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Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton
Silver Fern Farms has announced a major capital investment valued at over $100 million to redevelop freezing, cold storage, and automation facilities at its Finegand Site near Balclutha.
Dan Boulton, Silver Fern Farms chief executive says the investment signals a strong vote of confidence in the sector, community and the company's site network.
Boulton says the investment is the largest ever undertaken by the company.
"This investment forms part of an ongoing programme of investment across the Silver Fern Farms site network to strengthen site resilience, efficiency and long-term competitiveness," he says.
“It will deliver new freezing capacity, automated cold storage, sorting and modern load‑out infrastructure. Once complete, the Finegand redevelopment will significantly strengthen the Site’s role as high-capacity hub for our South Island network."
Boulton says the redevelopment also delivers a step change in product quality and customer outcomes, supporting Silver Fern Farms' premium market positioning.
“Customers will see tangible benefits, including improved carton presentation through reduced handling and damage, and greater shelf‑life utilisation through more accurate, responsive order fulfilment,” he says.
He says the improvements directly support the company's premium strategy and build long-term brand value while automation and modern facility design will improve workplace safety and sustainability.
“Automation will reduce manual handling and forklift movements, creating a safer working environment for our people while supporting the transition into higher‑skill, technology‑enabled roles,” he says.
“Modern refrigeration systems and smarter layouts will also improve energy efficiency and reduce unnecessary handling and transport over time.”
According to Boulton, the investment is enabled by disciplined financial management following several challenging years for the business.
“After returning to profit following two years of operating losses, we have retained earnings which strengthens our balance sheet and helps ensure capital was available for reinvestment,” he says. “That approach has positioned us to invest at scale today, building durable, long‑term value for shareholders.”
The Finegand investment is expected to deliver material operating savings and a more resilient earnings base, with strong long‑term returns at both site and network level.
“This is a capital‑intensive investment with a rapid network‑level payback and a clear uplift in returns on capital employed,” Boulton says.
Construction will be carefully staged to minimise disruption to existing operations, with commissioning planned from 2027, aligned with lower volume periods.
“Ultimately, this investment is a vote of confidence — in Finegand, in the Balclutha and farming communities, in the future of the sector, and in the long‑term value we can create for our people, our suppliers, our customers and our shareholders,” Boulton says.
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