MEDIA RELEASE
20 June 2026
Bannister Downs Dairy secures Champion Product in each class at the prestigious Perth Royal Food Awards 2026
It was a very exciting night of awards for Bannister Downs at the Perth Royal Food Awards in Claremont, taking home four Gold Medals and seven Silver medals, including its entire range of 11 products.
- 🏆 Champion Milk – Traditional Non-Homogenised Glass Bottle Milk
- 🏆 Champion Flavoured Milk – Choc Cherry Delite
- 🏆 Champion Cream – Fresh Cream
The Champion Cream title marks the fifth time in the past six years that Bannister Downs Fresh Cream has received the prestigious honour, confirming its exceptional quality and flavour.
In addition, both the Champion Butter (made locally by The Butter People) and the Champion Cheese (crafted in Nannup at Cambray Cheese) are products made from Bannister Downs milk and cream. The outstanding Washed Rind Brie Cambray Cheese went on to win the overall Grand Champion Product of the competition, and we share our congratulations to this hard-working family on their outstanding product !
‘We’re very proud to be recognised for producing premium quality milk, cream and flavoured milk,” Sue Daubney, Managing Director said. Each week we make 11 different products, and every single product was awarded with a gold or silver medal. For our delicious Fresh Cream to be awarded the coveted Champion Cream for the sixth time is fabulous!”
These fantastic Champion Awards and medals for every product are a fantastic accolade for the very hard-working team who make everything happen at Bannister Downs to bring you the very best milk, cream and flavoured milks to enjoy!
“We know happy, healthy cows produce the best milk and are dedicated to this. These fantastic awards in each category show that we do continue to produce premium milks and creams.”
Mrs Rinehart also acknowledged the efforts of the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia and its volunteers, and the importance of advocating for the dairy industry.
“We sincerely thank the entire food team for the work involved in coordinating entries, judging and the awards event. Competitions like these are very valuable for our dairy industry. I also acknowledge the Councillors and volunteers who promote agriculture and ensure the voices of farmers can be heard. We are most fortunate in Australia to be able to enjoy such outstanding dairy produce, but need to recognise that dairy farmers are being forced to leave the industry, the government burden of taxes and charges have become too high.”
ENDS
Background –
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 gold and silver product medals.
“As we have just reached more than 100 years of dairy farming, we’re proud of the legacy we are creating, not just for our family, but also for our region, our customers and our team who are all instrumental in this win,” Daubney said.
“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 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, including around 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.
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.
