The Heytesbury Group
The Heytesbury Group is a private, family-owned West Australian conglomerate operating Heytesbury Cattle Company (165,000 head across 2.7M hectares), Vasse Felix premium wine, Heytesbury Thoroughbreds, and the world's largest live export shipping fleet acquired from Vroon in 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersPerth, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Heytesbury Group does
The Heytesbury Group is a private, family-owned West Australian conglomerate controlled by the Holmes à Court family. The group operates four wholly-owned business units through Heytesbury Pty Ltd as the corporate head office: Heytesbury Cattle Company Pty Ltd, which runs 165,000 head of cattle across 2.7 million hectares in northern Australia; Vasse Felix Pty Ltd, a premium wine producer selling primarily through direct-to-consumer channels and a wine club; Heytesbury Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd, a thoroughbred breeding operation; and Livestock Express, acquired from Dutch shipping company Vroon in May 2026, which operates the world's largest live export fleet of 11 livestock carriers transporting 600,000 to 750,000 head of livestock annually. Headquartered in Perth, the group describes itself as long-horizon, independent, and focused on building enduring businesses across wine, cattle, thoroughbreds, and shipping.
The group earns revenue from three materially different streams: cattle sales to beef producers and buyers in northern Australia (a B2B pastoral channel), wine sales to individual consumers through the Vasse Felix brand website and wine club membership (a direct-to-consumer channel), and live export shipping services to international livestock importers (an enterprise B2B logistics channel). The May 2026 acquisition of Livestock Express marks a strategic pivot from a regionally focused agribusiness into a globally integrated livestock production and shipping platform, making Heytesbury a vertically integrated player from northern Australian pasture to international livestock buyer. Pricing is not publicly disclosed across any business unit.
Operationally, the subsidiaries share corporate governance under Heytesbury Pty Ltd while running as independent businesses with their own brands, workforces, and distribution channels. There is no disclosed use of proprietary technology, no app or API surface, no AI or ML capability, and no external institutional investors; the group is wholly family-controlled with no public listing. Industry observers estimate the value of the Vroon Livestock Express transaction alone at hundreds of millions of Australian dollars, indicating that the group's consolidated asset base and revenue scale are substantially larger than what is publicly disclosed.
The Heytesbury Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Heytesbury Group
- Legal name
- Heytesbury Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://heytesbury.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Heytesbury Group is a private, family-owned West Australian conglomerate operating Heytesbury Cattle Company (165,000 head across 2.7M hectares), Vasse Felix premium wine, Heytesbury Thoroughbreds, and the world's largest live export shipping fleet acquired from Vroon in 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Heytesbury Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Diversified Agricultural and Maritime Conglomerate
- NAICS
- All Other Animal Production (11299), Other Animal Production (1129), Livestock Merchant Wholesalers (42452)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Livestock Contract Growing & Farm Labor Services (AFAEALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Livestock & Animal Transport Vehicles Leasing & Rental (TLABAEAJ), Animal Handling, Transport & Livestock Hauling Services (AFAEALAD)
Keywords
Where The Heytesbury Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Perth
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Heytesbury Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel
Revenue model
- Cattle Operations: Operating 165,000 head of cattle across 2.7 million hectares in northern Australia as part of the Heytesbury Cattle Company business unit.
- Wine Sales: Vasse Felix Pty Ltd operates the wine business, selling wines directly to consumers through wine club membership and direct purchases.
- Live Export Shipping: Following the acquisition of Vroon's Livestock Express fleet, Heytesbury operates the world's largest live export fleet, transporting 600,000 to 750,000 head of livestock annually. Revenue generated from shipping services.
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Heytesbury Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Heytesbury Group is a private family-owned holding company that owns and operates four distinct businesses: large-scale cattle farming across 2.7 million hectares in northern Australia, premium wine production and direct sales through the Vasse Felix brand, thoroughbred horse breeding, and — following the 2026 acquisition of Vroon's Livestock Express — the world's largest live livestock export shipping fleet transporting 600,000 to 750,000 head of livestock annually.
Product overview
The Heytesbury Group is a diversified private family-owned conglomerate operating three distinct business units: Heytesbury Cattle Company (cattle farming with 165,000 head across 2.7 million hectares in northern Australia), Vasse Felix (premium wine production and direct sales including a wine club), and Heytesbury Thoroughbreds (thoroughbred breeding). Following the acquisition of Vroon's Livestock Express fleet, the Group also operates the world's largest live export shipping fleet with 11 vessels. These businesses operate independently while sharing the Heytesbury brand and corporate governance under Heytesbury Pty Ltd.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vasse Felix: Wine production and sales business operating as part of the Heytesbury Group.
- Heytesbury Cattle Company
- Heytesbury Thoroughbreds
- Livestock Express
Products and services
- Heytesbury Cattle Company Large-scale cattle breeding and farming operations across 2.7 million hectares in northern Australia, managing approximately 165,000 head of cattle. Product is sold to beef producers and cattle buyers in northern Australia.
- Vasse Felix Wines Premium Australian wine production and direct-to-consumer sales operated by Vasse Felix Pty Ltd, including an online storefront at vassefelix.com.au and a wine club with membership numbers, rewards, and personalised marketing for individual wine consumers.
- Heytesbury Thoroughbreds Thoroughbred horse breeding operations within the Heytesbury Group portfolio, serving the racing and breeding industry.
- Livestock Express Live Export Shipping Maritime live livestock shipping service operated through the Livestock Express fleet of 11 carriers acquired from Dutch shipping company Vroon. Transports 600,000 to 750,000 head of livestock annually to international markets, serving overseas livestock importers as a B2B shipping service.
Quantifiable outcome
- World's largest live export fleet established following acquisition
Companies that use The Heytesbury Group
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Heytesbury Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Heytesbury Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- VrooncoreDutch shipping company Vroon sold its live export subsidiary Livestock Express and fleet of 11 livestock carriers to Heytesbury. The acquisition makes Heytesbury the owner of the world's largest live export fleet, transporting 600,000 to 750,000 head of livestock annually. Financial terms remain undisclosed but industry observers estimate the deal is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Heytesbury Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Creso Pharma (now Health House International): Australian-listed diversified holding with prior agricultural interests. Less directly comparable but useful as a small-cap Australian diversified investment vehicle for context.
- Nutrien Ag Solutions: Global agricultural inputs and services provider with significant Australian livestock and retail operations. Comparable as an enabler of Australian livestock production, though operating on the inputs/services side rather than as a producer.
- Vroon: Dutch shipping company that sold the Livestock Express fleet to Heytesbury in 2026. A directly comparable shipping counterpart and the counterparty on the defining acquisition of Heytesbury's recent strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Elders Limited: Major Australian agribusiness providing livestock agency, real estate, and rural services. Overlaps with Heytesbury as a large-scale operator in the Australian cattle supply chain, though more service-oriented than asset-heavy.
- Inghams Group: Australia's largest poultry producer and a major vertically-integrated animal protein business. Comparable to Heytesbury as a large-scale Australian animal production enterprise with integrated processing and distribution.
- Pernod Ricard Winemakers: Global wine giant's Australian wine division operating premium brands. Comparable to Vasse Felix as another large premium-Australian-wine producer with diversified brand portfolio.
- Treasury Wine Estates: One of the world's largest wine companies with significant Australian operations including premium brands. Comparable to Vasse Felix as a large Australian wine business, though at much greater scale.
Direct peers
- Wellard Limited: Australian-listed livestock export shipping company operating a fleet of livestock carriers. Direct competitor to the newly-acquired Livestock Express fleet in the live export shipping market.
- Australian Agricultural Company (AACo): Australia's largest beef cattle producer, operating large pastoral stations across northern Australia. Directly comparable to Heytesbury Cattle Company's 165,000-head operation as a fellow large-scale Australian beef cattle enterprise.
Regional players
- Costa Group Holdings: Australia's largest horticultural producer and a major publicly-listed agribusiness. Comparable as a large diversified Australian agricultural company, though focused on produce rather than livestock.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Heytesbury Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe Heytesbury Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Heytesbury Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Heytesbury Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
The Heytesbury Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Heytesbury Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Heytesbury Group
What does The Heytesbury Group do?
The Heytesbury Group is a private family-owned holding company that owns and operates four distinct businesses: large-scale cattle farming across 2.7 million hectares in northern Australia, premium wine production and direct sales through the Vasse Felix brand, thoroughbred horse breeding, and — following the 2026 acquisition of Vroon's Livestock Express — the world's largest live livestock export shipping fleet transporting 600,000 to 750,000 head of livestock annually.
Is The Heytesbury Group a public or private company?
The Heytesbury Group is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was The Heytesbury Group founded?
The Heytesbury Group was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Heytesbury Group based?
The Heytesbury Group is headquartered in Perth, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does The Heytesbury Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cattle Operations are the primary driver. The others are wine Sales and live Export Shipping.
Who are The Heytesbury Group's main competitors?
Others on record are Creso Pharma (now Health House International), Nutrien Ag Solutions and Vroon. Broad incumbents are Elders Limited, Inghams Group, Pernod Ricard Winemakers and Treasury Wine Estates. Direct peers are Wellard Limited and Australian Agricultural Company (AACo). Costa Group Holdings is listed as a regional player.
Does The Heytesbury Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Heytesbury Group.
What industry is The Heytesbury Group in?
The Heytesbury Group's product category is Diversified Agricultural and Maritime Conglomerate. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEALAE, Livestock Contract Growing & Farm Labor Services, with a secondary code of TLABAEAJ, Livestock & Animal Transport Vehicles Leasing & Rental. Its NAICS code is 11299 and its SIC code is 200.