Wednesday, 25 June 2025 11:55

Fonterra Whareroa sets cheese record, wins top award

Written by  Staff Reporters
Fonterra Whareroa staff celebrate their wins at the annual Best Site Cup Awards. Fonterra Whareroa staff celebrate their wins at the annual Best Site Cup Awards.

Fonterra Whareroa wrapped up a successful season with a record-breaking cheese production volume and several gongs at the co-op's annual Best Site Cup awards.

The site won the Best Large Site Award, which recognises excellence across all areas of operations.

Fonterra Whareroa was celebrated for its commitment for continuous improvement. The site has not only significantly lifted its quality standards and customer engagement but also started leading the way in building talent capability, while maintaining a sharp focus on sustainability.

Hayden Baylis, site operations manager for Whareroa South, say this is due responsibility for the team's hard work.

"Success is best when it's shared. I am incredibly proud of our team's achievements and the strong culture we've cultivated together. It's our dedication, unity, and shared values that drive us forward and make us truly exceptional," Baylis says.

Fonterra Whareroa also won the Japan Cheese Award for the strong performance of its cheese plants, making the site the second largest supply factory to the Japan market. The plant produced over 95,000 metric tonnes this season - exported across North and Southeast Asia markets in countries such as China, Japan and Korea.

Ryan Bernhardi, Whareroa cheese plant manager, says it always starts with the great work Fonterra farmers are doing on farms.

"We rely on our farmers' milk. There have been some dry weather conditions in the North Island this season, so we acknowledge and really appreciate their hard work to enable our success," he says.

A portion of Whareroa's cheese is sent to its neighbour site in Eltham to be processed into billions of cheese slices, while the rest is exported all over the world.

"Our cheese like cheddar and mozzarella are mainly used as ingredients for cheese snacks, processed cheese mix and in some local dishes," Bernhardi says.

Apart from topping pizzas and burgers, consumers in these markets are using cheese in local dishes such as cheese gyudon (Japanese beef rice bowl).

Dubbed the 'Oscars of Manufacturing', the Best Site Cup awards are held annually in Auckland to celebrate the successes of Fonterra's manufacturing sites across the country.

Now in their 19th year, the awards spark a bit of friendly competition with the opportunity to win in a range of areas, from sustainability and innovation to efficiency.

Other manufacturing sites in Taranaki: Eltham also took home two awards, including the Best Specialty Site Award and Customer Cup, while Kapuni was the runner-up for Best Specialty Site.

Tale of the Tape

  • Established in 1972, Whareroa is one of Fonterra's largest manufacturing sites.
  • With 11 plants, the site produces a wide range of products, including milk powder, cheese, protein, butter and lactic casein.
  • Products from Whareroa are exported to more than 85 countries worldwide.
  • With more than 1000 staff, the site can process up to 12.5 million litres of milk every day during peak season.

More like this

Should co-op sell its consumer brands?

OPINION: As CEO of the Dairy Board in the 1980s I was fortunate to work with a team of experienced and capable executives who made most of the brand investments that created the international consumer business Fonterra inherited. Soprole in Chile was the largest, but there were more than 20 countries where consumer marketing companies were established and Anchor and other brands were successfully launched.

Featured

Editorial: Nitrate emergency?

OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.

Federated Farmers slam Canterbury nitrate emergency

A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.

National

Machinery & Products

New McHale terra drive axle option

Well-known for its Fusion baler wrapper combination, Irish manufacturer McHale has launched an interesting option at the recent Irish Ploughing…

Amazone unveils flagship spreader

With the price of fertiliser still significantly higher than 2024, there is an increased onus on ensuring its spread accurately at…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Tough times

OPINION: Dairy industry players are also falling by the wayside as the economic downturn bites around the country.

MSA triumph

OPINION: Methane Science Accord, a farmer-led organisation advocating for zero tax on ruminant methane, will be quietly celebrating its first…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter