News Corp Australia has named Harvey Norman as the exclusive naming rights partner for the 2021 ‘delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards’ for the third consecutive year.
The event aims to celebrate “the most innovative, sustainable and ethical produce and producers in the country”, championing the best Australian produce and the people behind it.
delicious. editorial director Kerrie McCallum said: “The delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards has set the benchmark for Australian produce for 16 years, thanks to our strong panel of the country’s best chefs, experts and food journalists who volunteer their time.
“We are delighted to have Harvey Norman return as our presenting partner this year. They are a company that believes in supporting Australia’s best farmers, artisans, producers and regions, and we are so grateful for their continued support and commitment to help this important initiative thrive.
“The awards aim to encourage, showcase and reward Australian producers, build awareness of culinary regions and recognise fresh, seasonal food that is produced sustainably with passion and integrity.
“Affected by severe drought, devastating bushfires, Covid-19 challenges and the recent floods, it has never been more important to support our farmers and producers.”
Harvey Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey said: “If you love food, if you love cooking, then the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards are your compass for where the best ingredients come from and how to source them.”
Back for another year are the ‘delicious. Produce to You’ boxes, which bring award-winning, local ingredients direct to consumers.
Harvey added: “We want to continue to support our world-class producers who have gone through some of the toughest times with drought, fires, floods and Covid, whilst ensuring the food on Australian tables is both nutritious and full of taste.”
In the lead-up to this year’s awards, delicious. and Harvey Norman will run a consumer advocacy campaign, Produce to You, supported by News Corp Australia, encouraging consumers to purchase local produce.
Connecting Australian producers to consumers, the campaign will highlight the stories of the people behind this country’s best produce via #producetoyou.
New to the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards this year is the formation of a governing board.
Created to bring “expertise” and “heavyweight industry nous” across every category of the awards, including Outstanding Innovation and Outstanding Design through to Outstanding Native Producer and Outstanding Region, the governing board will reinforce the importance of the award categories and the contribution they make to all facets of the food and dining experience, from soil to plate.
The board includes: Awards Patron Maggie Beer, Christine Manfield, Guillaume Brahimi, Shannon Bennett, Colin Fassnidge, Martin Benn, Vicki Wild, Ross Lusted, Sunny Lusted, Kylie Kwong and Mike Bennie.
While the judging panel includes: Alla Wolf-Tasker, Andrew McConnell, Peter Gilmore, Matt Moran, Neil Perry, Josh Niland, Matt Stone, Jo Barrett, Lennox Hastie and Danielle Alvarez.
The 2021 National Trophy Winners will be announced in August 2021.
