Patoa Farms
Patoa Farms is a privately held, family-owned free-range pig farming operation in North Canterbury, New Zealand, operating NZ's largest piggery and supplying its Roam Free Free Farmed Pork wholesale to Woolworths nationwide and Harris Farms in the South Island, plus direct-to-community fundraising BBQs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersHawarden, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Patoa Farms does
Patoa Farms is a privately held, family-owned free-range pig farming operation headquartered on a single site at 724 Medbury Road, Hawarden, in North Canterbury, New Zealand, on the south bank of the Hurunui River. Founded in 1998 by Steve Sterne and Jens Ravn, the company operates what it describes as New Zealand's largest piggery, using an outdoor farrowing system in which sows roam freely in paddocks with weather shelters and fresh water, combined with eco-barn deep-litter finishing buildings where pigs are raised on daily-replenished straw bedding. Pigs are fed a grain-based pelleted diet (wheat, broll, meat meal, fishmeal, vitamins and minerals) tailored to life stage, with no food waste feeding at any point.
The core commercial product is the Roam Free Free Farmed Pork range, sold through two primary retail channels: Woolworths supermarkets nationwide (in distinctive green trays) and Harris Farms in the South Island, supplemented by direct supply of fresh pork to clubs, schools, and community groups for fundraising BBQs and a community sponsorship program (grants up to $2500, two funding rounds per year) targeted at the Hurunui-Waiau catchment. The business carries Pig Care accreditation through NZ Pork and has accumulated a series of regional awards including the 2016 North Canterbury Business Awards Supreme Award and the 2014 South Island Farmer of the Year.
Revenue mechanics are wholesale-driven: the company sells branded free-farmed pork to two named retail customers under transaction-fee economics, with no public pricing or disclosed revenue figures, and operates with a lean 12-employee team under family ownership following the 2013 retirement of the co-founders. Recent additions to the leadership team include Jelle Edzes (Wholesaling & Procurement Manager, joined 2024 from Rabobank agribusiness banking), suggesting a measured professionalization of commercial operations rather than rapid scaling.
Patoa Farms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Patoa Farms
- Legal name
- Patoa Farms
- Website
- https://patoafarms.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Patoa Farms is a privately held, family-owned free-range pig farming operation in North Canterbury, New Zealand, operating NZ's largest piggery and supplying its Roam Free Free Farmed Pork wholesale to Woolworths nationwide and Harris Farms in the South Island, plus direct-to-community fundraising BBQs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Patoa Farms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Free-Range Pork Production
- NAICS
- Hog and Pig Farming (112210), Hog and Pig Farming (1122)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organic & Pasture-Raised Hog Farming (AFAEAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- High-Health/Biosecure Hog Production (SPF/Pedigree Nucleus) (AFAEAEAL), Finishing Hog Production (Grow-Finish) (AFAEAEAE)
Keywords
Where Patoa Farms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hawarden
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Patoa Farms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Wholesale Pork Supply to Retailers: Primary revenue stream through wholesale supply of free-farmed pork to major national retailers. Products sold through Woolworths supermarkets nationwide in green trays and through Harris Farms in the South Island.
- Direct Community Sales: Direct supply of fresh pork products to clubs, schools, and community groups for fundraising BBQ events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Community Sponsorship Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Patoa Farms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Patoa Farms is New Zealand's largest piggery, producing and wholesaling free-farmed pork raised outdoors in paddocks and finished in eco barns with deep straw litter. Its primary product is the "Roam Free" Free Farmed Pork brand, distributed via Woolworths supermarkets nationwide and Harris Farms in the South Island. The company also supplies fresh pork directly to clubs, schools, and community groups for fundraising BBQs.
Product overview
Patoa Farms is a free-farmed pork producer operating as NZ's largest piggery. The company's primary product is its "Roam Free" branded Free Farmed Pork, sold through Woolworths supermarkets nationwide and Harris Farms in the South Island. Additionally, Patoa Farms supplies fresh pork products to clubs, schools, and community groups for fundraising BBQs, and operates a community sponsorship program offering grants up to $2500 to local groups in the Hurunui district.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Roam Free Free Farmed Pork Free Farmed Pork brand produced by Patoa Farms, sold through Woolworths supermarkets nationwide and Harris Farms in the South Island. The pork is raised outdoors with sows roaming freely in paddocks and finished in eco barns with deep straw litter, and is 100% New Zealand produced and Pig Care accredited.
- BBQ Fundraising Pork Supply Fresh pork products supplied directly to clubs, schools, and community groups for fundraising BBQs within the Hurunui-Waiau catchment area.
Companies that use Patoa Farms
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Patoa Farms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Patoa Farms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Made North CanterburyminorPatoa Farms are proud members of Made North Canterbury, a regional branding initiative that promotes local producers and businesses in the North Canterbury region.
- Pig CarecorePatoa Farms are Pig Care accredited, a certification program administered by NZ Pork for pork producers demonstrating high standards of animal care and welfare.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Patoa Farms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Tulip Ltd: UK pork processing subsidiary of Danish Crown supplying major UK grocers and foodservice. Comparable only thematically as a pork processor competing on welfare-led branding and private-label supply to large supermarket chains.
Broad incumbents
- AFFCO New Zealand: Major NZ meat processor and exporter operating beef and ovine processing alongside associated livestock procurement. Comparable as a scale NZ protein player with direct supermarket and export relationships, though in different species.
- Alliance Group: NZ farmer-owned meat co-operative processing and marketing sheep, beef, and deer across multiple export and domestic channels. Comparable as a major NZ protein incumbent with similar retailer and supply-chain dynamics.
- Ingham's Group: Australia and New Zealand's largest poultry producer with operations across both countries. Comparable as a large-scale, multi-site animal protein supplier with major retail relationships across the same grocery customers Patoa serves.
- Silver Fern Farms: New Zealand's largest red-meat processor and marketer with strong premium retail and foodservice brands. Comparable as a NZ vertically integrated protein operator with nationwide retail distribution and brand-led positioning.
- Greenlea Premier Meats: NZ beef processor supplying domestic supermarket chains and export markets. Comparable as another NZ red-meat supplier to the same major retailer customers, although operating in beef rather than pork.
- Tegel Foods: New Zealand's largest poultry producer and a major domestic animal-protein brand owned by Bain Capital. Comparable as a large NZ protein incumbent competing for the same supermarket shelf space and shopper spend, even though protein type differs.
Emerging players
- Hazeldenes: Australian chicken and further-processed protein producer with growing retail presence. Comparable as a regional protein challenger investing in value-added branded products across the same supermarket channel.
Direct peers
- Freedom Farms: Australian free-range pork producer built around an outdoor 'free to roam' welfare proposition and sold through major supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths AU). Directly comparable to Patoa on free-farmed positioning, retail-channel distribution, and value-based marketing.
- SunPork: Australia's largest vertically integrated pork producer, operating breeding through finishing and supplying major retailers. Comparable as a scaled pork producer competing for the same retail customer type, even though Patoa is free-range and SunPork is more conventional.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Patoa Farms social profiles
Digital presencePatoa Farms compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Patoa Farms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Patoa Farms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Patoa Farms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Patoa Farms 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 Patoa Farms
What does Patoa Farms do?
Patoa Farms is New Zealand's largest piggery, producing and wholesaling free-farmed pork raised outdoors in paddocks and finished in eco barns with deep straw litter. Its primary product is the "Roam Free" Free Farmed Pork brand, distributed via Woolworths supermarkets nationwide and Harris Farms in the South Island. The company also supplies fresh pork directly to clubs, schools, and community groups for fundraising BBQs.
Is Patoa Farms a public or private company?
Patoa Farms is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Patoa Farms founded?
Patoa Farms was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Patoa Farms based?
Patoa Farms is headquartered in Hawarden, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Patoa Farms make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Wholesale Pork Supply to Retailers are the primary driver. The others are direct Community Sales.
Who are Patoa Farms's main competitors?
Tulip Ltd is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are AFFCO New Zealand, Alliance Group, Ingham's Group, Silver Fern Farms, Greenlea Premier Meats and Tegel Foods. Hazeldenes is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Freedom Farms and SunPork.
Does Patoa Farms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Patoa Farms.
What industry is Patoa Farms in?
Patoa Farms's product category is Free-Range Pork Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAEAI, Organic & Pasture-Raised Hog Farming, with a secondary code of AFAEAEAL, High-Health/Biosecure Hog Production (SPF/Pedigree Nucleus). Its NAICS code is 112210 and its SIC code is 200.