The Synlait Difference
Nearly 20 years ago, Synlait did what many others had been too afraid to, revealed plans to build a dairy processing facility right in the heart of Canterbury. This would not be a little, boutique processor in a quiet corner of the region. It would be a state-of-the-art facility right on State Highway One bringing much needed competition to the region’s dairy sector and promising to do things differently. The Synlait team made good on that promise.
Today we are a major employer in rural communities and are one of the largest infant formula manufacturers in the Southern Hemisphere and just as bold as before (hence the pink!).
Supplier Benefits
No Call Centres
You are a name not a number at Synlait. We prefer personal relationships. Each farm has an Area Manager and a Sustainability Advisor and farmers call them directly any time for support. You can even call our CEO or Chair at any time … we run the old-fashioned way, with good, honest, open, direct two-way communications. We are also local with our Dunsandel HQ just down the road.
Market-leading on-farm support
Our team is here to help. We have the highest ratio of field staff to farmers of any dairy processor in New Zealand. We routinely visit suppliers on-farm or host events so you’re connected to each other and to the wider Synlait team. We provide pragmatic, practical advice on all things farming – from consenting to milk quality, efficiency and animal welfare. If we don’t know the answer we will find someone who does.
Commercially-smart sustainability
Our Lead With Pride™ programme guides farmers to best practice and pays them incentives above the base milk price once they are certified. While sustainability used to be a ‘nice to have’ it is now a ‘must do’ with global businesses buying New Zealand milk requiring detailed information on its environmental footprint. Sustainability has been embedded in Synlait’s DNA since day one so we ensure our farmers are not only compliant – they are ahead of what’s required.
Adding value
Synlait is well-known for pioneering milk streaming. We can easily process (and keep seperate) up to three streams of milk at any time. This gives us agility and the ability to quickly produce complex products which opens up valuable opportunities for farmers. That is how we earn 6% of New Zealand’s dairy export revenue from just 4% of its milk.
The best partner for farmers
We are often told Synlait stands out when it comes to partnering with our farmers.
We not only enable farmers to earn more for their milk, our team delivers valuable knowledge and experience to farming businesses (without adding to your payroll).
Lead With Pride™
Synlait was the first to pay farmers for hitting targets in sustainability, animal welfare and people management.
Sure, our competitors followed years later but our Lead With Pride™ programme remains the best in the market. That means certified Synlait farmers can be confident they are ahead of sustainability requirements.
Lead With Pride™ recognises and financially rewards suppliers who achieve dairy farming best practice. It guarantees the integrity of the pure natural milk certified farms produce.
This, in turn, enables our global customers to differentiate their products through having sustainably produced, superior quality milk which gives them the edge in the international competitive marketplace.
Milk Supplier Login
If you are currently a Synlait supplier, use the button below to long onto your Madcap site and your Lead With Pride™ Live account.