Fonterra celebrating ten years of Farm Source

Fonterra celebrated ten years of Farm Source last month. Photo / Christine Cornege

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The Country Sport Breakfast catches up with the team at Fonterra. Today, host Brian Kelly is joined by Anne Douglas, Group Director of Farm Source.

“I understand something quite special was going on last month. Can you tell us a bit more?” Kelly asked.

Douglas said that Fonterra celebrated ten years of Farm Source.

Farm Source is Fonterra’s farmer-facing part of the business and works to service the co-op’s farmers, offering the tools and support they want and where they need them.

Douglas said it was created to take relationships with the co-op’s farmers to a new level and evolve with their changing needs.

Kelly asked, “Can you tell me a bit more about these relationships you mentioned and how was the anniversary celebrated?”

“The way we interact with our farmers is really important as they are the owners of our co-op and at the heart of why and how we exist and operate,” Douglas said.

“Celebrations like these are just one of the ways we can help build closer connections with farmers.

“We know farmers have a choice of who they sell their milk to, and we don’t take their support for granted.

“Farm Source is a key part of making sure we deliver the strongest offering to farmers which is an important focus of Fonterra’s strategy.”

Fonterra often holds “Pie Day Fridays” at its retail stores, and last month, to celebrate ten years, the day was turned into “Cake Day Friday”.

The co-op invited farmers to come into their local store to share a catch-up and some cake.

There were also a few extras — any farmer who made a purchase that week went into the draw for one of 65 Weber BBQs or one of their summer 360 clothing packs.

Fonterra’s employees are also a big part of the celebration, so they held “cake days” at some of their offices and sites as well.

The retail part of the business was previously known as RD1.

The shift to Farm Source was all about helping to show farmers the full benefit of being with Fonterra.

Douglas joined the co-op around this time and remembered opening the very first Farm Source store in 2014 in Methven.

There are now 65 stores across New Zealand offering exclusive deals and discounts for co-op farmers on the products and services they need to run their farms.

“But we’re a lot more than just stores,” Douglas said.

With local teams on the ground and a 24/7 0800 Service Centre working hard every day to support farmers, Fonterra’s teams also include the likes of sustainable dairy advisors, milk quality managers, technical sales reps, and digital specialists, to name a few.

Right now, Farm Source is focusing on supporting farmers to run efficient farming businesses, and farms that are productive, profitable, and sustainable for generations to come.