A Hawke's Bay company making a pumpkin milk has been recognised at the World Plant-Based Awards in New York.
Photo: Supplied
The product, known as Kabocha Milk, is produced by one of New Zealand's largest buttercup squash growers.
The company said squash is staple part of the Japanese and East Asian diet and the milk allows them to make use of crops which aren't export grade due to cosmetic blemishes.
It's milk is stocked in two high-end Japanese retail store chains which plans to extend to 5,000 stores across Japan, Korea and China in the next couple of years.
Kabocha Milk is made from buttercup squash pumpkins grown in the Hawke's Bay Photo: Supplied
The judging panel considered 110 entries from 20 countries, with Kabocha Milk taking out the top spot for the best plant based beverage.
The top prize for best meat alternative went to a vegan deli making pâté using ingredients such as pea protein and green banana flour.
Meanwhile, the winner of the best plant-based seafood category was a US based company that makes plant based scallops.