Judges of the 13th annual Sydney Royal’s President’s Medal will visit Wingham on Tuesday, December 4 to assess medal finalist NH Foods’ Manning Valley… Naturally Beef.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After almost 5500 entries and over half a year of competition, the search for Sydney Royal’s President’s Medallist for 2019 is down to six outstanding finalists from across Australia and this week its judges will conduct site tours at each.
The ultimate award in agricultural excellence and innovation, President’s Medal is judged on a business’ overall social, environmental and commercial integrity, the triple bottom line.
The President’s Medal is the pinnacle of the Sydney Royal Wine, Dairy and Fine Food competitions across the calendar year, with the winner recognised as the ‘best of the best’ in Australian food or wine production.
The search for the 2019 President’s Medallist began in January this year with the staging of the Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Show and culminated in September with judging of the Sydney Royal Spring Fine Food classes.
The President’s Medal finalists are drawn from the entries judged to be champions from their individual classes during the various Sydney Royal Wine, Dairy and Fine Food competitions.
The champions are decided by judges from amongst the gold medal winners in each competition.
The six President’s Medal finalists for 2019 are:
- NH Foods Australia – Manning Valley Naturally Beef: NH Foods is one of Australia’s largest beef producers and the largest non-government employer in the Manning Valley on the NSW Mid North Coast. As a global supplier, NH foods aims to showcase regional Australian produce to the rest of the world and maintain ‘traceability’ of its products.
- Meredith Dairy – Marinated Feta, Sheep Goat Blend: A family enterprise from Meredith, Victoria and the town’s biggest private employer, Meredith Dairy has a strong focus on local community development and agricultural innovation within the dairy industry. Alongside producing highly regarded products, Meredith Dairy is constantly looking into sustainable farming practices and innovative manufacturing such as using liquid nitrogen to cool its cheese.
- Accolade Wines, House of Arras – Grand Vintage 2008: House of Arras began in 1995 as a producer of fine sparkling wine out of Tasmania. Since then then the company has continued to flourish and make its mark on the industry worldwide, particularly through its sustainability methods. To ensure the longevity of the business and support local farmers, House of Arras has developed and implemented ‘safe grape programs’ for its products and producers, ensuring appropriate agricultural practices and chemical use. House of Arras also looks to build its community by supporting local organisations and engaging in local partnerships.
- Two Rivers Wines – 2013 Stone’s Throw Semillon: Starting out 30 years ago in the Hunter Valley as a supplying of fruit to winemakers, the decision was made in the 2000’s to transform the company into a fully integrated Wine making concern. A multiple champion at the 2018 KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show for its semillon. Staunch advocates of sustainable environmental and agricultural practices, Two Rivers Wines is proud of its role in the Hunter Valley being declared a Critical Industry Cluster for viticulture.
- Tathra Oysters – Nelson Lake Premium Grade Oysters: Famous for its multi-award winning Sydney Rock Oysters, Tathra Oysters is also a former President’s Medal finalist along with Meredith Dairy and House of Arras. Tathra Oysters, based on the Nelson Lake Estuary on the NSW South Coast proudly boasts a perfect 64 medals from 64 entries in the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show since oysters were first judged in competition in 2001.
- Staple Bread – Staple Classic Sourdough: Staple Bread is a paddock to plate Sydney-based producer (Seaforth). The company prides itself on utilising local and ethical supplies to make all its products, ensuring quality and sustainability for local agriculture. Staple bread rotates produce based on season to ensure support of local farmers.
The President’s Medal winner is announced at a gala dinner during the Sydney Royal Easter Show and follows an exhaustive on-site audit by judges studying the business’ financial viability as well as its environmentally sustainable practices.