Invercargill couple Miringa and Nigel Popham say they came back to their home town 14 years ago to be 'milk people'.
Nigel's dad, Neil Popham, had picked up the Fonterra franchise for distributing milk around Southland after the local milk processing plant closed; when he retired the couple took over the franchise.
Miringa, who formerly worked at the Christchurch regional office of WINZ, and Nigel's family business of three drivers work six days a week distributing milk around one of the largest regions in the country. They cover from Clinton, roughly halfway to Dunedin in the east, to Kingston in the north and Milford and Te Anau in the west, using freight contractors to cover some of the remotest areas.
Their early morning schedule is less dawn-breaking than many but still demands an early start: drivers start at the depot at 6.15am, heading out on the road around 7.15am.
But it's not just business. The couple have also grown one of the most important social programmes in the country - Fonterra's Milk for Schools. Their pioneering work (they were one of the first franchises in the programme) earned them the inaugural Milkman Of The Year award from the company in 2014.
Fonterra Milk for Schools, now in its fourth year, has supplied over 53.1 million (and counting) cartons of milk to over 170,000 school kids. The Pophams have also brought 97 per cent of the region's schools into the programme, including remote Taha Kopu in the Caitlins and Half Moon Bay school in Stewart Island.
"We know the trends, what to prepare and how to plan ahead. We are so fortunate to have the Fonterra farmers and the support of the Milk For Schools team. Every year a new generation of milk drinkers starts school, so it's great to see that this programme is here to stay - we're lucky to live in a country where this can happen."
As she outlines the work that goes into getting chilled UHT milk to each of the schools, Miringa laughs she has heard all the horror stories of baby boomers' experience of the school milk days of the 1960s: "the warm milk that has put them off for life".
About the only remnant of that is the return of milk monitors, the kids who take responsibility in their schools for milk distribution and recycling the Tetrapak cartons.
"They are the mentors and role models, who buddy up for the junior classes," she explains. "An integral part of the programme is recycling; the kids take ownership of the programme and do a great job folding their cartons flat."
The used packs are sent to recycling plants overseas where they make roof tiles for schools in Thailand or exercise books. At the start of each school year, and each term, Nigel and Miringa visit schools to take the next generation of kids through the programme.
Nigel loves the expectant faces when he arrives at each school while Miringa relays reports from teachers of improvements in children's focus and behaviour: "Seeing the kids so enthusiastic is one of the most rewarding parts of my job - I'm proud to say I am part of such a great programme."
Brought to you in association with Fonterra. Search #431AM