Our Farms

The gentlest milk comes from here

Our milk comes from dedicated and professionally-run farms in New Zealand's Central North Island where our high-quality, grass-fed sheep milk is produced batch-fresh and crafted with care. The region's clean air, high sunshine hours, and good rainfall means bountiful, pure fresh water and an abundance of grass. Our lush pastures are naturally rich in red and white clover, a key ingredient in raising healthy milking sheep.

World-class sheep dairy expertise

Spring Sheep has New Zealand’s leading farming team in sheep milking, who have won multiple awards and significantly contributed to the growth of New Zealand's sheep milking industry.

Our sheep milk

Grass-fed advantage

Grass-fed sheep milk is it is one of the most nutritious milks available and is also proven to taste better than regular (grain-fed) sheep milk.

Lower environmental impact

Sheep milking is more environmentally sustainable than conventional dairying, with 30-50% lower impact on the land.

Progressive animal welfare

Our grass-fed sheep enjoy fresh New Zealand air, advanced nutrition, quality shelter on our hybrid farms, and the very best veterinary support.

Our commitment to quality and safety

Product Traceability

We are obsessed with quality and safety and it’s something we’ll never compromise on. We work hard to ensure the integrity of our fully controlled end-to-end supply chain with a product traceability programme in place.

Quality Testing

New Zealand has some of the highest nutritional and food safety standards in the world. Our professionally-run farms are operated under a Government-certified risk management programme, with rigorous independent monitoring and quality testing undertaken throughout the process from farm to end product.

Our unique process

World-leading milking equipment, data collection and industry-leading milk cooling for superior quality. We implement the highest quality standards every step of the way.

Gently Does It

We ensure our sheep milk flows gently from parlour to packaging. This reduces the damage that can be caused by high levels of agitation in pipe networks and tanker transport. Using the latest world-class low-agitation technologies, all our systems are designed to reduce damage to the structure of our sheep milk and protect quality every step of the way.

Super Chilled Sheep Milk

Keeping our milk really cold is another important way we ensure quality. At our farms, the sheep are milked twice a day and our sheep milk is immediately chilled and held at less than 3 degrees Celsius, which is well ahead of industry standards for food safety and quality. Cold temperatures inhibit the development of oxidation, which can lead to unpleasant stale flavours.

Data-driven Systems

For each milking ewe, we know exactly how much milk she is producing, as well as her overall milk volumes for the season. We also monitor things such as sheep weight and the composition of her diet. This information allows us to carefully supervise the health and wellbeing of all our precious animals and ensure our sheep milk is of the highest quality.

Frequent Milk Collection

Samples are taken regularly from every milk collection and laboratory tested at Food and Innovation Waikato, where the fat & protein levels are checked, along with other key quality indicators.

New Zealand Government Supported Research & Development Programme

Spring Sheep has a long history of Partnership with the New Zealand Government agency Ministry of Primary Industries. Together we have invested in industry-leading Research and Development focusing on the entire value chain.