Cream of the crop: how The Good Cow is redefining small-scale dairy

In addition to supplying Fonterra, The Good Cow sells milk from vending machines direct to consumers from the farm gate. Claire Inkson

Making a small farm operation work requires diversification and a think outside-the- square mindset.

At The Good Cow in Sefton, owner Tammy Acton-Adams is doing just that – and challenging traditional farming models with a rare farm two-tier system that’s proving sustainable and popular.

The small dairy farm sells fresh, raw milk direct to consumers through a farm-gate vending machine that offers milk to consumers 24/7 without the need for a staffed farm shop and now also supplies Fonterra.

The idea was inspired by a similar operation that was located Oxford.

The vending machine was already proven in Oxford.

With the Rountrees retiring, it provided the opportunity to buy their cows and the vending machines.

"We decided to open 24 hours a day as there are a lot of commuters and shift workers who can come in when it suits them. Customers pay cash or use a prepaid memory stick system. Security hasn’t been an issue – people are very honest,” says Acton-Adams.

Acton Adams and husband Andrew McKenzie didn’t set out to run two businesses in one.

 “The intention was always to milk once a day, keep it small and simple,” Acton-Adams says.

“But the cows were too good. Last October, two calved and were producing 50 litres a day - huge volumes. You can’t milk once a day with that output, so we had to switch to twice a day. That meant we had to relook at the business.Joining Fonterra wasn’t part of the original plan, but it made sense.

 “We’re small – the milking platform is only eleven hectares, aiming for a maximum of 35 high producing cows. Fonterra’s a numbers game, but when you combine it with raw milk sales, it works. They complement each other.”

For her, the drawcard isn’t just the ‘raw’ label – it’s the taste and freshness.

“This is 4.8% fat – all the goodies are still in there. Nothing’s been taken away.

“It’s straight from the cow every morning, with all the flavour intact.

”The milk is offered in plastic or old- school glass bottles that echo the nostalgic milk bottles of the past – something that isn’t just sustainable, but which Acton- Adams says improves the taste of the product.

 “The glass bottle does something to the milk. It changes the flavour. It really does bring it up to that next level.

”Selling raw milk in New Zealand is legal but heavily regulated.

“It’s basically Fonterra’s compliance process on steroids,” Acton-Adams says. “If I hadn’t had those four years on a dairy farm, I couldn’t have done it. You learn with every audit, and it’s about seeing it as a process – and a cost – that you manage.”

The Good Cow has been operating for 15 months in a prime location on State Highway One. Visitors to the shop also enjoy seeing a real milking shed in action -and meeting the livestock first hand. Claire Inkson.

A career pivot

Acton-Adams grew up on a farm, but dairy wasn’t her focus.

She has been rearing calves for 20 years, while the family also run a beef and cropping operation, agricultural contracting and a transport business.

The shift to milking came unexpectedly when a client asked them to help with the milking on a small pedigree Fresian generational dairy farm nearby.

“I had never worked in a commercial dairy shed before, but within ten days we were leasing the farm and cows,” she says.

They ran it for four years until the family took the farm in a different direction.

Not keen to return to supermarket milk, Acton-Adams looked into the Oxford raw milk business and took advantage of the owners wanting to retire.

“We’re on State Highway One – location’s important – so we purpose built a 9 aside herringbone cowshed and opened for business 15 months ago.”

The milk operation is part of a wider business structure

.The family runs SWC Contracting, specialising in hay baling, and keeps trucks under Northport Transport, mainly now for their own freight needs.

The couple also fatten beef and grow around 200 tonnes of barley each year.Multiple income streams aren’t just smart business, they’re essential and they are all connected to make the dairy farm more sustainable.

The calves are farmed on the support blocks, the barley is feed to the cows, and the hay baling equipment helps provide the supplement feed.

“ We are now building our own pedigree Friesian herd to be able to sell high value heifer replacements.”

   The vending machine is open 24/7, and operates without the need for staff, freeing up Acton-Adams to work on-farm. Claire Inkson.

Community connection

Close to Leithfield and Waikuku, The Good Cow has become a social hub.Locals meet in the car park, swap news, and recommend the milk to neighbours.

“Word of mouth is our best marketing. We advertise in local papers, post on Facebook, and now have a website, but nothing beats someone telling a friend.”

The farm also sells free-range eggs from three local families.

\When her main supplier stepped back, Acton-Adams bought her 90 hens to keep up with demand.“It’s another reason for people to stop in – and another way to support locals.

”Today, The Good Cow is milking at its sweet spot: around 35 “spoiled rotten” Friesians.“We focus on quality, and on a model that works for us.”

With the cream rising to the top - literally and figuratively - The Good Cow offers a taste of dairy the way it used to be, while proving that small-scale, direct-to-consumer farming can thrive alongside the giants of the industry.