Waitaki’s first Souper Soup Sipper is “telling the story of the district through a bowl of soup”, Waitaki District Council placemaking lead Cyndi Christensen says.

Eighteen Ōamaru cafes have joined forces to support the initiative of selling a soup of their choice over the next three weeks, and Cyndi is urging the public to hop on the soup train in soupport.

“We thought that in a slower part of the year we would create a food activity that could help draw people out to enjoy what's on offer with the businesses. And soup really seemed to work,” she said.

Throughout Souptember, the event will incorporate stories about the businesses, as well as the producers and growers who keep them freshly stocked.

“Where many of the ingredients are locally sourced is a big part of this storytelling that we want to do through Waitaki's Souper Soup Sipper.”

The idea came about through a conversation Cyndi had with Moa Bakery, Cakery’s Jane Thompson who wanted to have a collaborative hospitality event.

Cyndi had run something similar in her previous job, but instead of soup sipping, people were supping hot chocolates. 

“So, through that discussion we came up with the soup idea, she created the name and we were away with the planning.”

The promotion is not about one pitting one soup against another, but more an opportunity to showcase all the businesses through a single product, she said.

While there are only so many soups in the world, the eateries have come up with some creative choices.

“We have five pumpkin, but they’re all quite different. There’s a Thai, and tasty, a traditional, a roasted and a curry - so even they’re quite different.”

She used Cucina, owned by Argentinian couple Yanina and Pablo Tachinni, as an example of a business highlighting their place of origin, and “celebrating that through food”.

“So it’s an opportunity for businesses to really highlight, and kind of speak about their identity through a bowl of soup.” 

Throughout the three weeks the public is encouraged to venture out and soup in a group.

There will be Sip and Share voucher giveaways throughout the event, with the chance to win soup for two across various platforms, including Real Radio, Waitaki App, and the official Waitaki Souper Soup Sipper Facebook page.

“Follow that for any updates,” Cyndi said.

“Every day has been a reveal of a new soup, and it gives people an opportunity to really read about the soup. Where it's from and, and who's serving it, and then they can kind of make a plan as to where they want to go and which ones they want to try.”

Cyndi also encourages people to share their own recipes and the stories behind their favourite soups on the Facebook page - why they love it, and where it comes from.

“This event is celebrating the richness of the land and the creativeness of the people and the joy of eating. Soup represents, you know, comfort and community and love, and I think everyone loves a good bowl of soup.

“If it goes well, then we definitely would love to see it grow into a festival and be the first one in New Zealand.”

Find all the information you need about the Souper Soup Sipper here on the Waitaki App. Go to the homepage, click on the orange "button" and you'll have it all in-hand.