Cyclone Gabrielle: Gisborne’s Sunshine brewery produces charity fundraising beer

Sunshine Brewery’s latest tipple, Cyclone Gabri Ale, drew support from all corners as an initiative to help the Tairāwhiti farming community recover from Cyclone Gabrielle. Tom Lane (left, Property Brokers), brewer Jesse Foley, Jen Mildenhall (coordinator/executive committee Gisborne Tairāwhiti Farming Recovery Fund) and Fleur Gardiner (GTFRF executive committee member). Photo / Liam Clayton

Gisborne’s Sunshine Brewery has taken community support to the next level to produce a charity fundraising beer, aptly named Cyclone Gabri Ale.

Proceeds will go to the Gisborne Tairāwhiti Farming Recovery Fund.

Local community organisations, businesses and national suppliers all got in behind the initiative.

“Even though our business was knocked back with the water restrictions that were put in place (after Cyclone Gabrielle), as a team we wanted to give back and help others in the community who were smashed way worse than us,” managing director and shareholder of the brewery, Martin Jakicevich, said.

All proceeds from the retail and trade sales of the beer will go to the Gisborne Tairāwhiti Farming Recovery Fund (GTFRF), which was set up in response to the cyclone and is under the umbrella of Mātai Medical Research Institute Charitable Trust.

Jen Mildenhall, who is an agribusiness associate at BDO, is the overall coordinator of the fund, and an executive committee member.

Others on the committee are Fleur Gardiner (Craig’s Investments), Sandra Faulkner (Rural Coordination Group) and Bronwen Holdsworth (Mātai director).

Producing this first-of-its-kind charity fundraising beer has been a new challenge for the team at Sunshine Brewery - but one they have overcome to produce approximately 200 cases of 440ml cans of a Red India Pale Ale (IPA) to be distributed to their usual outlets throughout the North Island.

The majority of the kegs of ale have been sold and will be available in several bars in Wellington, one in Auckland and of course at the Taproom at the Sunshine Brewery in Awapuni Road.

Cyclone Gabri Ale, named by Sunshine Brewery business manager Sarah Punnett, was released on May 4.

Head brewer Jesse Foley described the brew as an “American-style, IPA-blend with a piney, stonefruit flavour with red berry undertones, which results in a hoppy amber autumn ale”.

Direct sponsorship and support mean Cyclone Gabri Ale has been produced at a near zero cost, aside from GST, excise tax and freight which, in turn, means every dollar will go directly to the Farming Recovery Fund and be distributed to those farming communities most in need.

For the actual beermaking process, NZ Hops donated the hops, Gladfield Malt supplied the grain and Lallemand Brewing supplied the yeast.

The 440ml cans were purchased and donated by Property Brokers Rural and the labels were printed by Label & Litho at no cost.

“If you are having a brew with your mates, think Cyclone Gabri Ale and enjoy the taste of not only a fine ale but also the knowledge that you are donating to Tairāwhiti Gisborne Farming Recovery Fund and adding a bit more Sunshine into the lives of local farmers,” Jakicevich said.

If beer is not for you but you would still like to donate, Sunshine Brewery has set up a Givealittle page or you scan the QR code on their posters.