A tiny Tora team with a big vision has earned national recognition, securing the prestigious Quality Food Mark and a finalist spot in the Artisan primary & chilled/frozen categories for their wild, caught to order crayfish.
Tora Collective’s rise from a small coastal operation to national recognition is a story rooted in courage, conviction and a deep respect for the ocean they work from. Co-owners Troy Bramley and Claire Edwards — with deckhand and diver Bailey Morris working alongside Troy on the water, entered their wild crayfish into the New Zealand Food Awards themselves. It was a nerve racking move for a team that describes itself simply as “a tiny Tora team”.
The awards process is famously rigorous. Every product is assessed by at least six judges across food science, retail, hospitality, industry and government. They examine not just taste but innovation, sustainability, technical execution, packaging, responsible sourcing and environmental impact. Finalists also undergo a regulatory compliance review, so nothing about the process is casual.
For Tora Collective’s crayfish to emerge with the Quality Food Mark — which they can now use immediately — and to be named a finalist in the Artisan, Primary Sector and Chilled/Frozen categories is a major milestone. The judges recognised not only the freshness and quality of the crayfish, but the model behind it: catching to order, direct relationships between fisher and customer, traceability, provenance and thoughtful packaging.
The judges recognised not only the freshness and quality of the crayfish, but the model behind it…
“To have our caught-to-order wild crayfish come through that process and be named a finalist in three separate categories (Artisan, Primary Sector and Chilled/Frozen), was pretty huge for us. We’re a tiny team operating from Tora,” Claire says, “so to have the whole model scrutinised at that level and recognised alongside some of New Zealand’s best producers feels pretty awesome.”
The idea behind Tora Collective came from a desire to provide better seafood to Kiwi. Troy had spent years commercial crayfishing for export, where the best crayfish were sent overseas and New Zealanders were left with rejects — weak, damaged or frozen because they died in holding tanks. The same pattern existed with pāua, where prepackaged minced pāua is often made from skirt, the leftovers of the export industry. “Kiwis deserve the best quality and freshest fish — we’re an island nation after all,” they say.
Their solution was simple: catch intentionally for New Zealanders. That meant returning to an old school model — direct supply from fisher to customer. Orders come in first, the team head out to catch them, the kaimoana is packed and it’s with their customers the following day. “Troy and Bailey head out to catch them… we pack it together here at Tora before I drive into Martinborough,” Claire explains, often racing the clock to make the 2.30pm courier cutoff. It’s a rhythm that only works because being a small team, are nimble enough to pivot with the weather and small enough to communicate constantly.
The Tora coastline is famously wild, and the ocean dictates everything. Plans can change quickly, but customers understand the tradeoff: genuine freshness and traceability. The team’s commitment to catching only what has been ordered for their Kiwi customers – and doing it without holding tanks – is part of what impressed the judges and earned them the Quality Food Mark.
Sustainability is woven through everything they do. They return female crayfish to the ocean, fish seasonally around breeding periods, and make packaging choices that reflect responsibility for their backyard – wool insulation, homecompostable seawater icepacks and beachcast seaweed. They also established the Awhea Coastal Trust to put time and resources directly back into the environment they
rely on.
Living and working at Tora means life follows the rhythms of the ocean and seasons. “Mother Nature gets the final say,” they say – a philosophy that shapes both their lifestyle and their business.
And when it comes to eating kaimoana, their advice is simple: don’t overcomplicate it. Let the freshness shine – pāua sliced thinly and fried with garlic and butter, crayfish boiled with lemon or grilled with garlic butter, kina eaten as it is. Simple, delicious, and proudly local.
Next, it’s the awards night in Auckland on 13th October. “We’re absolutely stoked to be finalists in the Artisan category, and we’re taking the whole team up to Auckland for the awards. Claire says “It’s a big deal for a little business like ours. Whatever happens, we’re proud to have made it this far – and it’s a great excuse to get dressed up, celebrate, and enjoy a fun night together in the big smoke.”
