Raglan producers took centre stage at this year’s Outstanding Food Producer Awards, with two local businesses named champions in their categories among more than 430 products judged from across New Zealand.
Dreamview Creamery claimed the Dairy Champion title for its Natural Probiotic Yoghurt with Boysenberry Compote, while Raglan Food Co was named Dairy-Free Champion for its Vanilla Bean Coconut Yoghurt.
The Local Rag caught up with Dreamview Creamery and Raglan Food Co to hear what the awards mean to them, the stories behind their champion products and what’s next for two of Raglan’s most successful food producers.
Dreamview Creamery
Tell us about the process of getting nominated for the probiotic yoghurt.
We entered 4 products into the 2026 Outstanding Food Producer Awards. Via a blind judging and points system we received 3 gold medals and 1 silver.
The Natural Probiotic Yoghurt and Natural Probiotic Yoghurt with Boysenberry Compote received such high scores that they became finalists in the Dairy category. The Boysenberry ended up winning us the Dairy Champion. To be honest, we didn’t really know what to expect, we just popped them out there.
Tell us about the product. It’s obviously delicious! What are the health benefits?
Since all our milk is A2 protein this is an immediate health benefit. Then our yoghurt is filled with an immense amount of probiotics to help build and support gut health. With no extra nasties! All the berries are also locally sourced and fresh so the compote is simple, with no preservatives or additives. All just stripped back to simply natural goodness!
Can you describe the experience of the awards night and how it felt to be successful.
Oh we were all absolutely shocked. We had no idea. We all felt like some of the other winners before us were prepared and knew what was coming… So we thought, ‘Ah, no, we would have been told if we had won something.’ But no.. When we got 2 products as finalists and then ultimately winning, it was an awesome surprise. Jess stepped up to deliver a heartfelt, honest little thank you speech dedicated to our team and our cows. Mia was laughing as she realised afterward that’s why the organisers had been subtly nagging her to sort the paperwork and booking for the event. It was really amazing mingling and chatting to other amazing producers as well as a lovely excuse for us to get a bit dressed up. After driving back from Auckland… with only 3.5 hours of sleep, we were back in our gumboots and farm gear milking the cows the next morning. A beautiful juxtaposition but reality of it all.
Being successful and receiving recognition is wonderful. All we have ever wanted to do was produce and deliver a quality, delicious product whilst keeping cow health and happiness, as well as sustainability and waste management, at the forefront of it all. So getting these ticks of approval make us all super proud.
How does this award impact the business and what benefits might you expect?
The exposure we have already received from the awards has been amazing. I love also that we can put the little gold and silver medals on our products. It makes us so proud! We’ve had an interview on the 9 till noon RNZ radio station because of the awards and have a few other media places keen to do a story. It truly is amazing for our little family business.
You continue to grow and evolve. Do you have further innovative ideas to add to the mix?
We always have new and changing goals whether it be streamlining and making the business more efficient, or new products being developed. We still have a goal of making cheese one day. Something we have been promising for a long time.
I also really want to get into opening up the farm for tours to customers or anyone interested. It’s something I’m really passionate about, educating (especially young people) about dairy farming and where their milk comes from.
We have to finish with why Whaingaroa is such a great place to run Dreamview from.
Whaingaroa is home, it always has been, and it always will be. There’s just no other community like it in my eyes. Without the support from everyone in the community, doing something like this would have been so much more challenging. I think the people in Raglan, they just care. They care about supporting local, our environment and our community. It’s so special.
Raglan Food Co
Why was the Vanilla Bean coconut yoghurt a stand out at the awards?
We are passionate about creating dairy-free yoghurts that are delicious, high quality, sustainably packaged and full of goodness – we don’t believe that consumers have to compromise on taste because they are choosing plant-based food. Our Vanilla Bean yoghurt is one of our signature flavours and it has been a crowd-pleaser for many years. To create this yoghurt, we carefully balanced the taste of natural vanilla bean with our silky-smooth coconut yoghurt, and we are happy to say that our consumers continue to love it year after year. We had a note that the judges of Outstanding Food Producer Awards said, “This is awesome! Very well-balanced flavour profiles and well thought out. A Rarotongan breakfast on a spoon!”
Who attended awards night and how did it feel to be successful?
Peter Simmons, CEO of Raglan Food Co. and Sonya Stichbury, Head of Marketing attended the awards night on behalf of our small but mighty team in Raglan. We were thrilled to receive the Champion Award in the Dairy-free category – a recognition that we are very proud to receive. It’s a testament to the recipe and the care that our team has put into producing every jar that goes out the door. The awards this year saw 400+ entries across all the categories, so to be a part of the night was a great honour to all of us.
How does this particular award benefit the product and brand.
At Raglan Food Co, we’re excited to be part of the growing movement where consumers are looking to incorporate plant-based foods into their diet – whether entirely or sometimes as flexitarians. Being a dairy-free brand in a category that is dominated by big dairy products, we are a much smaller brand in comparison and not everyone is aware of the option of a delicious coconut yoghurt. The Champion Award means that more people can find us and our yoghurts and try them with the confidence that they will meet their taste expectations. The award also gives the many stores who stock our products another reason to include our products on the shelf.
Why does Whaingaroa continue to be the dream location to produce from ?
We are proud to be made in Whaingaroa, this has been our home since the beginning. Our founders Seb & Tesh first made the yoghurt on their kitchen bench and quickly moved into a shipping container in the centre of Raglan township to meet the local demand. Today we are in a purpose-built factory just on the outskirts of Raglan; we send our yoghurts & kefirs all over the country from here. We have a great team of people passionate about lifting the vibe with delicious plant-based food, and we are proud to be one of the biggest employers in Raglan. All our systems and production processes have been set up to operate from this beautiful part of Aotearoa.
