Taranaki’s top treats on the menu for Womad NZ

Carmen Castro and Joop Verbeek, of IncaFé Organic Coffee, a certified Organic Fairtrade coffee roastery based in Waiwhakaiho, New Plymouth, one of the brands to be featured in this year's Taste of Taranaki Pop-up at Womad.

The tastiest tucker in Taranaki has been found, with gourmet crackers, infused honey, delectable pancakes and award-winning drinks among the treats set to take centre stage at Womad.

Twelve Taranaki producers will be spending the next two months getting ready to showcase their creations at the festival, after being selected in a region-wide search that kicked off in October.

Led by Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki, the hunt uncovered a line-up that includes everything from herbal tea blends, connoisseur honey and speciality condiments, to superfood cereals, organic coffee and flavour-bomb seasonings.

Brylee Flutey, general manager of destination at Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki, says the region is fast becoming known for its vibrant food scene and the Taste of Taranaki Pop-up at Womad will showcase that.

“These diverse and passionate producers demonstrate the richness of our region’s food sector and we look forward to showcasing their exceptional products and providing festival-goers and the many out-of-towners with the chance to experience an unforgettable taste of our region’s flourishing food story.”

Following on from the inaugural Taste of Taranaki Pop-up in Eltham in the summer of 2021-22, the Womad pop-up not only celebrates what the region has to offer, it supports the acceleration and growth of the local food businesses and connects producers with new audiences.

TAFT chief executive Suzanne Porter says presenting Taranaki’s top producers at the festival is a great way to harness the pull Womad has on out-of-town visitors, with about 70 per cent of festival-goers coming from outside of the region.

“Womad brings thousands of people to Taranaki every year, shining a spotlight on our fantastic region. It’s great to be able to use that platform to empower and elevate our local producers. It’s also an excellent chance to offer our audience yet another awesome experience.”

Festival-goers will be able to check out the pop-up alongside sensational Womad artists, with reggae icon Ziggy Marley, Brazilian bossa nova legend Gilberto Gil, and the atmospheric Morcheeba among the artists set to ring out over the iconic Bowl of Brooklands and picturesque Brooklands Park in March.

• The line-up for the Taste of Taranaki Pop-up at Womad is: award-winning sparkling Yerba Mate from Planta, Blue Petal herbal elixirs and connoisseur honey, zesty fresh limes and artisan mixes from Fine Lime Company, organic speciality coffee from IncaFé, Magic T’s herbal tea blends, Treasured Morning’s superfood breakfast cereals, delectable pancakes, crepes and blinis from Marcel’s Pancakes, condiments and treats from Theory Food, organic feijoa and apple juice from Kahu Glen, liquid gold goodness from Egmont Honey, gourmet crackers from Mister K, and the flavourful seasonings of MK Spice.