Cookie Time has just won two medals in the New Zealand Ice Cream Association Awards, further boosting its new product’s export appeal.
The company, which opened its flagship store in Queenstown in 2010, won gold medals in ‘new to market’ and ‘novelty ice cream’ for its Original Cookie Sandwich, and silver medals in the same categories for its plant-based Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Sandwich.
Launched in March, the product pairs the cookies with either Appleby ice cream or chocolate frozen dessert.
Cookie Time managing director Guy Pope-Mayell, of Queenstown, says they’re exploring exporting the cookies to more than 20 international markets, and the cookie sandwich is gaining ‘‘huge interest’’ as an export opportunity in a ‘‘second treat category’’.
Appleby Farms executive director Kristy Giles says the medals are a significant achievement.
‘‘The NZ Ice Cream Association Awards are coveted, and the novelty category is only two years old.
‘‘For cookie sandwiches to take out gold and silver in this category is testament to an incredibly successful product launch with a great team and lets everyone know that Appleby Farms and Cookie Time have the capability to compete in the novelty ice cream market,’’ she says.
Gold-medal winners are also in the mix for a ‘category trophy’.
That will be announced at an industry function on Thursday.
