| 99 nzdairy Family-run farm in Northland kicking goals While Cam and Amy do the farming side of things, Gav and Jody concentrate on the yoghurt and milk. BVJ Calves on feeder. Karen Phelps Bella Vacca Jerseys is the boutique brand of milk and yoghurt produced and sold by a small family-run farm in Northland. It was originally set up by Gavin Hogarth and Jody Hansen in 2012 as the Bella Vacca Jersey Stud. Back when they were thinking about what to call it their granddaughter Bella had just been born and as a proud poppa Gavin wanted to include her name. The resulting name Bella Vacca means beautiful cow in Italian. “Then when our grandson was born a couple of years later and learned to talk and realised that Bella had her name on every bottle of milk that went out the door he was very upset. So we said one day your name will be on something and when we started doing the yoghurt we branded it as Poppa Jax. So that’s got Jack for Jackson and he now has his name on every jar of yoghurt that goes out the door,” explains Jody. They no longer have the jersey stud running although some of the stud are still part of the jersey herd being milked to provide the milk and yoghurt that Bella Vacca sell and deliver around Auckland and Northland. The farm in Pokapu just west of Kawakawa has been in the Goodhue family for over 100 years and the Hogarths have been on the farm for 13 years. Just as the farm has passed down through the Goodhue family in that time so have the cows with Jody’s son and daughter-in-law (Cam and Amy) taking over the share-milking contract and they are now leasing the farm. While they do the farming side of things Gav and Jody concentrate on the yoghurt and milk. Like their milk and cream, Bella Vacca Jerseys sell their yoghurt in glass, and all are sold in as as pure a form as they can manage explains Jody. “Bella Vacca goes straight from the cow-shed into the pasteurizer, is chilled, bottled into glass bottles, then we deliver between Kaitaia and Karaka in Auckland. The milk and cream are in swap-a-glass-bottles, so we pick up the empties, bring them back, clean, sterilize and re-use the bottle. Our yoghurt is in glass jars and all that it contains is milk and culture. It’s just natural unflavoured yoghurt so people can flavour it to their own liking.” For community and school events such as the annual Christmas Parade or Matariki they whip up some flavoured milk: raspberry, chocolate, lime and banana, but thus far haven’t succumbed to those wanting to be able to buy it (or have it delivered) along with their standard full and trim milk, cream PEDIGREE HOLSTEINS » Bella Vacca Jerseys Ltd “We said one day your name will be on something and when we started doing the yoghurt we branded it as Poppa Jax.” Proudly supporting Bella Vacca Jerseys Ltd Kaikohe 401 1536 Kerikeri 407 7354 Waipapa 401 6654 Kawakawa 404 0842 CONTACT BRENT 027 2748 366 brentwallaceltd@gmail.com Proudly Supporting Bella Vacca Jerseys Ltd Excavator, Bulk Lime/Fertiliser/Metal Cartage, Flat Deck Truck + Trailer & Transporter Conventional Baling | Round + Big Square Silage & Hay Baling Seed Drilling | Powerharrow & Airseeding | Ripping/Discing E luent Spreading | Tip Trailers | Hedge Trimming Proudly supporting Bella Vacca Jerseys and yoghurt which is available in selected supermarkets throughout Northland and Auckland. Bella Vacca has a string of awards to its name but as far as Jody is concerned their success is due to one thing. Their milk is as pure as it comes. Nothing’s added and nothing’s taken away. What you see is what you get.
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