Kitchwin Hills

What Kitchwin Hills does

Kitchwin Hills is a privately held thoroughbred stud farm in Scone, New South Wales, in the Upper Hunter Region of Australia. Founded in 1993 by the Brown family, the operation occupies approximately 1,000 acres in the Isis Valley — the only thoroughbred operation situated in that valley — and runs comprehensive breeding services: stallion nominations (led by resident sire Graff at A$9,900 inc GST for 2025, with Dubious added in partnership in April 2023), mare management and breeding, 24-hour monitored foaling, yearling sale preparation, and agistment for mares, foals, weanlings, yearlings and spelling horses. The farm's core technology is its specialized infrastructure: a 26-box yearling barn with 12-horse walker, floodlit surveillance paddocks, American-style barn stabling, a dedicated veterinary area, and limestone-enriched pastures marketed as supporting bone strength.

Revenue is generated through three streams — stallion service fees (per nomination/cover), auction proceeds from yearlings sold through Magic Millions and Inglis (Premier, Classic, Easter), and recurring agistment/breeding/foaling services for outside clients. Yearling sale prices range from A$5,000 to A$120,000 depending on pedigree. Go-to-market combines direct breeder relationships (channeled through a long-tenured nominations lead and a Pedigrees 360 digital matching tool), on-farm agistment inquiries, and physical presence at major Australian yearling auctions. The business is family-owned and operated, with Steve Brown as a founding director (former JP Morgan/Citigroup/Ord Minnett background), Graham Brown managing the Top Farm, Verna Metcalfe as General Manager across the affiliated Alma Vale Thoroughbreds entity, and Oscar Engelbrecht as Stud Manager. The company has no external funding, no parent organization, no public listing, and operates from a single Scone headquarters.

Name

Kitchwin Hills

Legal name

Kitchwin Hills

Website

https://kitchwin.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kitchwin Hills is a family-owned thoroughbred stud farm in the Hunter Valley, NSW, standing stallion Graff and offering breeding, foaling, agistment, and yearling sale preparation services to commercial breeders and buyers across Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Thoroughbred Stud Services

NAICS

Horses and Other Equine Production (112920), Support Activities for Animal Production (11521)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Horse Breeding & Stud Farms (AFAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yearling/Weanling Raising & Sales Prep (AFAEAGAD), Stallion Services & Semen Collection/Distribution (AFAEAGAB), Mare Management & Foaling Operations (AFAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Thoroughbred breeding
• Stallion services
• Yearling sales
• Equine agistment
• Foaling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gundy, New South Wales

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Stallion Service Fees (Stud Fees): Standing stallions at stud for breeding services. Primary stallion Graff at $9,900 inc GST service fee for 2025.
2. Yearling Sales: Sale preparation and auction of yearlings through major sales including Magic Millions, Inglis Premier, Inglis Classic, and Inglis Easter. Yearlings sold at prices ranging from $5,000 to $120,000.
3. Breeding Services: Full service breeding operations including breeding management, foaling services, sale preparation, and agistment services for mares, foals, weanlings, yearlings and stallions.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kitchwin Hills operates a thoroughbred stud farm offering stallion services (anchored by Graff at $9,900 inc GST per cover for 2025), comprehensive breeding management, professional foaling, yearling sale preparation, and agistment services for mares, foals, weanlings, yearlings, and stallions. Yearlings bred and prepared at the farm are sold at Australia's major auctions including Magic Millions and Inglis sales, with realized prices ranging from $5,000 to $120,000.

Product overview

Kitchwin Hills is a thoroughbred stud farm offering a comprehensive suite of breeding services. The core offering centers on their stallion Graff (standing at $9,900 inc GST for 2025), supported by breeding management, foaling services, sale preparation for yearlings, and agistment facilities. The farm operates from nearly 1,000 acres in the Isis Valley, Upper Hunter Region, and sells yearlings through major Australian auction houses including Magic Millions and Inglis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Coolmore Australia: Global thoroughbred giant with major Hunter Valley presence standing elite commercial stallions. Larger, broader incumbent in the same stallion market.
• Darley (Godolphin) Australia: Sheikh Mohammed's global thoroughbred operation with a major Hunter Valley base. Significantly larger incumbent in stallion and breeding services.

Direct peers

• Arrowfield Stud: One of Australia's largest thoroughbred breeding operations based in the Hunter Valley, standing multiple Group 1-producing stallions. Comparable stallion and breeding services peer.
• Newgate Farm: Major Hunter Valley stud farm with a large stallion roster, yearling sales preparation, and agistment services. Direct competitor in stallion nominations and yearling preparation.
• Vinery Stud: Hunter Valley stud farm with stallion services, breeding, and yearling preparation. Direct competitor where Oscar Engelbrecht (Kitchwin's Stud Manager) previously worked.
• Segenhoe Stud: Premium Hunter Valley stud operation offering stallion services, breeding, and yearling sales preparation. Comparable boutique full-service thoroughbred farm.
• Yarraman Park Stud: Upper Hunter Valley stallion and breeding operation, also a former employer of Kitchwin's Stud Manager. Comparable in stallion roster and full-service breeding offerings.
• Widden Stud: Long-established Hunter Valley thoroughbred stud farm standing multiple stallions and offering breeding, foaling, and sale preparation services. Directly comparable to Kitchwin as a competing stallion operation in the same region.
• Cressfield Stud: Hunter Valley boutique stud offering stallion services, foaling, and yearling preparation. Comparable in scale and full-service offering to Kitchwin Hills.

Regional players

• Alma Vale Thoroughbreds: Adjacent Hunter Valley thoroughbred operation managed by Kitchwin's General Manager Verna Metcalfe. Operates in same geography with shared leadership and overlapping services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kitchwinhills
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheKitchwinHills
• Facebookfacebook.com/KitchwinHills
• Instagraminstagram.com/kitchwinhills
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kitchwin-hills

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kitchwin Hills