A new soft drink brand using honey from Great Barrier Island is making its debut at the Auckland Food Show this week, with plans to roll out nationwide.
Barrier Buzz is the first product from the locally owned Aotea Company, led by Bayard Sinnema, a Barrier resident with more than 20 years’ experience in the fast-moving consumer goods sector across New Zealand, Australia and Asia. His wife, Leanne Eloff, is principal of Kaitoke School. The company has engaged several locals, including members of mana whenua.
Did you know?
Great Barrier Island is home to a growing number of locally rooted brands making waves beyond the motu.
Island Gin – Distilled off‑the‑grid in a solar-powered studio at the north end of Medlands, this award‑winning gin uses mānuka and bush honey from the island and is bottled in recycled glass crafted in NZ, with a kina-inspired design.
The drinks — ginger beer, cola, and lemonade — are made with mānuka honey sourced from the island, though they’re bottled on the mainland. The soda is sold in 330ml glass bottles and the labelling features a silhouette of Great Barrier Island’s topography alongside the iconic Barrier Air Grand Caravan aircraft.
Barrier Buzz is marketed as being free from refined sugars and artificial ingredients, with the tagline “wild Aotea in a bottle.” It is expected to be the first in a wider range of Aotea-inspired products. Two more lines are already in development: Aotea Sea Salts, a hand-harvested artisan salt, and Stumpy & Chop, a sustainable firewood packaging brand.
Barrier Buzz is available now online and at selected retailers.
