Diploma Industry Trip

Learning to respect our ingredients.

There are many reasons students come from across the world to study at Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand; It’s one of the safest countries in the world, our exclusive Bachelor of Culinary Art’s and Business provides the perfect mix of practical kitchen learning and classroom business management. But one of the overwhelming reasons is the sheer quality of our ingredients, New Zealand produces world class meat, dairy, fruit, and vegetables.

Being located in Wellington allows our students to experience the cities bustling culinary scene where they can taste the results of our produce from our many cafes and restaurants. Wellington also has the benefit of being a short journey from the Wairarapa, the regions agricultural hub.

Students got up bright and early for a day packed with flavours. The first stop was Olivio, one of the country’s best olive oil suppliers. Students learned the process from seedling to bottle and got to try some of the many infused oils Olivio provides.  

The next stop was Pallister Estate, one of the many vineyards that produces an exceptional variety of high-quality wines. Students experienced a wine tasting followed by a lunch highlighting New Zealand’s flavourful cured meats.

Now starting to make our way back to the city we visit a 4^th generation dairy farm, students got to learn about the milking process, sustainable animal welfare, and they were lucky enough to meet a collection of calves born that morning. New Zealand’s dairy industry is special in that pasture feeding is our standard, by letting animals live naturally and healthily the quality of their products is second to none.

With the day drawing to a close there is one last stop, Schoc chocolate, a boutique chocolate company. Schoc specialises in authentic and unique flavour combinations. There can be no shortcuts when it comes to premium chocolate, students were able to taste a collection of their offerings and learn about their process. From 100% dark chocolate to curry and poppadom students had their pallets expanded.

The one unifying element from all stops on this journey was respect, respect for nature, the process, and the ingredient. Every supplier demonstrated the lengths necessary to allow flavour to flourish. New Zealand food safety net programmes score 100/100 on the Global Food Security Index, our students have now seen first hand a sliver of the work that goes into being a world leading culinary supplier.

Learn more about our Diplôme de Cuisine and Diplôme de Pâtisserie programmes.