Far North’s Kutai Guy takes out top artisan title at NZ Food Awards 2025

Kutai guy founders Zarn and Michelle Reichardt accepted the Artisan Award at the prestigious 2025 New Zealand Food Awards.

From a small shed in Houhora to the New Zealand Food Awards’ stage, the Kutai Guy has done the Far North proud, after he won the Artisan Award at this year’s ceremony.

For founders Zarn and Michelle Reichardt, the recognition feels like a dream come true.

Their handcrafted Natural Flavour Smoked Mussels beat some of the country’s best-known brands to be recognised as an outstanding NZ artisan food product.

“We’re absolutely humbled to take out the Artisan category at the 2025 NZ Food Awards,” Zarn said.

“This means the world to us – a small whānau business from the Far North, doing everything by hand and pouring our hearts into every mussel we smoke. To be recognised alongside some of Aotearoa’s best is an incredible honour.”

Born from a deep connection to Northland’s coastal waters, The Kutai Guy hand-shells and smokes NZ green-lipped mussels in small batches in Houhora. The result is a clean, authentic flavour with a natural smoky depth that’s won hearts (and appetites) across the motu.

“For us, it’s never just been about mussels, it’s about connection. Every kutai we smoke is a chance to bring people together, to share stories, laughter, and kai. This award celebrates that shared experience – from our journey to yours, one mussel at a time.”

This national recognition closed off a remarkable year for the brand, which has seen explosive growth online.

The Kutai Guy community has now topped 50,000 followers across social media, with one of its popular recipe videos – a simple curried mussels dish – recently topping 1 million views.

“The online hype has been unreal,” Michelle said.

“People love seeing how we do things – from collecting spat, to shelling mussels and sharing recipes from our kitchen. It’s turned into a real community of food lovers who connect with the story as much as the kai.”

Founded in 2022, The Kutai Guy grew out of Reichardt Marine, the mussel-spat supply business Zarn and his father Sean established in 2013.

The move from aquaculture to ready-to-eat kai has since transformed the family venture into a nationwide success story.

The current range includes:

• Natural Flavour Smoked Mussels – Winner, NZ Food Awards 2025 Artisan Category and Silver Medal, NZ Outstanding Food Producer Awards
• Sweet Chilli Smoked Mussels – Two times Gold Medal, NZ Outstanding Food Producer Awards
• Garlic Butter Smoked Mussels – Silver Medal, NZ Outstanding Food Producer Awards

“We’re proud to be flying the flag for authentic kai,” added Zarn.

“This award belongs to everyone who’s backed us — our whānau, our community and every customer who’s believed in us since day one.”