Southern Pastures
Southern Pastures is a New Zealand pension fund-backed agricultural investment fund operating 19 regenerative dairy farms and owning Lewis Road Creamery consumer brand and NZ Grass Fed Products B2B wholesale arm, serving premium retail and global foodservice customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Southern Pastures does
Southern Pastures is a privately held New Zealand agricultural investment fund and limited partnership, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Auckland, that owns and operates 19 dairy farms spanning over 6,600 hectares across the South Waikato and Canterbury regions. The company is capitalized by New Zealand and European pension fund investors (including AP1 of the Swedish Government pension system) with over NZ$300 million under management, providing long-duration capital that supports intergenerational investment in regenerative farming practices. Its core operating platform comprises 14 farms certified under the proprietary 10 Star Certified Values program — an independently audited regenerative certification covering grass-fed standards, GMO-free, 365-day free-range, animal welfare, antibiotic stewardship, climate mitigation, and other sustainability criteria, audited by government-owned AsureQuality.
The company operates through two wholly-owned subsidiaries: Lewis Road Creamery (consumer brand acquired in 2020) sells premium dairy products including chocolate milk, white milk (Organic, A2 Protein, Jersey varieties), and 10 Star butter via NZ supermarkets (Foodstuffs, Countdown), US Whole Foods Market (first NZ dairy stocked US-wide), Erewhon, Bristol Farms, Central Markets, and Woolworths Australia. New Zealand Grass Fed Products LP (launched 2021) serves as the B2B wholesale arm selling butter, cheese, proteins, and collagen to global retail and foodservice customers, generating approximately NZ$200 million in sales over 12 months ending March 2022. All farms are share-holding suppliers to Fonterra, which processes 10 Star butter for export under the Lewis Road Creamery brand. The BNZ $50 million sustainability-linked farm loan (NZ's first such loan) and partnerships with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research on soil carbon measurement, LIC/Rissington on dairy-beef genetics, and Pouarua Farms on Matariki-themed products round out the ecosystem of operational and commercial partnerships.
Southern Pastures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southern Pastures
- Legal name
- Southern Pastures NZ Limited
- Website
- https://southernpastures.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Southern Pastures is a New Zealand pension fund-backed agricultural investment fund operating 19 regenerative dairy farms and owning Lewis Road Creamery consumer brand and NZ Grass Fed Products B2B wholesale arm, serving premium retail and global foodservice customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southern Pastures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Grass-fed Dairy Products
- NAICS
- Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (112120), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Dairy Products (2020)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Milk Production (Raw Milk) (AFAEACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Butter, Cream & Dairy Fats (CRADACAD), Pasture-Based & Grazing Dairy Systems (AFAEACAI)
Keywords
Where Southern Pastures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices4 records
Markets served
Southern Pastures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Premium Consumer Dairy Products (Lewis Road Creamery): B2C premium dairy products sold under Lewis Road Creamery brand including chocolate milk, white milks (Organic, A2 Protein, Jersey), flavoured milks, and premium butters. Distributed through NZ supermarkets, exported to USA (Whole Foods, Erewhon, Bristol Farms, Central Markets) and Australia (Woolworths). Products command premium pricing (butter NZ$7.49/227g domestic, NZ$10+ export).
- B2B Wholesale Dairy Ingredients (NZ Grass Fed Products LP): Wholesale/business-to-business arm selling butter, cheeses, proteins, and collagen to large retail and foodservice customers worldwide. Includes both 10 Star Certified Values product range and commodity dairy ingredients. Sales approximately $200 million. Products made from Southern Pastures own farms plus contract manufactured products from partners.
- Fonterra Milk Supply: All 19 Southern Pastures dairy farms are share-holding suppliers to Fonterra. Fonterra processes and manufactures Southern Pastures' premium 10 Star Certified Values butter for export under Lewis Road Creamery brand.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 10 Star Export Butter 227g domestic NZ |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 10 Star Export Butter US market |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Winter Spice Milk limited release |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lewis Road regular butter blend |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Southern Pastures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southern Pastures owns and operates 19 dairy farms across New Zealand producing premium grass-fed, free-range milk and cream, which is processed into consumer products under the Lewis Road Creamery brand and wholesale ingredients under the NZ Grass Fed Products LP brand. The portfolio spans premium butters, flavoured milks (including chocolate milk), white milks (Organic, A2 Protein, Jersey), cheeses, proteins and collagen, all underpinned by the proprietary 10 Star Certified Values regenerative standard independently audited by AsureQuality.
Product overview
Southern Pastures operates a multi-brand dairy portfolio with three distinct go-to-market channels: Lewis Road Creamery (consumer retail brand offering premium milk, butter, and flavoured dairy products), NZ Grass Fed Products LP (B2B wholesale and foodservice arm selling bulk dairy commodities), and the 10 Star Certified Values Program (a proprietary certification standard underpinning their premium product differentiation). Southern Pastures owns 19-20 dairy farms in South Waikato and Canterbury, with all 10 Star Certified farms audited by AsureQuality. Lewis Road Creamery distributes in NZ, Australia, and USA (Whole Foods), while NZ Grass Fed serves global B2B customers. The company's model emphasizes vertical integration from farm to consumer, with traceability and provenance as key differentiators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lewis Road Creamery: Premium consumer dairy brand offering chocolate milk, white milk (Organic, A2 Protein, Jersey varieties), flavored milks, and premium butters. Products sold in New Zealand, Australia, USA (Whole Foods), and Singapore.
- NZ Grass Fed
Products and services
- 10 Star Certified Values Program A regenerative, independently audited certification program covering 10 values: grass-fed (>99% fresh grass), GMO-free, free-range 365 days, exceptional animal welfare, environmental sustainability, antibiotic stewardship, human welfare, climate change mitigation, no rBST/growth hormones, and no palm or animal feeds. Used by 14 of Southern Pastures' farms and audited by government-owned AsureQuality. Underpins the provenance story for premium consumer products and ingredients.
- Lewis Road Creamery (consumer brand portfolio) Premium New Zealand consumer dairy brand offering chocolate milk, white milks (Organic, A2 Protein, Jersey), flavoured milks and premium butters. Minimally processed, permeate-free, GMO-free and PKE/palm-product free. Distributed in New Zealand supermarkets, Australia (Woolworths), USA (Whole Foods, Erewhon, Bristol Farms, Central Markets), and Singapore.
- Lewis Road Creamery 10 Star Butter Ultra-premium grass-fed butter made using the traditional Fritz Churn process from cream from Southern Pastures' own 10 Star Certified farms. Independently audited by AsureQuality and traceable pasture-to-plate. Exported to USA, Australia, and Singapore and available at Whole Foods where it is among the most expensive butters on shelf at NZ$10+ per 227g block.
- Lewis Road Creamery Winter Spice Milk Limited-release flavoured milk infused with horopito (pepper tree) developed in partnership with Pouarua Farms and inspired by Matariki. Marketed at NZ$4.50 per 300ml rPET bottle in a release of 40,000 bottles.
- NZ Grass Fed Products LP (B2B wholesale dairy) Wholesale/B2B arm of Southern Pastures selling butter, cheeses, proteins and collagen to large retail and foodservice customers worldwide. Offers both 10 Star Certified Values product range and commodity dairy ingredients. Sales approximately NZ$200 million over the last 12 months as of March 2022. Trade enquiries handled via [email protected].
- NZ Grass Fed Wholesale Butter (salted, unsalted, butter-casein) Wholesale butter products including salted butter (25kg box), unsalted butter (25kg box) and butter-casein products sold to B2B customers globally.
- NZ Grass Fed Milk Powders (whole, skim, buttermilk, 10 Star) Wholesale milk powder products including whole milk powder, skim milk powder, buttermilk powder, and 10 Star milk powder, sold for export and foodservice markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10 Star butter won Sofi Product of the Year 2023 at US Specialty Food Association awards
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Southern Pastures
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Southern Pastures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Southern Pastures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FonterracoreAll 19 Southern Pastures farms are share-holding suppliers to Fonterra. Fonterra processes and manufactures Southern Pastures' premium 10 Star Certified Values butter exported under Lewis Road Creamery brand to USA, Australia, Singapore. Southern Pastures waves the flag for cooperatives because farming community benefits from this ownership model.
- Green Valley DairiescoreGreen Valley Dairies bottles Lewis Road Creamery's fresh milk in New Zealand.
- AsureQualitycoreGovernment-owned organization performing audits for 10 Star Certified Values program. No vested interest in Southern Pastures or certification outcome. Leading provider of food assurance services for over 100 years. Certification undergoing JAS ANZ ISO accreditation.
- Baker Tilly WaikatominorAccountants for Southern Pastures.
- KPMGminorFinancial auditors for Southern Pastures.
- Public TrustcoreCrown Entity providing custody services with independence guaranteed under Public Trust Act 2001. One of three payment verification checks.
- Farm Source, Farmlands, Balance, LICminorFarm supply partners providing agricultural inputs.
- Whitaker's ChocolatecoreLong-term partner for Lewis Road Creamery chocolate milk launch in 2014. Partnership created wildly popular product that caused nationwide shortage with snaking queues and black market.
- Pouarua FarmsminorJointly owned by Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Tara Tokanui and Te Patukirikiri iwi. Supplier of PKE-free milk to Lewis Road Creamery for several years. Partnership for Winter Spice Matariki milk with horopito.
- LIC (Livestock Improvement Corporation)corePartnership with Rissington and Southern Pastures to identify beef genetics combined with technologies like sexed semen and whole herd mating to AI. Goal to increase beef-targeted calves from 5-10% to 50%+ for dairy beef improvement.
- RissingtoncorePartner providing Profit Maker bull semen for dairy beef breeding program. Producing 750 beef calves over non-dairy replacements. Partnership aims to improve feed conversion for both dairy and beef industries.
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare ResearchcoreWorking with Southern Pastures to measure baseline soil carbon across company's 19 farms. Monitoring in five-year intervals to determine if farming practices have increased soil carbon.
- Dung Beetle InnovationsminorPartnership for importation and study of beneficial effects of dung beetles. Successfully trialed on South Waikato farms, now rolling out to Canterbury farms. Dung beetles improve pasture production, reduce run-offs, sequester soil carbon, reduce methane emissions.
- Chapman Tripp, Gibson Sheat, Tomkins Wake, DentonsminorLegal firms providing legal services.
- FMG, Crombie LockwoodminorInsurance providers for Southern Pastures.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Southern Pastures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- a2 Milk Company: NZ-headquartered premium dairy company selling A2 protein milk, infant formula, and cream products into Australia, China, and the US. Closely comparable in the A2/Jersey premium milk positioning and export-led business model.
- Stonyfield Farm: US-based organic yogurt and dairy brand with strong sustainability and supply-chain traceability positioning. Comparable in premium organic/grass-fed branding and Whole Foods-style retail distribution in the US.
- Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company: NZ dairy cooperative specializing in high-value specialty dairy ingredients (casein, whey proteins, lactoferrin). Comparable as a smaller NZ dairy player focused on premium, value-added ingredient categories rather than commodity volumes.
- Miraka: NZ dairy processor owned by Māori interests, producing milk powders, UHT, and ingredients for global markets. Comparable as a values-led NZ dairy player with sustainability messaging and export orientation.
- Synlait Milk: New Zealand dairy processor and brand owner supplying premium infant formula, nutritional powders, and milk to global markets. Comparable in being a NZ-based vertically integrated premium dairy company with B2B and B2B ingredients reach.
Broad incumbents
- Fonterra Co-operative Group: Largest NZ dairy cooperative and processor — Southern Pastures' farms are all Fonterra share-holding suppliers, and Fonterra processes its premium 10 Star butter. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in NZ dairy with global B2B ingredients reach.
- Arla Foods: European dairy cooperative with global retail and foodservice presence, including premium grass-fed and organic product ranges. Comparable as a large incumbent with sustainability programs and global B2B dairy ingredient reach.
- Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company with significant dairy-based ingredients and proteins business for foodservice and CPG. Comparable as a B2B dairy ingredients supplier with global reach, though focused on ingredient functionality rather than farm-to-shelf storytelling.
- Organic Valley: US cooperative of organic dairy farmers selling premium pasture-raised dairy products (milk, butter, cheese) with strong sustainability credentials. Comparable as a premium, values-driven, pasture-raised dairy brand in the US market Southern Pastures targets.
Regional players
- Open Country Dairy: NZ dairy company producing bulk dairy ingredients (milk powders, cheese, butter) for export markets. Comparable in NZ dairy origins and B2B/wholesale go-to-market, though focused on commodity rather than premium branded products.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Southern Pastures social profiles
Digital presenceSouthern Pastures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Southern Pastures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southern Pastures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Southern Pastures subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Southern Pastures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southern Pastures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southern Pastures
What does Southern Pastures do?
Southern Pastures owns and operates 19 dairy farms across New Zealand producing premium grass-fed, free-range milk and cream, which is processed into consumer products under the Lewis Road Creamery brand and wholesale ingredients under the NZ Grass Fed Products LP brand. The portfolio spans premium butters, flavoured milks (including chocolate milk), white milks (Organic, A2 Protein, Jersey), cheeses, proteins and collagen, all underpinned by the proprietary 10 Star Certified Values regenerative standard independently audited by AsureQuality.
Is Southern Pastures a public or private company?
Southern Pastures is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Southern Pastures founded?
Southern Pastures was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Southern Pastures based?
Southern Pastures is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Southern Pastures make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Premium Consumer Dairy Products (Lewis Road Creamery) is the primary driver. The others are B2B Wholesale Dairy Ingredients (NZ Grass Fed Products LP) and fonterra Milk Supply.
Who are Southern Pastures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are a2 Milk Company, Stonyfield Farm, Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company, Miraka and Synlait Milk. Broad incumbents are Fonterra Co-operative Group, Arla Foods, Kerry Group and Organic Valley. Open Country Dairy is listed as a regional player.
Does Southern Pastures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southern Pastures.
What industry is Southern Pastures in?
Southern Pastures's product category is Premium Grass-fed Dairy Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEACAA, Milk Production (Raw Milk), with a secondary code of CRADACAD, Butter, Cream & Dairy Fats. Its NAICS code is 112120 and its SIC code is 200.