Hawke's Bay's Kabocha Milk wins world award for best plant-based beverage

Kabocha Milk, made from squash grown in Hawke's Bay by Shane Newman, is the best plant-based drink in the world. Photo / Supplied

Kabocha Milk, a collaboration between veteran Hawke's Bay buttercup squash grower Shane Newman and Japanese celebrity chef Sachie Nomura, has won a world award for best plant-based beverage.

The World Plant-Based Awards, in association with Plant Based World Expo, are a celebration of innovation and excellence across the plant-based food and drink industry.

The judging panel considered 110 entries from 20 countries, and winners were announced during a special awards ceremony at the World Plant Food Conference on December 9 in New York City.

And Kabocha Milk won the global award for best plant-based beverage.

Kabocha Milk director Nick Siu they were "absolutely chuffed" with the announcement, even though they were unable to attend in person due to Covid restrictions.

Kabocha (Japanese word for pumpkin) is revered in Japan and Korea for its health and wellness properties and is considered a staple of Asian cuisine.

The milk itself is an innovative, fully vegan-certified plant milk, rich in vitamin A, carotene, fibre, minerals and vitamins and has no artificial flavours, preservatives or colourings.

The product is already stocked in two high-end Japanese retail store chains with plans to reach over 5000 stores in Japan, Korea and China in the next couple of years.

"Our kabocha milk uses the un-exported tag-3 fruit, creating a high-value, sustainable and exportable product from produce that would otherwise go to waste," Newman previously said.

"It's immensely satisfying to have hit upon a new opportunity for New Zealand's kabocha industry."