Cozy Crops

In the heart of Kio Kio, Waikato, Kieran and Jess White are redefining what it means to be sustainable farmers. On their families 80-hectare property, Green Park Dairy, the couple blends traditional dairy and sheep farming with a clever, unique strategy for using excess, low-quality wool - an often neglected by-product in agriculture.

The pair met while they were both living in Auckland, and decided to make the move to the Waikato in June 2020. “We both had corporate jobs in Auckland,” Kieran shared, “but I think we always had a calling to come back to the farm. It’s how I was brought up. So, when this piece of land came up, we saw it as an opportunity to give it a go.” This decision not only allowed them to embrace a rural lifestyle close to Kieran’s family, but also spurred the creation of their unique venture, Cozy Crops.

“In the beginning, we ran a lot of sheep on the farm, and shearing was a twice-annual job that needed to be done. However, wool prices were steadily declining while shearing prices were steadily increasing, so we had to find a solution for our wool. Some of it we sold, but a lot of the daggy-wool and the lower quality wool wasn’t getting used, and would often end up in landfill,” Kieran explained. So, instead of letting it go to waste, Kieran and Jess began investigating its potential uses.

“I was a city girl,” Jess shared. “I didn’t know much about wool. When my mother-in-law suggested putting it around our fruit trees as fertiliser, I thought, well, if it’s working on the fruit trees, why not use it in the veggie garden and the rest of the garden?” Kieran added, “once we realised that wool has a lot of properties that are beneficial in the garden, we started thinking about what kind of product we could create to harness these benefits.”

From this idea, Jess and Kieran developed Cozy Crops Wool Pellets, an ingenious product offering a sustainable, natural alternative to traditional chemical fertilisers. Their waste-not approach has helped them transform a once-overlooked resource into a product that is not only environmentally friendly, but also beneficial for gardeners across New Zealand.

“The benefits of wool in the garden are pretty far-reaching. You can use the product as a simple mulch to retain moisture and keep the soil hydrated. It can also deter pests, such as snails and slugs, who dislike the spiky fibres of the wool. And of course, once the wool starts to break down, you are getting nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus returned to the soil.”

One of the most surprising things the Whites discovered since starting Cozy Crops is the wool’s ability to hold two to three times its weight in water. “In raised beds, the wool pellets really grab onto the moisture, so the soil doesn’t dry out as quickly,” Jess said. “This is especially important in summer when conserving water is crucial. It’s a game-changer for anyone with a vegetable garden.”

Jess’s background as a specialised nutritionist has truly allowed the vision for Cozy Crops to come to life, ensuring the product is high-quality, reliable and accessible. “As a nutritionist, knowing where my food comes from and how it’s grown is so important,” she said. “Cozy Crops allows anyone to cultivate fertile, hydrated gardens so that they can produce more of their own food that is then free from artificial fertilisers and pesticides. It’s exciting to bring a product to market that aligns with my professional values - encouraging people to eat more vegetables and avoid processed foods.” For Kieran, there was also a personal incentive to create the Cozy Crops wool product. “My grandparents have a garden of national significance,” he shared with a laugh, “so creating a product that they love and can use means a lot to me.”

The need for a product like the Cozy Crops Wool Pellets couldn’t have come at a more significant time. “With the growing trend of home gardening, driven by rising food prices and increased awareness of health and sustainability, people are more interested in growing their own food,” Jess noted. “More home gardeners are looking for natural products to use in their gardens. They want to know that the nutrients they’re adding to their soil are just that - nutrients, not chemicals.”

Furthermore, sustainability is at the core of Cozy Crops’ business model. The company sources all its materials from local sheep farms around the Waikato, including wool gathered from their own sheep. Everything is processed on-site at Green Park Dairy and packaged with sustainable materials, ensuring minimal environmental impact.

“The whole reason Cozy Crops started was because we saw the need to repurpose a valuable resource that was going to waste,” Jess said. “We wanted to let gardeners bring this sustainable resource into their homes and gardens instead of relying on commercial fertilisers that aren’t as environmentally friendly.” She added, “we hope in the future to extend this offer to other sheep farms in the Waikato, using their lower-quality wool and ideally buying it at a higher price than what the market currently offers, to give something back to farmers. I don’t know if people have realised, but sheep farmers are getting a raw deal these days with the price of wool just going down. So being able to add some value back to it, and then return that to the farmers, is our end goal.”

One of the biggest lessons Jess and Kieran have learned since starting Cozy Crops is that diversification in farming is not only possible, but necessary. “We knew from the time we started farming that we wanted to maximise what we could do here,” Jess said.

“After doing standard dairy farming for a few years, we were looking for other avenues and kept coming back to the wool. It took a couple of tries, but we finally found something that made sense for our family and this property.”

Looking to the future, Jess and Kieran are excited about the potential to introduce new products under the Cozy Crops brand. “We’ve thought about adding extra nutrients or pest-deterring properties to the pellets, and we’re excited to explore those options,” Jess shared with a smile. “We’re always looking to innovate.”

Cozy Crops is more than just a business for Jess and Kieran White - it’s a commitment to sustainability, innovation, and supporting the rural community, as well as a way to connect as a family and break up the usual day-to-day of farm life. The product itself, amongst its many unique benefits, proves that it doesn’t take large capital to try new ideas, get resourceful, and create positive change. As Jess and Kieran continue to grow and develop their venture, they are not only making a difference in their own lives, but also in the lives of other farmers, gardeners, and consumers across New Zealand.