South Australian iconic ice-cream brand, Golden North has been named as the state’s best ice-cream at the South Australian Food Industry Awards taking out the Best Regional Business Award and the Best Brand by Consumers Award.
This is not the first time the Greek-owned brand has won a major accolade.
Last April, the company also won first prize for the best ice-cream in Australia, receiving a five-star rating and securing the title of Australia’s favourite ice-cream tub ahead of major national brands, such as Bulla, Cadbury, Peters and Streets.
“We are very happy with the result because a lot of hard work has gone into the last 10 years,” said owner Dimitrios Kyriazis.
“Continuous improvement and keeping the brand relevant to consumers has been a major part of our business.”
Kyriazis acquired Golden North’s operations with another four partners approximately nine years ago.
Established in 1923, the ice-cream manufacturer is based at Laura in South Australia’s Upper Mid North making premium gluten-free and palm oil free ice-cream from the highest quality locally sourced ingredients.
“We are proudly SA made and owned, and our products are still made using the freshest milk and cream sourced directly from Aussie farmers to create rich, creamy texture premium ice-cream and that’s what makes it so delicious,” says the 43-year-old businessman.
Within a short time, the company has gone from employing 45 to 80 employees, and as of last year its products are available in more than 2,000 supermarkets and retail shops outside of the state.
“It is difficult running a business in SA as we have higher costs and most of our sales are on the east coast of Australia which adds a lot of logistics costs, therefore, we are always looking for innovative ways to remain lean and competitive from product development to sourcing ingredients,” said Mr Kyriazis.
“However, the most important ingredient on our journey so far has been the relationship our consumers have with our brand. This can never be taken for granted.”