Aunt Jean’s Dairy is owned and run by the Raine family. Julian and Cathy Raine are seventh-generation dairy farmers and have now been joined by their son Tom and his wife Hannah. They spoke to the team about their business.
What is your company background, how did you start the business?
“Our family has been milking cows at our Oaklands Farm property in Nelson for more than 80 years continuously. We have been providing people with the opportunity to buy our milk from the farm gate and from dispensing machines in the Nelson Tasman area since 2013. In November 2016, we teamed up with leading glass manufacturer O-I to launch our supermarket brand, Aunt Jean’s Dairy, to bring A2 cows’ milk fresh from the farm to milk lovers around New Zealand, in one-litre glass bottles.”
What is the current product range and variants and how do these products stand out in the market?
“We currently have two milk varieties – Aunt Jean’s Dairy whole milk and Aunt Jean’s Dairy light milk. Our milk is non-homogenised A2 cows’ milk, from cows that are raised in an open-air environment. There is no palm kernel expeller in their feed, and they are mainly grass fed. Aunt Jean’s Dairy milk is bottled on the farm and contains no added permeates, and each bottle is labelled with the farm of origin so that customers can have a direct connection with the farm producing their milk. Our milk stands out in the market as we are the only New Zealand company offering milk in glass bottles from the supermarket and our milk is ‘whole milk’, meaning it’s not standardised and has nothing added and nothing taken away.”
Has there been any recent company news?
“Tom and Hannah Raine recently joined the business as owner/managers after spending some time in Australia.”
What are the plans for the business moving forward, is there any expansion on the horizon?
“We are currently commissioning a new filling line that will mean that we can increase our national distribution. We are also working on expanding our product range to include cheese products and a smaller 250ml milk bottle.”
Where are your products currently available to buy, and are you looking at or wanting to expand your availability?
“Aunt Jean’s Dairy milk is currently available across Farro Fresh stores in Auckland, at Moore Wilson’s Tory St Fresh Market in Wellington, at Raeward Fresh Richmond and Raeward Fresh Harewood Road Christchurch. Our availability is expanding and close to confirming additional distribution.”
