August 12, 2024

 

Major poultry producer Inghams acquires New Zealand's only organic chicken farm

New Zealand's sole organic chicken farm, Bostock Brothers, has been sold to major Australia-based poultry producer Inghams, RNZ News reported.

 

The company sought capital to expand its operations but ultimately decided to sell the entire business to Inghams.

 

The Bostock Brothers venture began a decade ago when Ben and George Bostock started raising chickens in their family's apple orchards. After ten years of developing the brand and growing the business, they found themselves unable to meet the increasing demand.

 

"Sales were doing really well," Ben Bostock said. "We were short on supply, and we had more demand than we could keep up with. But like all things, especially recently, to be sustainable, you need scale. So, we started looking for capital, and it became an option to hand the baton over to someone else."

 

He explained that running a small business in New Zealand is challenging due to various rules and regulations. Despite having a million birds, the company represented less than one percent of the national flock.

 

"We're really excited Inghams have taken over the business," Bostock added. "They've not only bought the business; they've bought into the whole philosophy of organic farming. They're taking on the whole blueprint of how we designed the farm, with large roaming areas for the chickens and smaller flock densities."

 

The Bostock brothers will remain involved in the business. Ben will continue to grow organic maize for feed, while George will stay involved in chicken farming.

 

Under Inghams' ownership, the company plans to expand. "It's really exciting to have Inghams down in the Hawkes Bay," Bostock said. "At the moment, Bostock Brothers employs about 75 people, but Inghams has big plans to double the production, which means more jobs. It's good for the contractors who will build the new farms."

 

Caroline Hayes, a spokesperson for Inghams, expressed the company's enthusiasm for organic chicken farming. "We've looked at Bostock for a long time, being the only organic producer in New Zealand. It was a business we were always interested in."

 

Hayes explained that acquiring the business allows Inghams to offer organic products alongside its free-range Waitoa brand and barn-raised SPCA-certified products. "In many ways, we're keeping the Bostock business as it exists today, so the operations will continue in Hawkes Bay, from the farming to plant and processing. The team will remain the same. We're really excited for what the future holds."

 

-      RNZ News