Taupō dairy processor Miraka has recently announced two new strategic partnerships as part of its focus on specialty dairy products. The partnerships are with State-Owned Enterprise Pāmu and Māori-owned dairy processor Waiū Dairy.
“At Miraka we make decisions for the long-term. Partnering with Pāmu and Waiū Dairy, who both share our values around kaitiakitanga and innovation, is an incredible opportunity to work together with like-minded organisations to build the presence of specialty New Zealand dairy products in the international market” says Miraka CEO Grant Watson. “These partnerships will enable us to share production capacity while giving access to new customers. It also gives us flexibility to produce a broader range of niche products” says Grant.
“Pamū is really excited to be entering a new phase in our relationship with Miraka” says Sarah Risell GM of Pamū Foods. “Sharing Pāmu’s farm and production synergies with Miraka mean we can be more nimble in our approach to our markets, and offer a stronger connection back to the farm – bringing customers closer to the source of their food. Finding commercial opportunities that harness the shared strengths of Miraka and Pāmu has huge potential for both companies. Our growing partnership with Miraka and others is aimed at bringing more benefit, including export dollars, back to Aotearoa” says Sarah.
“A key focus for Waiū is to provide on-going employment and prosperity for our local community” says Waiū Manahautū (CEO) Sam Mikaere. “Partnering with Miraka gives us the opportunity to grow our businesses together, underpinned by the concepts of manaakitanga (support) and tuakana-teina (reciprocal learning / mentoring). It’s a pivotal moment for the Māori dairy industry, and we’re looking forward to seeing where this will lead in the future” says Sam.
All three businesses have a strong innovation and environmental focus and both Miraka and Waiū Dairy use geothermal energy to power their dairy processing plants, significantly reducing the environmental impact of production. The partnerships will increase production efficiencies by utilising spare capacity within each of the three processing plants to produce specialty dairy products.