-award winning gins, they have recently expanded their distillery to include a beautiful Cellar Door where they offer tastings and cocktail events.  Jo and Dave will love to welcome you into their opulent Cellar Door tasting room and give you a tour of their distillery. The will also fill you in on the production process and their love for gin and of course provide you with a tasting of their exquisite gins, explaining the different aromatics used to create each variation.

South Seas Icecream

The journey of the South Seas Ice Cream Company was born from the chance encounter of Sean and his Italian wife, Paola, in a London bar.  Their beautiful love story unfolded, guiding them to move to Italy.  It was there that Sean's love for Italian gelato ignited. This passion led him to get a qualification as a gelato maker through the renowned Carpigiani Gelato University.  However, life's trajectory led Sean down a different path, as it often can, keeping him in his career as an engineer for many years.  It wasn't until after a life-changing move to the paradise shores of New Zealand that Sean decided to embark on a new adventure.  This remarkable odyssey would finally allow him to live out his long-time dream of crafting gelato and creating the South Seas Ice Cream Company. ​Sean's passion and mastery for crafting gelato and sorbets has resulted in a range of superb flavours using local ingredients wherever possible.  A surprise favourite would have to be the lavendar gelato!

IncaFé Organic Coffee Roasters

Award winning and a sustainable focused business, IncaFé Organic Coffee, is roasted in New Zealand’s first Toitū carboNZero certified roastery in New Plymouth and packaged in compostable bags.  IncaFé Organic Coffee is the ultimate blend of quality and sustainability with co-founders Carmen and Joop also putting great emphasis on fairtrade and supply chain transparency.   They source their beans directly from remote plantations in South America and Indonesia and pay above market rates for quality.   When travel allows, it is important to them to visit their plantations and keep a close relationship with their growers.  They will tell you a good few stories about their visits and 'adventures'(!) while travelling and you'll get a great insight into how their core values and dedication to 'doing things the right way' has lead to this local business competing in the global coffee market and becoming a leading supplier of quality coffee to cafés around New Zealand.  This certainly is an inspiring and uplifting story.  They will of course also provide you all with a delicious coffee to sip on while taking a tour around their roastery.

Lunch Venue and Producer - Meat to You 

Shane and Kylie McDonald have been farming for many years and recognise the importance of taking good care of their livestock from day one.  Their motivation stems from breeding their own top quality stock and feeling the frustration of the limited opportunities to take their product directly to the consumer.  They have worked hard to minimise the stress on the animal by providing a calm and relaxed environment throughout their time on the farm, avoiding long-distance transportation in meat trucks and avoiding the anxiety caused by processing plants.  By adhering to these practices, they guarantee meat of a superior taste and exceptional quality in their meat boxes, which you can order online, rivalling even the renowned Wagyu beef.   Each packet of meat has traceability to the farm where is was raised and cared for.

As well as their online shop, for easy access they have now set up a café and shop where not only can you buy their product but also buy a delicious lunch where their meat is often the hero. 

As well as hearing their inspiring story from this innovative couple, you will also enjoy lunch here cooked by their chef operarting out of their speciality food kitchen, Field To Fork.