Bannister Downs Dairy took to the stage to receive a multitude of awards at the 2024 Dairy Industry Association of Australia Annual Product Awards held at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne on May 17th. The first win was for Bannister Downs Chocolatte, announced as the Champion Chocolate Flavoured Milk, and then shortly after the awarded the trophy for the Highest Scoring Flavoured Milk, from all varieties of flavoured milks in Australia.
Not to be left out, the highly sought after Bannister Downs Double Cream was announced the Champion Cream in Australia for 2024 and was further honoured to win the title of the Most Outstanding Show Exhibit of a Medium to Large Scale Producer which is a huge applause for all of the effort from every single team member at Bannister Downs and the care that they take from the early mornings milking the cows through to processing and the late finishes filling, dispatching and delivering products.
It was a huge honour to also receive the award for the Most Innovative Product in Show (Judges Choice) for the recently launched 2L rPET bottle, being the only milk in Australia available in a 2 Litre bottle, made entirely from recycled plastics. In 2024 where there is such a focus on reducing waste and pollution, it is a great achievement to be able to offer a packaging option that turns the tap off on the production of new plastics. There are plenty of plastics already on our planet and we feel it is time that we find ways to re-use the material as often as possible. We credit Visy Plastics with the vision and initiative to develop this process and material, and while it may cost a little more to produce, at Bannister Downs we feel that it’s an easy choice to make!
With over 1100 product entries and companies represented from all over Australia, it was an absolutely huge achievement for our dedicated team to dominate in the Flavoured Milk and Cream Champion categories and is a testament to everything we do to offer the very best tasting and nutritious milk. This encompasses all the decisions we make from how we care for our cows, our world class processing facility in Northcliffe, through to our sustainable packaging. It all makes a difference, and we’re very proud to be recognised for producing premium quality milk, cream and flavoured milk,” Daubney said. Each week we make 11 different products, and every single product was awarded with a gold or silver medal and for our Chocolatte and Double Cream to be the Champions in Australia, we simply can’t ask for much more than that!
‘The current season and operating conditions have been unprecedentedly challenging and it is wonderful to have some good news to share, both for our team and for WA Agriculture in general, as we have all been faced with so many hurdles in trying run our businesses. Winning these Australian Champion Titles puts a little spring in everyone’s step and we are very grateful to the competition organisers, judges, stewards and sponsors who contribute so many hours (voluntarily) to provide this opportunity for our industry to showcase its best of the best, Suzanne Daubney (Managing Director) said.
BANNISTER DOWNS DAIRY, a partnership between the Daubney Family and Australia’s leading private company, Hancock Prospecting (HPPL), led by its Executive Chairman Mrs Gina Rinehart AO are thrilled to secure these coveted Champion titles along with the eleven gold and silver product medals.
“As we have reached our 100 years of dairy farming, we’re proud of the legacy we are creating, not just for our family, but also for our community, our customers and our team who are all instrumental in this win,” Daubney said.
As one of the few processors in Australia using the traditional low temperature pasteurisation methods, Daubney said investment in the state-of-the-art ‘The Creamery’ using bespoke equipment design, and a focus on cow welfare, allows for milk to be dispatched within hours of milking.
“We know happy, healthy cows produce the best milk. We want our customers to choose our products because they know our milk tastes great, and because they know we’re dedicated to cattle and staff welfare practices. Our cows are free range and come in to be milked on a voluntary low stress milking basis. All of this ensures we can produce noticeably better milk,” Mrs Rinehart added.
“People want to know that animal welfare is a priority, as is cleanliness of facilities and healthy products. We share these priorities at BANNISTER DOWNS and we are constantly looking at ways to deliver them,” Mat Daubney said.
BANNISTER DOWNS DAIRY also recognises the team at Tetrapak as major sponsors and The Product Makers, BVAQ, FOSS, DSM-Firmenish and Novonesis as category sponsors, and for everything they do to promote and support our Dairy Industry in Australia.
BANNISTER DOWNS is owned by the Daubney Family in partnership with HPPL, led by its Executive Chairman, Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, and their business relationship, spanning close to a decade, is strong due to their shared values, includingaround animal welfare, clean facilities and providing excellent produce. There is solid alignment in values and the care of their cattle is paramount.
The multi-award-winning milk products are all processed with milk fresh from the farm and the team take pride and care to achieve the highest quality products from farm to fridge. BANNISTER DOWNS fresh milk is available throughout West Australia in IGA’s, Coles, Woolworths and Independent retail stores and is the milk of choice for a large number of cafes and restaurants in pursuit of excellence for their coffees and more.
The Northcliffe-based dairy was established in 1924 and has a long history of producing premium quality milk, available since 2005 under its family operated BANNISTER DOWNS DAIRY brand which features a critically acclaimed range of single origin farm fresh milks, creams and flavoured milks.
Following the establishment of the Bannister Downs Dairy brand in 2005, the Daubney family, seeking to grow their business further, were fortunate to be able to do this via a partnership with Gina Rinehart in 2014. The partnership has been very positive and has allowed for significant investment across all aspects of the Bannister Downs Dairy business, always with animal welfare, team well-being and product quality as shared priorities between the Daubney family, Mrs Rinehart and her team at Hancock Agriculture. Bannister Downs Dairy remains a dedicated family farming business with a strong focus on excellence, and with all the added benefits of the genuine interest and experience in Australian agriculture that Mrs Rinehart brings, and the expertise and enthusiasm of the Hancock Agriculture team that she leads.
