Westland Milk Products

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Westland Milk Products is a dairy company based in Hokitika, New Zealand. It has been owned by the Chinese company Yili Group since 2019. It is the third largest dairy processor in New Zealand, with about 3.4% of the market, behind Fonterra and Open Country Dairy and tied with Synlait. Milk comes from farms on the West Coast and Canterbury.

The main processing plant is in Hokitika, with a major warehouse and milk concentration plant near Rolleston in Canterbury. The Westland Co-operative Dairy Company started in 1937 when several small co-operatives in the Westland region merged.

In 2001, when the dairy industry was restructured, most NZ dairy companies joined Fonterra, but Westland stayed independent and continued to market and sell its own products. Key milestones include launching the Westgold butter brand in 2004, establishing the Rolleston site in 2009 (which also houses a reverse osmosis plant and various offices), and fully acquiring EasiYo in 2010. Westland began Canterbury milk collection in 2011, and in 2012 started making infant nutrition products under Westpro Nutrition. In 2013 it built Dryer 7 for infant and toddler nutrition, and in 2014 it opened an offshore office in Shanghai. In 2019, Yili Group agreed to buy Westland.

Westland produces a variety of milk products, from powders to infant nutrition, and its Westgold butter is a notable brand. The company operates three sites worldwide and uses the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000) to manage quality, with regular independent audits.

The company has won several awards, including recognition for research and development in 2012 and a national business excellence award the same year. It was a finalist for another NZ International Business Award in 2016, and its Westgold unsalted butter won a chef’s award in 2016. Westland has also supported community projects, such as the Blue Spur Water Treatment Plant expansion, which received industry recognition.

Westland Milk Products sponsors organizations like Ronald McDonald House, Federated Farmers, and the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust, plus local hockey, netball, rugby, basketball, and rugby league clubs. It formerly sponsored the West Coast Penguin Trust. The company employs around 500 people and reported revenue of NZD 588 million in 2016, with about 429 shareholders.