Coles has launched its latest Great Lengths campaign to highlight its close, long-term relationships with Aussie dairy farmers.
The Great Lengths campaign highlighted the extraordinary lengths Coles has gone to deliver quality, delicious milk to customers. It also celebrated Coles’ partnership with 109 Australian dairy farmers throughout Victoria, central and southern New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. These farmers supply more than 500 million litres of milk each year for fresh Coles Brand and 19 Coles Brand cheeses and cream.
Coles and Australian dairy farmers have worked directly to form a sustainable future following the success of the supermarket’s direct sourcing model, providing dairy farms with price certainty and long-term sustainability.
Fourth-generation Victorian dairy farmer Adrian Bond and his family were featured in the Great Lengths campaign and worked with Coles directly for three seasons.
“Our budgets can vary so much due to seasonal conditions, so setting prices in stone is a game changer,” said Bond.
“We can set goals and balance our books as I already know what I’m getting now and next year. It takes a lot of stress out of the job, an outcome I think many people in the industry were looking for. It’s easier to plan for the future now we have the support from Coles.”
Through direct relationships, dairy farmers have benefited from multi-year agreements with Coles, which, thanks to transparent farmgate pricing, allow them to plan for the future more confidently.
The end-to-end sourcing program also strengthened Coles' commitment to supporting Australian dairy farmers and providing customers with high-quality Coles Brand dairy products.
General Manager Dairy, Freezer and Convenience Brad Gorman said Coles would continue to build and nurture direct relationships with Aussie dairy farmers.
“Farmers are the heart and soul of the dairy industry, and our new Great Lengths campaign highlights the amazing dairy farmers we have the privilege of working closely with year in and year out,” said Gorman.
“Our direct sourcing model is about offering Aussie Dairy Farmers price certainty. We're giving farmers the security they need to continue producing the high-quality milk and dairy products our customers have come to know and love.”
Gorman was proud of Coles’ relationships with farmers, growers, and suppliers, which enabled the company to fill its shelves daily with delicious, fresh Australian products.
Coles’ direct sourcing model has also provided dairy farmers access to the Coles Sustainable Dairy Development Group (CSDDG), which has been established to collaborate with and support dairy farmers in their sustainability projects.
The CSDDG has invested over $5.28 million in on-farm initiatives, including a recent grant awarded to the Bond family to improve farm infrastructure and prepare for expansion.
"The CSDDG is a vital part of our approach to driving sustainability, and by bringing farmers together and fostering new ways of thinking, we're not just supporting individual farms — we're helping to build a more resilient dairy industry for the future.”
All 109 dairy farms in Coles' direct sourcing model are part of the CSDDG, which includes an advisory panel of 11 farmers representing the group’s interests.
