OUR COOPERATIVE
Owned by the families who milk the cows.
Since 1938, farmers across the western mountains have joined High Country Creamery to build a stronger, fairer dairy future — together.
OUR STORY
A cooperative built on shared values.
A cooperative is more than a business model — it’s a promise. Our 310 producer families own the creamery together, share in its success, and steer its direction. That’s why every wheel of cheese, every bottle of milk and every scoop of yogurt is a reflection of the pride they take in the land, the animals and each other.
85+
Years of tradition
2,400
Kaimahi across Aotearoa
310
Farming whānau
12
Modern production facilities
HERITAGE
85+ years in the making
1938
Founded
A group of eleven Southern Alps dairy farmers pool their milk to start High Country Creamery near Queenstown.
1962
First cheese cave
Our now-famous aging caves are carved directly into the schist bluffs behind our first plant.
1985
Ingredients division
We open our first whey processing line, feeding the growing sports-nutrition category.
2001
Expansion north
New sites open in Hamilton and Palmerston North, connecting more producer whānau to our co-operative.
2018
Sustainability pledge
We announce a 2040 net-zero commitment, one of the first in the Aotearoa dairy sector.
2026
R&D centre opens
A new 4,200 sqm innovation campus opens in Queenstown to design the dairy of tomorrow.
COMMUNITY
Neighbors first, always.
We invest more than $3 million each year in the mountain communities we call home — supporting food banks, youth agriculture programs, watershed protection and volunteer fire departments in every valley we serve.
See our impact