Japanese trophy winners of a bakery and confectionery recipe competition, the Fonterra Grand Prix, have visited New Zealand to see where its grass-fed butter and cheese are made.
Seven chefs who won categories in the 2019 and 2020 competitions are now grass-fed ambassadors in the Japanese market.
The 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions of the competition were suspended because of covid restrictions.
The competition, open to pastry chefs in large bakeries, hotels and restaurants in Japan, is hosted by Fonterra with support from the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo.
More than 60 chefs compete for six awards and the winning creations need to be on offer in stores, bakeries or hotels within 12 months.
At a welcome function in the Fonterra headquarters in Auckland, the winners spoke about their recipes and creations using grass-fed butter from brands such as the Anchor, Anchor Food Professionals and NZMP.
Some of the cakes and sweets featured silver ferns and rugby balls, and the chefs spoke about the influence of the All Blacks in Japan.
They were hosted on farms and in Fonterra plants, seeing how dairy cows forage outdoors and how butter and cheese are produced sustainably.
