Building a “beverage empire” and business hub centered on Daibakone Brewery

Two entrepreneurs want to put a town known for snow sports and mountain biking on the map as a “drink empire.”

Winter storms wash off Ohakune’s snow, giving us the first chance for a tourist-filled winter since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, showing how the North Island’s central towns can diversify their economies. I am questioning what.

Greg Hickman and Austin Hobson have worked their way up from a brewery to a business hub in the center of town.

This month they will open Big Mountain Mead Brewery. This is the beginning of a business hub that includes movie theaters, taprooms and coffee carts, with the opportunity to grow further when others decide to join.

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* What happens to Ohakune if it doesn’t snow in winter?

David Unwin

Resilience Ohakune residents hope business will pick up after 130 staff were laid off at Turoa ski resort over the summer due to lack of snowfall. (This video was originally published on September 2, 2022.)

They wanted to build something “more than just a brewery.”

“It’s more like a beverage maker than just a brewery,” says Hobson. “So you have a brewery and a mead brewery in the facility. You can also make iced tea, coffee and soft drinks – a beverage empire, I think.”

Hobson is from Bristol, England, but has lived in Ohakune for 20 years. He supplies local businesses from Ruapehu Brewery, which he started five years ago.

After spending the last 20 years in Asia and Sydney, he has partnered with Hickman, who has returned to New Zealand, to establish several beverage brands in Asia.

Hickman originally purchased an old movie theater building for the project. But it was too small and the building was passing by it.

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Breweries and mead breweries “can also make iced tea, coffee and soft drinks,” says Austin Hobson.

“We left all the old wood that we use to build restaurants, bars and a small cinema.”

They know there are people around Ohakune with ideas, and they want to help other entrepreneurs, saying they could even start a business with a container on the brewery’s premises.

“If someone has a new and interesting idea for a beverage product, we can put them there and they have the facility. , branding, packaging, we can really help with everything,” Hickman said.

Hickman said the company’s mountain mead is primarily exported, destined for Asia and the United States, with about 75 percent going offshore.

“The mead market is completely new to New Zealand. The process is very different to beer in terms of production, appearance and branding, except feeding the yeast with honey instead of anything else you use in your beer. It’s similar,” Hickman said.

According to him, all of the sugar in honey is converted into alcohol, so it’s very low in sugar and carbohydrates, and people see it as a slightly healthier drink than beer.

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Greg Hickman said Mead is in “pretty early stages” in New Zealand.

Hobson says there are only 1,000 people in Ohakune, but in good seasons the mountain staff and hospitality can reach 3,500. On big weekends, he can draw up to 10,000 people in town.

“When this operation begins, we are few in numbers at the moment, but basically [it will] Supporting dozens of people. Half of them are year-round and the other half are temporary. Ultimately he will be a 24/7 operation,” he said.

They will consider expanding their production shed once they grow up. This can be done comfortably if there is enough space on site.

The new tank can hold up to 4000 liters. This equates to approximately 12,000 cans per tank.

And the big picture for the company is to continue building the brand and grow the mead idea in New Zealand.

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Companies with “new and interesting ideas for beverage products” can take advantage of Big Mountain Mead’s facilities and expertise.

“This is kind of new. I think there are about four other meads in New Zealand right now. ” said Hickman.

“We will need more capacity here to be able to build there or get another site. increase.”

Hobson also wants to expand its beer brand.

“We do a lot of alcohol education. There are so many wines, gins and craft beers around here that people are already into it. They know they can get locally made beer.”

They want business hubs to inspire people and give their ideas a chance.

“There are a surprisingly large number of entrepreneurs in the city.

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Mead is considered a low-carb, slightly healthier drink than beer.

“I actually think Ohakune has a good future. It’s a good place to do it, especially since a lot of people are setting things up because you can set up properties and places cheaper than Auckland, for example. And it’s trucked in really well,” Hickman said.

They have also tried to stay as local as possible with local merchants and local products such as water from the mountains and Manuka bush honey.

Ruapehu District Councilor Janelle Hinch said it’s great to see businesses moving into town and bringing innovation.

“We need to do everything we can to build a diverse economic base here and deal with seasonal issues. I may not have found it.”

She said the town’s tourism offering is mostly dependent on traffic from the ski fields and the Whanganui River during the winter months.

“It’s really nice to see that they use locally sourced products in their manufacturing, like in Horopito, which is very close by. It’s great to be able to work in a factory.”