Grab a rare slice of agriculture

APASTURE-TO-PLATE cheese factory-and-dairy farm that’s rare as hen’s teeth is for sale in Nelson.

Wangapeka Family Dairy, in Wakefield, is one of New Zealand’s few integrated dairy farms and artisan cheese-making operations. The 187-hectare property’s A2 cows produce the milk used to make award-winning Wangapeka cheese and dairy products, ranging from washed rind and European-style or jacketed cheeses to fresh unripened cheeses, feta and Camembert.

It’s also branched out into the production of Kefir. Dubbed the ‘‘Champagne of Milk’’, it’s a fermented drinking yoghurt with a thick creamy texture and a refreshing ‘bubbly’ feel that’s packed with probiotics and good bacteria.

Leeon Johnston, of Bayleys Motueka, says the Jersey, FriesianCross, and Normandy cows are carefully bred for the quality of their milk.

As well, the farm is running an organic practice with holistic production and a high degree of animal welfare.

For instance, the cows are milked once a day, instead of the twicedaily industry standard, while the calves are left longer with their mothers to instil a greater sense of calmness for both generations.

Up to 40 cows are milked in the winter and up to 70 in summer.

The business employs five fulltime staff and includes: a 165-square metre, purpose-built cheese factory on a concrete slab with chillers, processing room, multi-racked refrigerated storage space, office and staff room; a refurbished and upgraded 16-aside herringbone milking shed; a threebedroom farm-style homestead; a four-bedroom manager’s residence; and a range of sheds for implements, animals and hay.

Wangapeka Family Dairy’s cheese operation is accredited to the National Food Safety Plan and its cheeses are sold in shops and supermarkets throughout New Zealand, the Nelson Farmers Market, and via the online shop.

‘‘Minimal processing of the raw ingredient means that the milk and the resulting Wangapeka cheeses are as close to ‘natural’ as they can be,’’ Johnston says,

‘‘The farm’s A2 whole milk is rich and creamy and the subsequent cheeses have a depth of flavour and texture which highlights the significance of being hand-made.

‘‘The volume of cheese produced from Wangapeka has been very much at an ’artisan’ level. However, there is the opportunity for any new owner to look at ramping up output by either running more cows or by taking in milk from qualifying herds in the region.

‘‘From that perspective, there is the potential to look at growing wider distribution networks, either through the domestic market or exporting of existing products, for an experienced cheesemaker, or the opportunity to add new styles and types to the existing Wangapeka cheese range.

‘‘Alternatively, the property could be converted back to a straight dairying operation capable of sustaining approximately 280 cows.’’

Under that option, the cheesemaking plant could be sub-leased to food manufacturer to either buy part of the farm’s milk production or to source product from elsewhere in the immediate Nelson region, Johnston says.

Irrigation is from a 5m-deep bore and the water is pumped to the 69 paddocks and drinking troughs.

The predominantly flat and easyrolling unit also produces its own supplementary feed, encompassing 200 bales of bailage and 400 bales of hay annually.

The business has a deadline sale date of February 28. For more information, contact Leeon Johnston on 021 460 294 or:

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leeon.johnston@bayleys.co.nz.