Mondelēz International has announced the winners of the inaugural Cadbury Farmer of the Year Awards, celebrating excellence in agriculture and the efforts of its dedicated dairy suppliers.
Five Tasmanian farmers were recognised for their performance across the categories of milk quality, innovation and sustainability, young farmer and female farmer.
Manufactured in Tasmania for more than a century, Cadbury sources more than 110 million litres of fresh milk from the state annually.
Many of the (approximately) 50 dairy farming families have been supplying the company for generations.
Darren O’Brien, Mondelēz International president for Australia, New Zealand and Japan, said the awards were established to honour their hard-working Tasmanian farmers and their love for dairy.
“We’re incredibly proud of our unique dairy sourcing model here in Tasmania and the direct relationships we have with our farmers.”
“This is an opportunity for us to say thank you to our farmers for their commitment to Cadbury, Australia’s most trusted food brand, and to recognise the hard work they put in every single day to deliver the high-quality milk that goes into our great tasting products.”
Mark Griffin, a fifth-generation farmer from Mount Patrick Estate, emerged as the recipient of the Milk Quality Award, reflecting first-class practices across his dairy operations.
“It’s an incredible honour for our team and 950-strong herd who work hard twice a day, 10 months of the year to produce high quality milk.
“To deliver high quality milk — it’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle and you’ve got to get all those one-percenters right.”
The company has its sights set on a path to sustainable growth, with sustainability recently elevated as the fourth pillar of the company’s strategy.
Joint winners of the Innovation and Sustainability category, Darren Fielding and Paul Lambert, exemplify this ambition with ground-breaking practices.
Darren has invested in one of the state’s few robotic dairies, automating the milking process for his 330 Friesian cows.
While Paul has adopted smart cow collars, providing real-time data on the health and fertility of his cows, and capabilities to control their feed allocation and movement across his 300 hectare property.
Collectively, Paul and Darren’s families have been supplying Cadbury for nearly 80 years.
Brodie Hill, farming in South Riana on the central coast, shines as the Young Farmer Award recipient, demonstrating a spirit of innovation and promise for the future of the industry.
His passion for developing aspiring farmers gives hope to the future of the workforce in the region.
Meanwhile, 23 year-old Alice Abblitt was celebrated as the winner of the Female Farmer Award, showcasing leadership and dedication in a male-dominated industry.
Alice has taken charge of the Abblitt family 500-cow farm and maintains a positive attitude that is infectious on the farm.
Cadbury extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and expresses gratitude to all farming families for their invaluable contributions to Cadbury and Mondelēz International.