Taakawa Information
New Zealand's First Indigenous Beverage – TaaKawa Ale
Vision Statement
To place TaaKawa competitively at the top of the National and the International market.
Mission Statement
To develop and market a unique range of beverages derived from New Zealand's indigenous herbs and spices.
The
Waituna Brewing Company Limited has concentrated its energies on producing an indigenous ale – TaaKawa – which incorporates the KawaKawa herb into a beer, based on a recipe developed in conjunction with Crop & Food Research Institute
Limited.
With regular trips from Palmerston North to the Otahuhu Steam Brewing Company in Auckland, Bruce and Simon supply the Kawakawa leaves and Waituna spring water to make up the brew.
The leaves are picked in a particular way to sustain and preserve the Kawakawa herb for future use.
The Steam Brewing Company who have won numerous awards, brews TaaKawa under contract. The beer produced has a golden color, with a
smooth and slightly sweet taste, a beer that it is truly uniquely New Zealand.
TaaKawa can be regarded as the first truly indigenous beer produced in New Zealand.
The Kawakawa plant traditional use by Maori
The KawaKawa plant thrives in the Aotearoa climate and is readily available all year round.
As a plant it is used by Maori and Pakeha, and many indigenous peoples in the Pacific Islands as a very special healing herb.
The Irish have their Guinness, Russians-Vodka, Japanese-Sake, and now Aotearoa and Kiwis have TaaKawa Ale!
