New Zealand’s dry-wine industry has become a global phenomenon.
The industry, which started as a hobby in the 1960s, has become so big it is worth nearly $1bn.
What started as simple, cheap, and quick to make has now become one of the worlds largest producers.
The company that invented the dry-winemaking process is now known as Pepperidge Farm.
Its founder, James Pepperidge, started selling farm cookies in the late 1940s.
He was a young lawyer, but as he grew older he realised that his passion for producing good, affordable, and healthy farm products was worth more than a career in law.
In 1962 he moved to the US, where he became a successful lawyer, with a keen interest in dry-wine making.
Pepperidge and his wife Jane moved to Florida in the 1970s, but were shocked to discover that they were on a farm.
“I was looking for something to do with my daughters,” he told the BBC.
When they arrived, they were told they were looking at a small, one-room cottage with only a few chairs.
So he and Jane decided to start their own business.
The next year they were awarded a contract to produce honey, but they didn’t get any of the honey they had paid for.
They decided to create a business, with the aim of selling their products to customers around the world.
After a decade of hard work, they began to produce a range of wines and the first commercially available farm wines.
Today, Pepperidge Farms has grown to over 400 farms, with around 300,000 tonnes of dry wine produced annually.
“We don’t make our own wine because we can’t afford it, we make ours from a combination of the grapes and other ingredients in the farm, but we also use locally grown fruits and vegetables,” Mr Pepperidge told the ABC.
Over the years, they have sold more than 500,000 jars of their products and over 10,000 products.
Mr Pepperidge says his goal is to have his business be the world leader in dry wine production.
He says the company has expanded to include a range for people who don’t grow their own grapes.
For more information on the business, click here.
Topics:food-and-cooking,wine,dry-wines,peppersidge-farm-2582,southport-4215,south-australia,new-zealand