Our people, our place

We were humbled to be named the Pact Packaging Sustainability Champion at the 2026 NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards. None of this started as a single project. It has grown gradually over many years, one decision at a time.

Patagonia Chocolates is a family business, and a lot of this comes from how we grew up. Wasting nothing, preserving fruit, making the most of what you had and looking after the land were simply part of everyday life. When we started making chocolate in Arrowtown in 2005, those values came with us, and we’ve brought them into what we do today as much as we can.

Queenstown Lakes has given us so much, so we try to give back. In 2026 alone, we’ve supported more than 40 local causes, schools, sports clubs and cultural groups. We’re also proud supporters of The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi through the Arts Business Club, celebrating creativity and craftsmanship across Aotearoa.

Cherries, apricots and apples that are bruised, oversized, overripe or just not quite pretty enough for export are still full of flavour. They go into our chocolates, ice creams, sorbets and fresh juices, from our Cherry & Pinot Bonbons to our Apricot Sorbet. It’s the tastiest way we know to reduce food waste.

Doing things better means knowing more. Alex studied horticulture at Otago Polytechnic in Cromwell, and what he learned there, from a teaching team who know the land inside out, has shaped how we look after the orchard. We’re still learning all the time.

Some of our favourite changes are the ones nobody sees. Our takeaway cups and packaging for ice cream and hot and cold drinks are compostable, and we serve most of our ice cream in handcrafted waffle cones rather than disposable cups (more cone, less waste).

At the orchard, a New Zealand-made electric frost-fighting fan has replaced a diesel system. Across the business we’re improving efficiency and bringing in solar, with the long-term goal of running entirely on solar energy. And where we can, we’ve switched to electric vehicles. We’re now waiting on a new electric freezer truck for our deliveries, which will make a big difference to our emissions.

It isn’t always easy. Some changes are simple, and others need serious investment. We also have to balance every decision with food safety, quality and the realities of running a growing business. So we don’t try to change everything overnight. We make a better choice whenever the chance comes up, and over time those decisions add up.

Our production team put a huge amount of care into everything they make, and all of our awards are really theirs. Many of our team started behind the counter and now lead our kitchens and cafés. We pay fair wages, train people up, and try to make Patagonia Chocolates a place people want to stay.

Our cocoa comes through Barry Callebaut’s certified growers, and we work with suppliers who share our standards for how people are treated.

For us, sustainability is a long-term direction rather than a finished project. There’s still a lot we’d like to achieve, and we’re excited to see where it takes us.