From Cow to Cone: Jersey Girl Organics and Kowhai Creamery, Matamata

In the heart of the Waikato, two neighbouring businesses are demonstrating how farming heritage, organic practice, and regional identity can work together to create something unique and rooted in community.

Based on the outskirts of Matamata, Jersey Girl Organics is an intergenerational organic dairy farm producing rich, high-solids A2 Jersey milk. Just minutes away, Kōwhai Creamery turns that milk into award-winning gelato that is steadily gaining national recognition. Their work shows how collaboration between farm and food producer can strengthen both land and community.

When we arrived at Jersey Girl Organics, farm owner John Vosper met us, wearing a pineapple-printed bucket hat and a grin. This sunny impression carried through as he introduced us to his herd of 250 Jersey cows and shared the history of his family farm.

John has farmed here since the early 1990s, and it’s a family business. “My son works with us, managing another herd. My daughter manages the business and looks after orders and distribution. We also have staff who help with maintenance, milking, and dry stock. My wife Jodie and I run the farm operations,” John explained.

The farm converted to organics after noticing diminishing returns under the old system. “After about ten years of farming here, we found that we were using more and more nitrogen to get the same amount of grass,” he said. After exploring alternatives, the family changed direction and has remained organic ever since. “Being organic means that we don’t use synthetic fertilisers or animal health remedies. We use compost, we use bio stimulants in the soil, and we’re proactive about animal health.”

Supplying under their own organic milk brand has its ups and downs, John shared. The family set up their own processing plant and launched their Jersey Girl Organics brand in 2004.

“We started because Fonterra’s organic premium was low at the time. Milk prices were volatile, and starting the brand would mean greater stability. We’ve weathered COVID, war, fuel price increases, and fluctuating demand. It’s been challenging, but rewarding.”

Jersey cows fitted naturally into the organic system. “Jersey cows have milk that is high in milk solids - more fat, more protein, more flavour. It tastes really good,” John said. That quality is why the farm supplies several food producers, including gelato manufacturers. He told us “Quite a few manufacturers of ice cream and gelato tell us it makes the best.”

One of those manufacturers ended up just around the corner. Adam Barton, owner of Kōwhai Creamery, told us about how this local partnership honoured his dairy-farming heritage and worked with the community. Kōwhai Creamery was formed around the idea of creating a branded, uniquely regional product rooted in Waikato dairy country. To do that, Adam sought a milk supply that aligned with his values of sustainability, traceability, and quality. Jersey Girl Organics has provided that foundation from the beginning.

“Travelling made me realise the importance of provenance in food. In New Zealand, we have many heavily dairy regions, but there’s often a disconnect between milk production and food. A few businesses have started changing that, like boutique cheese and artisan producers. Ice cream is fun, so that’s where the idea evolved,” Adam explained.

“We chose the name because the kōwhai is unique to New Zealand and represents local food. We wanted something regional that visitors and locals could enjoy - a product from the land we walk.”

The connection between Kōwhai Creamery and Jersey Girl Organics is key. “We wanted milk supply that aligned with our values - sustainable, regenerative, organic. Jersey cows are smaller, gentler on the land, high in fat, and produce A2 protein, which is more digestible,” Adam said.

Inside the creamery, gelato is produced in small batches, using a process that allows the milk’s natural character to come through. Adam explained why their gelato stands apart from others “Gelato is slightly lower fat, lower sugar. And since it’s got less fat to fight the flavour, gelato allows the flavours to shine through more.” With milk sourced only minutes away, the product remains tightly connected to the land it came from. “It’s local. We can go out and see the cows eating and being milked. It’s traceable. Then we mix all that up, tune it together, and it’s packed, branded, and sent out for people to enjoy. It’s a full story.”

Kōwhai Creamery now makes close to 30 core flavours, having trialled many more over the years. Some have become unexpected signatures. “Our ginger and turmeric gelato is a bit of a talking point. People generally screw their nose up at it. But it’s won three gold medals and a couple of silvers and a bronze,” Adam said. The flavour has gone from being dismissed in early competitions to becoming a top seller in several retail formats, demonstrating shifting consumer tastes and increasing openness to more adventurous, health-leaning choices.

Back at Jersey Girl Organics, innovation extends far beyond milk quality. In recent years, the farm adopted Halter technology, which uses GPS-enabled collars to support stock management. This combination of tradition, organic practice, and modern technology reflects the long-term view the Vosper family holds. “Our family have been here for over 100 years. Being able to pass on the farm in a better condition than when you received it is really important,” John said. Improving biodiversity, rebuilding soil life, and reducing plastic and fossil fuel use are all part of that commitment. “Soil being the basis of our whole production, treating it with care is central to our farm.”

The partnership between the two businesses is founded on shared values. Adam told us that Kōwhai Creamery sought a milk supplier that aligned with the ethos of their product. “It’s really good to support local businesses making a boutique, high-quality product,” John said. The creamery’s success helps validate the farm’s organic approach, and the farm’s milk helps elevate the gelato’s identity. For Adam, the partnership is equally satisfying.

“From seeing the cows, to receiving whole milk, creating our recipes, producing, packing, branding, and seeing people enjoy it - it’s cradle-to-grave. Seeing people’s reactions - smiles, kids laughing - we get to be part of that,” Adam said.

Both operations are planning for the future. Kōwhai Creamery continues to refine flavour development and explore expansion opportunities. Jersey Girl Organics is working on succession planning, environmental improvements, and maintaining resilience amid market fluctuations. While recent years have brought challenges for organic dairy farming, John maintains perspective. “There’s always silver linings,” he said.

In the Waikato, the partnership between Jersey Girl Organics and Kōwhai Creamery represents the best of regional food production - heritage, innovation, sustainability, and a shared sense of place. The land produces the grass, the cows transform it into richly flavoured milk, and the creamery turns that milk into gelato enjoyed across the country. It is a story rooted in the soil, strengthened by community, and shaped by people determined to honour both their past and their region’s future.