Tag / easter

by brandsa2018

Haigh’s Easter treats in full production

Haigh’s $15 million investment in its Mile End manufacturing plant has been tested to meet Easter chocolate demand – which has taken effect since January.

The South Australian family-owned company has doubled its production capacity with the installation of Italian state-of-the-art roasting and German blending machines at its expanded Mile End plant. Haigh’s is the only large-scale operation in Australia making its own chocolate couverture from scratch, creating eight different chocolate blends to exacting family recipes – including one special milk chocolate blend for Easter eggs, containing more cocoa butter to make it thinner for running easily around egg moulds.

Each of the distinctive Haigh’s blends comprise cocoa beans from up to four different countries, and the highly efficient new Mile End plant can manufacture up to 20 different batches of chocolate each day.

“The investment in upgrading has been justified because the new operation runs so smoothly in times of peak demand,” says Haigh’s marketing manager Fiona Krawczyk.

Large dark chocolate eggs ready to be packaged for the Easter rush.

The lead into Easter is when Haigh’s unique operation is evident – not just as the only large-scale chocolate manufacturer roasting its own cocoa beans, but also for only selling through its own network of 18 Haigh’s retails stores across Australia.

This whole careful process starts with stringent selection of superior cocoa beans from UTZ certified sustainable farms in Ecuador, Ghana, Venezuela and Grenada. And because Haigh’s aims to only use certified beans, it is encouraging the owners of a plantation in Papua New Guinea, whose beans have formed an integral part of Haigh’s blends for 60 years, to also obtain certification.

This remains important because Haigh’s has made its chocolate from scratch since the company began in 1915, and the volume of beans it uses is substantial – about 10,000kg roasted each week, with its storage warehouse laden with about 1000 tonne of beans.

Individual parcels of beans are roasted at 116C for about 40 minutes, then crushed so the cocoa nibs can be separated from husks (which are recycled for garden mulch). Nibs are ground into a thick, rather gritty paste and mixed with sugar (plus milk powder for milk chocolate).

A Haigh’s employee pans through chocolate.

The resulting slurry is rolled and aerated in a giant, heated churn for a 10-hour conching process, to remove excess moisture, caramelise milk powder and develop flavours. Cocoa butter is added to make a smooth, viscous paste, which is pumped into 10 holding tanks (four for dark chocolate blends, three for milk chocolate, and three single origin blends), from which 20 tonnes of chocolate get transported by tanker each week to Haigh’s chocolate shaping factory at Parkside.

“The Parkside factory is where the magic happens, transforming molten chocolate into the familiar shapes that are so popular,” says Haigh’s new products co-ordinator Robert Fowler, a 30-year employee responsible for creating some of the company’s most beloved individual chocolates, including salted caramel, through to the more daring mango and chilli centre.

While these are standouts among 250 varieties of chocolates produced by Haigh’s, Easter focuses on a different production output, with the first chocolate bilbies and eggs wrapped in tinfoil from early January.

Marking chocolate by hand is a finicky process.

Haigh’s trademark Easter bilbies have introduced a proud Australian tone to the season, and signal an important production milestone for the company. Bilby shapes were the first polycarbonate moulds introduced at Haigh’s 26 years ago that replaced traditional tin moulds.

Hollow Easter chocolate shapes are created when these moulds are attached to a spinning machine filled with molten chocolate as it rotates, then cooled to set the shape. They are then wrapped individually by up to 30 staff, deftly snipping ribbed tinfoil for an elegant finish.

Haigh’s is particularly fussy about its metal foils, choosing a different suite of colours each year, with this year’s being mint, raspberry, gold and mauve (no Easter colour range has ever been repeated). Haigh’s even purchased a rare tinfoil ribbing machine from an Italian manufacturer last year to ensure its preferred foil crimping process.

The Haigh’s ‘Egg-strodinary’ package.

Haigh’s will present new product this Easter, including multi-coloured sugared almonds, which have been modified after several years of trials before being put into full production.

Haigh’s largest chocolate egg weighs an imposing 600g, and the season’s final eggs have been wrapped as late as Easter Thursday.

Easter is such a busy time that it even affects Haigh’s most popular item, Chocolate Speckles. This unique product is made differently to rival choc buttons that are rolled in sugar sprinkles, because Haigh’s drops large dollops of chocolate into trays filled with multi-coloured nonpareils (manufactured by Dollar Sweets in Melbourne). It’s labor-intensive and requires strenuous cleaning of conveyor belts and other work surfaces before another type of chocolates can be produced.

Therefore, speckles production is accelerated through summer before ceasing during January for a three-month focus on Easter chocolate production – which ensures that Haigh’s still produces about 14 million speckles each year.

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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by brandsa2018

How to choose SA this Easter

We’re the birthplace of Haigh’s Chocolates, our Easter seafood is the best in the nation and we knew that combining Fruchocs and hot cross buns was a legendary move.

South Aussies know how to make the most of Easter, whether it’s camping under the stars in the Flinders Ranges or nibbling the ears off a chocolate bilby at the Beehive Corner.

With the four-day break only days away, we’ve compiled a list of ways to choose South Australian businesses, products and places this Easter.

Don’t forget to share your local purchases or experiences with us on Facebook and Instagram by using the hashtag #ichoosesa

1. Stick around

Why gallivant around elsewhere when some of the most stunning landscapes, natural hideaways and pristine environments are on our doorstep?

Eyre or Yorke Peninsula coastal getaways, Far North explorations, Limestone Coast escapes and Barossa Valley wonders are all reachable within a day’s drive (or flight).

When you choose to holiday locally, you support local accommodation providers, the hospitality sector, shops, businesses and families.

So pick a spot you haven’t been before or return to an old favourite.

The Adelaide Central Market is a good place to collect Easter seafood that’s fresh and local.

2. Stock up at the Adelaide Central Market

Almost half-a-million shoppers are expected to wander through this foodie’s paradise in the lead up to Easter, on the hunt for fresh products, local seafood and traditional Easter eats.

Market traders are expecting to sell more than one million kilograms of fresh produce before the weekend, with Easter rating as the market’s second biggest trading period of the year.

Samtass Seafoods is expecting to sell 500kg of fresh local snapper, 250kg of Spencer Gulf prawns and 100kg of local flathead fillets, while market bakers will churn out more than 75,000 hot cross buns.

Visit the Kangaroo Island Stall in the market for a selection of island produce, including the ultimate Easter feast, southern rock lobsters by Ferguson Australia.

3. Go fishing in one of SA’s pristine ocean spots 

From the clear and peaceful waters of the Yorke Peninsula to the true fisher’s territory off Kangaroo Island, there are plenty of good spots to wet a line in SA.

Autumn is the time for mullet as the fish school in large numbers, while catches of flathead and the much-prized King George whiting increase in the lead up to winter.

Stuck on where to go? Check out our Top 10 Fishing Spots.

Simon Haigh from Haigh’s Chocolates is an I Choose SA ambassador.

4. Get your chocolate fix from a local chocolatier

From the legendary Haigh’s Chocolates, to a hot-cross bun flavoured Red Cacao truffle, SA knows a thing or two about Easter indulgences.

Chocolatiers are perfectionists and sticklers for quality so you can be sure that a beautifully packaged Easter treat has been made with love and probably hand-packaged as well.

Try Melba’s Chocolates at Woodside, Bracegirdle’s House of Fine Chocolate, Chocolate @ N°5 in Hahndorf, Just Bliss, or the Port Elliot-based Carob Kitchen.

5. Frock up for the Easter races

The Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival in the Adelaide Hills is one of the biggest events on the state’s racing calendar, with the tradition dating back almost 150 years.

This year the carnival will undergo a bit of a reshuffle, as the Great Eastern Steeplechase moves from Easter Monday to Easter Saturday, with the latter expected to draw crowds of about 20,000 people.

The Clare Easter Races will also unfold on Saturday, March 31, and seeing as the Clare Valley is home to some of the state’s finest wines and produce, expect gourmet offerings.

6. Cling onto the Fringe madness

The Adelaide Fringe might have gone into hibernation for another 12 months, but in Whyalla the party is just getting started.

The UneARTH Festival is on March 30 and 31, providing creatives, artists and locals a chance to enjoy everything from circus acts to music and cabaret.

7. Have a hot-cross-bun-a-thon

There is nothing more mood-lifting than watching butter melt on a toasted hot cross bun.

Longstanding family business Kytons Bakery do a good all-round version of the spiced sweet buns (and even a Fruchoc variety!) while we hear that Red Door Bakery is also among the best bun makers in town.

Give a few local bakeries a go and rate them out of 10!

8. Fly a kite at Semaphore

Kite flying is a childhood pastime and in Semaphore the sky will come alive with colour for the Adelaide International Kite Festival from March 31 – April 2.

The free community event at Semaphore Beach will feature South Aussie kite fliers going up against New Zealanders and interstate visitors.

A festival marketplace with wares and activities will be open from 11am–5pm each day.

9. Soak up the tunes at the Blenheim festival

About 2000 people are expected to gather in the Clare Valley for the annual Blenheim Music and Camping Festival from March 29–30.

Listen to tunes by the likes of The Black Seeds, Mojo Juju, Timberwolf, Bootleg Rascal, Z-Star Delta, Kings and Associates, Wanderers and Emdee.

Festival-goers can camp (or glamp if it’s more your style) under the stars and do it all again the next day.

Blenheim is family friendly event with all ages welcome.

Zoos SA CEO Elaine Bensted is an I Choose SA ambassador.

10. Visit the zoo

Adelaide and Monarto zoos will both be open over Easter.

Free choccie eggs will be on offer and visitors have the chance to see a real life Easter bilby.

Monarto Zoo’s Lions 360 experience will also run as usual – although this heart-stopping chance to get up and close to the king of the jungle is popular so be sure to book before you go.

11. Get on ya bike!

With an extensive network of trails across national parks, forests and reserves, Adelaide’s Mt Lofty Ranges is well on its way to becoming an international mountain biking destination.

So dust the cobwebs off the deadly treadly, pump up those tyres and explore some pretty amazing scenery at the Cudlee Creek Forest, Eagle Mountain Bike Park, the Belair National Park or Sturt Gorge Recreation Park.

Check out more spots here.

12. Take your pooch on an Easter egg hunt.

Yes, really.

The Woofery Dog Bakery is hosting a free doggie Easter hunt on Saturday, March 31, at Plant 4 Bowden.

Four-legged friends will be sniffing out dog-friendly Easter treats in Bowden Park and humans can also indulge as the Plant 4 market stalls will be open from 9am–3pm.

Register your pooch here.

Phil Sims from Robern Menz is an I Choose SA ambassador. The longstanding SA business is bound to get a workout in the lead up to Easter.

13. Grab a FruChocs showbag at Coles

Fruchocs maker Robern Menz has been around for 150 years and is one of the state’s strongest family businesses spanning over four generations.

This Easter they’ve launched a $10 FruChocs Easter showbag in all Coles supermarkets across SA.

Featuring a trio of Fruchocs varieties, the goodie bag is the perfect Easter gift to take to that Easter barbecue.

14. Graze your way around a farmers market

Prepare to stretch your I Choose SA tote bag to its limits this weekend, as many farmers markets will welcome Easter treats to the usual lineup of fresh produce.

Farmers markets are great places to not only smash the weekly shop, but sample local produce and chat to the farmer or maker all in the one spot.

Many SA farmers markets have live music, hot coffee and delicious pastries to keep you going while you stock up for an Easter Sunday feast.

Check out this list of SA farmers markets, but consult Google to check if the one closest to you is running over Easter!

15. Enjoy the bizarre pre-Good Friday rush at your local supermarket

There’s nothing quite like the Easter Thursday rush that has grocery shoppers in a flurry.

Mums and dads are flying through the aisles with chocolate-smeared toddlers hanging from their trolleys, the cheese and cracker section is getting a good work out and everyone’s arguing over what box of Shapes to take on the camping trip.

It’s busy and a bit crazy, but the pre-holiday spirit is infectious.

Visit I Choose SA to find out how you can support our state by choosing South Australian businesses, products and services.

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by brandsa2018

Kytons turns 80, bakes half a million hot cross buns

Sugar and spice, Easter and hot cross buns, Darren and Sharon.

Some things are just meant to be together, and for South Australia’s Kytons Bakery duo Darren and Sharon Sutton, their business’s 80th year will be met with more hard work and truckloads of flour.

By Easter weekend, their Edwardstown bakehouse will have churned out 500,000 hot cross buns, made by a team of bakers from 18 tonnes of Laucke flour and several pallets of dried fruit.

Sharon says the longstanding bakery is “manic” in the lead up to Easter as its workforce swells from the usual 10 staff to 30 people who work around the clock to ensure South Australians can enjoy the spiced sweet buns on time.

Kytons will bake 500,000 hot cross buns in the lead up to Easter this year.

“In the last week before Easter we’re running for about 24 hours a day,” she says.

“Aside from the hot cross buns we also sell a lot of lamingtons, waffles and cookies.

“Products are piled up on pallets ready to be delivered, the music is usually up really loud and we’re working very long hours, but it’s a good time.”

In the past 80 years, Kytons has been through a few transformations and put a spin on a classic Easter treat.

Six years ago, a local radio station ran a campaign to discover a new flavour of hot cross buns.

The result was a Kytons and Robern Menz collaboration, with only 1000 Fruchoc hot cross bun packets made for the exclusive promotion that certainly caught on.

“People were queued up outside the radio station on Easter Thursday morning,” Sharon says.

“The Fruchoc hot cross bun has now become a part of people’s Easter tradition. I have a friend who takes them away every year and grills them on their barbecue, to melt the chocolate with that charred barbecue taste.”

Aside from hot cross buns, Kytons is also renowned for making the quintessential Australian cake, the lamington.

The Kytons wrapped, chocolate-dipped and coconut-sprinkled sponge cake has existed in children’s lunchboxes and pantry cupboards for decades.

The lamington is believed to have been invented in Australia in the late 1800s and named after Lord Lamington, who served as the Governor of Queensland until 1901.

“There are lots of stories but that’s the most plausible one,” says Sharon.

“They were invented by the cooks in government house in Queensland … they had guests for afternoon tea and all they had was dry cake.

“So they dipped it in chocolate to make it softer and then dipped it in coconut so they’re fingers wouldn’t get as sticky.”

Kytons lamingtons have twice been crowned best in the country, while the recipes used to make the cakes have remain relatively unchanged.

School children of the 1980s and ’90s would remember Kytons’ fundraising lamington drive, an initiative that would benefit thousands of community groups and projects over the years.

Kytons supplied sheets of sponge cake, chocolate dip and shredded coconut to schools, Scouts, Girl Guides and churches to make lamingtons, sell them and raise money.

“Kytons has become a part of the SA community whether it’s through the fundraising drives or just those habits like kids having a lamington in their lunchbox at school,” Sharon says.

“That’s something we’re really proud of and happy to be a part of people’s memories.”

Sharon Sutton is an I Choose SA ambassador.

The Kytons brand was established in SA in 1938 by the Hignett Brothers.

The catering company had a stall at the Adelaide Central Market in the 1940s before a bakehouse was built on Carrington Street in the 1950s.

In 1975 the business was sold to John and Carol Darwin but remained in the Central Market until 1988, selling cakes and buns.

In its 80 years, Kytons has only been sold twice.

The Suttons bought it in 2003 after owning a bakery at Flagstaff Hill for 10 years. Darren had worked at Kytons as a teenager, as his best mate’s father was the owner.

Darren baked, while Sharon – who has a university degree in politics – took over administration and marketing roles, later becoming the face of the bakery and an I Choose SA ambassador.

It’s not every day you’re on the back of a bus. Unless, you’re an I Choose SA ambassador of course!

The Suttons introduced Kytons products to Foodland and Woolworths supermarkets, cafés and greengrocers, while the fundraising drives now makes up about 25-30% of the business.

More recently Kytons has secured a NSW distributor, meaning Sydneysiders are set to enjoy the baked secrets of SA.

Sharon says she’s noticed that SA consumers are consistently eager to back local producers and makers, as seen with the the revival of Spring Gully in 2017.

“SA consumers are becoming very parochial about what they want to eat, where it comes from and the provenance behind it,” she says.

“The food community we have here in SA is the envy of other states.”

Visit I Choose SA to find out how you can support our state by choosing South Australian businesses, products and services.

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