Article by Shannon Verhagen courtesy of the Countryman.
A “world class” dairy in the State’s south has won a historic accolade this week, with its milk named the most popular dairy product in the country in the prestigious Australian Grand Dairy Awards.
Bannister Downs’ Farm Fresh Milk was awarded the People’s Choice Award for the most popular dairy product in the country, which is believed to be the first WA product to do so in the competition’s 23-year history.
Founded in 1924, the Northcliffe dairy has a history spanning almost a century and four generations, with Mat and Sue Daubney starting on-farm processing 16 years ago. They produced the first pouch of Bannister Downs Dairy milk in 2005, swiftly racking up accolades in the years that followed.
The couple entered into a partnership with Hancock Prospecting ’s Gina Rinehart in 2014, which enabled them to produce their premium product in larger volumes.
With 1600-head producing more than five million litres annually, the South West dairy is home to one of the biggest dairy herds in Australia, which they consider “part of the family”.
Mrs Daubney called their latest win a “huge milestone” after a challenging few years navigating the impact of the pandemic.
The dairy — which has grown from a team of five to 56 staff — deliberately pasteurises the milk for longer at a lower temperature, to be gentle on the proteins and enzymes which enrich its flavour and nutritional value.
Mrs Rinehart said she was “very proud” of the accolade and and looked forward to seeing the company continue to thrive.
