Our Story
Farmland Foods started in a family butcher shop 60 years ago…
and now four generations later we’re one of New Zealand’s leading smallgoods producers. Still passionately family run in Bulls in the Rangitikei district, we employ over 200 local staff and we’ve invested in state of the art manufacturing and equipment to produce quality meats for you.
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1960s
It all started in the family butcher shop owned by George Davis, in Broadway, Palmerston North. George’s sons, Russell and Allan Davis, set up Cobblestone Bakeries producing pies and bakery products for local dairies.
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1978
Cobblestone Bakeries sold to a large multinational food company. Allan then started Farmland Meat Company and purchased the 800-acre property in Bulls, Rangitikei where Farmland is today.
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1980s
The farm was developed to include services and water supply, and the first factory was built for pre-packed produce.
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1990s
The factory was extended to include production of meats, including pre-packed corned silverside and marinated steak range supplied to supermarket butcheries. Also developed cooked ham and deli meats products and built a new temperature controlled distribution centre.
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2001-2011
Major expansion of the plant took place to more than double capacity. The distribution centre was also extended to increase storage capacity by 300%.
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2015-2018
Investment continued in plant to upgrade amenities and technology, including new equipment to cater for convenience packs, and the launch of Deli Cut and Lunch Club pre-packed meats ranges.
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2019-2021
The fourth-generation enters the company. Directors, Garth and Reuben's daughters are now employed within the business across Accounts, Operations and Marketing departments.
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2021
The company takes on a brand refresh – New logo and consistent branding across all packaging making it easy for consumers to identify quality Farmland products throughout the supermarket.
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2022
Bryce Street, Whanganui site is purchased to further production & storage capacity to accommodate increased growth and demand.
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2023
Alderman Place, Auckland distribution facility purchased. With capacity for 2000 pallet spaces this will improve storage, distribution and customer service from Taupo north.
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2024
Celebrating 60 years in May 2024.
Every Family, Every Day
With our vision of every family, every day and our mission of bringing family together through our passion for food, we take pride in our heritage and the way we do things with the utmost love, care and attention and in selecting the best quality meats and preparing them ready for your enjoyment.
Animal Welfare
Farmland cares about animal welfare. All our beef and lamb products are free range. We produce our pork products from Barn Raised, Free Farmed and Free Range pork, from both New Zealand and imported from other reputable countries.
Consumers deserve to know how the animals are farmed, which is why Farmland states clearly on our pork products if the pork is from New Zealand free farmed or free range raised. If a product does not show these details it will be produced from imported barn raised pork.
Barn raised pigs are prevalent in countries with cold climates, as pigs do not survive snow and icy conditions. Farmland work with suppliers in Europe, Canada and the USA that have minimum standards for animal welfare. We support companies that clearly demonstrate a commitment to animal welfare throughout the whole process from the breeding, raising, transportation and processing of their animals.
In short, Farmland has a reputation for quality products and we do this by partnering with companies that are at the top of their game. If a meat company is going to succeed in the future, it must take care of the animals and be able to produce good quality consistently. It’s only then that we at Farmland can create the great products consumers have come to expect from us over the past 50 years.
Sustainability
At Farmland, we use water sourced from our own wells on the farm, up to 262m below the surface. Tested for quality, filtered and softened, we then use this water as needed in our production plant – it’s what helps make the Farmland difference.
We're also putting our stamp on creating a more sustainable future for NZ by creating our freshly redesigned packaging from NZ sourced recycled #1 RPET plastic, to find out more read our media release here