Some ingredients arrive by careful planning. Others arrive because the stars quietly align, because people care deeply, and because the land is speaking at exactly the right moment.
Long before Sundrift Aperitivo ever existed in a bottle, it began with a belief inside Brookie’s that great drinks are born from great farms and great friendships. Rather than starting with a formula, the team began with a search for character, connection, and citrus that felt alive. That search led them to Vitonga Farm, a place where oranges are not just grown, but truly nurtured.
At the heart of Brookie’s Sundrift Aperitivo is Vitonga Farm’s Bright Navel Orange. Big citrus flavour, sun kissed and vibrant, hand picked and hand peeled with care. These are not just oranges, they are the kind of fruit that carries place, warmth, and craftsmanship within every peel. Sourced from one of Australia’s finest citrus farms, they form the backbone of what makes Sundrift such a distinctive Australian aperitif in a bottle. Fresh from New South Wales and delivered directly to Byron Bay, their journey is short, gentle, and purposeful, preserving their brightness all the way from tree to bottle.
Vitonga Farm itself is a story worth savouring. Known across Australia as the growers behind Grove Juice, their reputation is built on quality, consistency, and respect for the land. Their orchards are largely dedicated to Valencia oranges for juicing, but nestled among them are twelve almost perfect Navel trees, a small pocket of brilliance that arrived by chance from a nursery. These trees became the quiet stars of Sundrift. Their fruit was hand selected at peak ripeness, chosen not for convenience, but for its sparkling citrus lift, its clarity, and its unmistakable freshness.
What makes this partnership even more beautiful is that it is rooted in friendship. The owners of Vitonga Farm have long been close to Pam and Martin Brook of Brookie’s. While this was the first time Vitonga supplied fruit to Brookie’s, it felt less like a new collaboration and more like two families finally creating something together.
The harvest itself was approached with the same care as the farming. Three of Vitonga’s citrus specialists, not regular fruit pickers but true custodians of the trees, joined in. Two originally from Bhutan and one from South Korea, they selected fruit with an artisan’s eye, choosing only the very best Navels at their most radiant moment. This was not about volume, but about quality in its purest form.
With a trip to Byron Bay already planned, the oranges were hand delivered in a truck, a rolling treasure of sunlit fruit making its way north. Once at the distillery, every orange was handled and peeled by hand, ensuring the essential oils, fragrance, and vibrancy were captured at their freshest.
This is what makes Sundrift Aperitivo what it is. A drink shaped by place, people, and passion. From Vitonga’s eight perfect Navel Orange trees, to careful hands in the orchard, to the coastal air of Byron Bay, every step is felt in the glass.
When you taste Sundrift, that brightness, that lift, that unmistakable fresh citrus character, you are tasting Vitonga Farm itself, transformed into something golden, refreshing, and utterly Australian.
Some flavours are engineered.
Others are delivered by chance, care, and a very full truck.
