Spring Sheep Milk Awards

Spring Sheep Milk Co. has beaten big global competitors Nestle and China Feihe to win “best infant nutrition” product at the World Dairy Innovation awards. The sheep milk company, which is a joint venture between state-owned farmer Landcorp (Pāmu) and food marketer SLC Ventures, won the award for its gentle sheep toddler milk drink, which is a fortified nutritional supplement for one-to-three-yearolds. In August Spring Sheep Milk was also shortlisted among 170 entries, as one of the 66 finalists from 45 companies from across the country, as a finalist in the 2021 NZ Food Awards organised by Massey University. Spring Sheep Milk, winner of the 2017 Supreme Award, was nominated in the Novel Award category for its Gentle Sheep Toddler Milk Drink Stage 3, as well as in the Business Innovation Award section. The presentation will take place on 14 October. On a regional level, Spring Sheep Milk has also been nominated for a Waikato Business Award which will be announced at a gala dinner in November. Head judge, Dr Heather Connelly of Waikato University commented that there was something extra special this year, and that, maybe, “that is part due to the rethink of business due to the global pandemic.” Spring Sheep started with one farm in 2015 and is now the largest sheep milking group in the Southern Hemisphere with 16 farmer suppliers and 15,024 of its special Zealandia milking sheep. The venture is scaling up its operations, and expects to expand to more than 40,000 sheep by 2025.