MEET YOUR {OUTSTANDING} MAKER - MOLLY WOPPY
Looking for festive and summer season treats? Thinking artisanal; dark chocolate caramel popcorn; plant-based; bountiful varieties of ginger and shortbread; cookies for miles and bloody good biscotti. The fabulous team at Molly Woppy has any and every sweet treat you could want….
Twenty years ago, renowned chef Alistair Parker and his talented wife Hayley Molloy started their boutique biscuit business, Molly Woppy, from their family kitchen. Fast forward to today and Molly Woppy have their own manufacturing kitchen in Auckland where they continue to delight kiwis with their vast range of biscotti, cookies and treats.
This year Molly Woppy won Gold in the Outstanding New Zealand Food Producer Awards with their Salted Chocolate Cookie Bites. Judges say their bites were “generous”, “lovely” and “reminiscent of childhood memories”. Catering to the taste of home, Molly Woppy also received Silver medals for their White Choc Dipped Ginger Fingers and Passionfruit Shortbread Bites, both deemed “homely”, “inviting” and “comforting” sweet morsels. Praised for their impressive integration of the business and consideration of most aspects - water, packaging, climate and NZ ingredients; the Awards sustainability judges agreed the team at Molly Woppy are great all-rounders looking out for the wellbeing of their staff and community.
Hayley says working with people who share their passion and hearing from customers about just how much they love their cookies keeps them going. “Baking here in Auckland is something we are really proud of,” says Hayley. “We’ve always stuck to our why from the start – creating simple, delicious food that is made with love and full of yummy, quality ingredients”. Hayley’s favourite Molly Woppy product has to be Ginger Fingers; their iconic gingerbread is a delight that the business is well-known for.
“It’s hard to make delicious cookies without animal products but we did it!” Hayley tells us, she believes the most exciting development in their business is their Plant-based range of goodies. So far, the new range has recieved amazingly positive feedback from consumers while maintaining the Molly Woppy flavour profile. Recent lockdowns provided a challenge for the Molly Woppy team, that’s why Hayley is giving a special shout out to the hardworking team for marching on through tough times. Without the collective efforts, patience and resilience of everyone on board, there’d be a whole lot of rumbly tummies overheard on zoom meetings.
When they’re not working, Alistair and Hayley enjoy cooking with friends and family, as well as exploring the outdoors, surfing and windsurfing. Their favourite Aotearoa hang out is the sunny surf haven of the Coromandel.