The Sauce NZ

This week Tash and Vicki take down the leather-bound and exhaustive drinks list, the still-or-sparkling ambush, and why “something for everyone” so rarely delivers when the modern diner wants fewer drinks but better ones. Strap in.

In this episode of The Sauce, Vicky and Tash sit back down with Brianne West (founder of Incrediballs and Ethique) to unpack what it really takes to launch a world-first, waste-free drinks brand. From a three-year R&D journey and an aborted launch to the brutal reality of “second album” expectations, Brianne shares candid insights on flavour science, consumer education, and why sustainability alone is never enough if the drink doesn’t taste incredible. This is a deep dive into incrediballsy sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the drinks category.
Waste-free drinks need to taste great first – sustainability is the hook, but flavour is what keeps people coming back.
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This week Vicki insists on a performance review which is timely, given the very public performance review in the media right now, of controversial chefs. We discuss the implications for NZ but even as the story unfolds there is more to come and much more to discuss.

Vicki and Tash recently made it to Tasmania — and naturally, they ate and drank their way through it with absolutely no restraint. From cellar doors to oyster sheds, fine dining to roadside finds, this episode is the highlights reel you need before you book your own trip. Vicki's got the food, Tash has the drinks, and between them, nothing delicious escaped scrutiny. Ready to add a few hundred things to your travel list? Find out more about touring Tasmania with Taste of Tours at tasteoftours.com.

Vicki and Tash sit down with Miel Meyer, GM of one of New Zealand's most award-winning cheesemakers, Meyer Cheese. It's a compelling story of a Dutch family moving to NZ and creating a multi-generational family business. They have become a Cheese Awards icon, renown through the Waikato and a family favourite at the supermarket. However thanks to free trade agreements, the EU is coming for the cheese. Or is it a chance for NZ to create our own compelling cheese identity?