MEET YOUR {OUTSTANDING} MAKER - SUPREME CHAMPION, BOSTOCK BROTHERS

Bostock Brothers are the 2020 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Supreme Champion and Giesen Paddock Champion with their Organic Whole Chicken. Here’s the story about the pair behind the country’s most delicious chooks - Hawke’s Bay brothers Ben and George Bostock.

Bostock's is a tale of family, a story of addition and subtraction, of taking time on the path less travelled and the rewards of patience. The flavour in their organic chickens is as much about time, their philosophy and what they don’t do, as well as the care and welfare they put into slowly farming their chooks.

Ben and George grew up inspired by their parents, Vicki and John, who were ahead of the curve, pioneering a move towards organic apple production in 1996. 

Drawing upon their upbringing, Ben dabbled in a few areas before deciding his future lay in poultry, leasing an eight-hectare block of the family farm when he started in 2014. Ben visited France researching world’s best practice in organic chicken farming before George joined him in the business two years later.  George studied marketing at university and Ben did science, so they have complementary strengths and they say working together means problems are halved.

Ben and George are determined to give their chickens the best life and if you’re one of their flock life sounds pretty idyllic….Days are spent happily roaming freely among apple trees in their parents former orchard, enjoying a wholesome diet of certified organic, lush, green grass and juicy organic apples as well as home-grown maize. In the evening these pampered chooks perch in uniquely designed spacious, French chalets!

Bostock Brothers Organic Free Range Chickens live longer, happier lives than conventional free-range chicken. Their chickens grow naturally – without added hormones and antibiotics - meaning the meat is better formed and superior tasting. Sticking with what’s left out – when it comes to processing Bostock's chicken is air chilled and chlorine-free, they refuse to use the chlorinated water baths which sadly are a regular technique with other chicken producers.  

Sustainability underlies everything the brothers undertake. For example; the French chicken chalets are filled with non-treated wood shavings from a local sawmill, later scooped up and turned into compost with the compost then used to grow maize for the chickens’ diet. The Awards specialist sustainability judges recognised this too saying; ‘Fantastic sustainable considerations…Packaging design is very impressive…’ 

Bostock Brothers are the first meat producer in New Zealand to wrap their products in plant-based, compostable packaging. Again they’re supporting this with a holistic solution, with George explaining a new initiative to take the packaging back from customers because they understand not everyone living in cities has the ability to compost.

When the Awards steward delivered the sample of the plumb, golden chicken to the panel of judges they raved about it saying, ‘Outstanding flavour, succulent and delicious.’

Bostock Brothers were also awarded Gold Medals for Bostock Brothers Chicken Thighs and Bostock Brothers Chicken Breasts. Look out for Bostock Brothers chicken – check out their logo with a childhood likeness of Ben and George on the logo, the is widely available throughout New Zealand including at the major supermarkets, for more information check their website www.bostocksorganic.co.nz.