A Step Towards Quality and Sustainability
We are proud to announce that Maui Milk has achieved Grass-Fed Certification of our milk supply against the AsureQuality Grass-Fed Scheme. This recognition reinforces our ongoing commitment to quality, sustainability, and animal welfare, and marks a significant achievement for our team, our supply farmers, and our customers.
Meeting the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Standard
Owned by the New Zealand Government, AsureQuality works alongside New Zealand’s primary producers and manufacturers, providing a broad range of independent services, including food safety, testing, auditing and certification.
Maui Milk has elected AsureQuality as its trusted partner to provide independent auditing and certification services against the AsureQuality Grass-Fed Scheme.
Through a rigorous and robust audit process, Maui Milk has demonstrated compliance with the AsureQuality Grass-Fed Standard, verification that our milk supply meets the requirements of the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard , developed by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
The standard defines what it means to be grass-fed in New Zealand, outlining clear criteria for:
The minimum percentage of grass-based feed in the animals’ diet and,.
The amount of time animals must have access to pasture.
AsureQuality’s certification provides independent verification that Maui Milk’s entire milk pool meets these requirements, offering assurance of integrity and authenticity to both customers and partners.
What Does Grass-Fed Certification Mean?
Being certified grass-fed means that our Southern Cross® dairy sheep are raised primarily on a diet of grass and forage, rather than grain-based feed.
Under the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard:
• Grass-fed feed types make up at least 90% of the diet of the sheep supplying to Maui Milk across all of our supplying farms
• The sheep graze outside for an average of more than 340 days per year, for at least 8 hours per day.
Our Southern Cross® breed is ideally suited to this pasture-based, free-range system, thriving year-round in New Zealand’s natural environment, an approach that supports their wellbeing and allows natural behaviours to flourish.
This natural, pasture-based farming system:
Promotes the health and welfare of our ewes.
Enhances the nutritional quality and purity of our milk.
Reflects our philosophy of working in harmony with New Zealand’s environment.
Why It Matters
Maui Milk’s products are naturally nourishing, ethically produced, and backed by independent verification.
For consumers, grass-fed certification provides trusted and transparent assurance about how their dairy is produced.
For our milk processors and supply farmers, this certification ensures:
Integrity and transparency of our grass-fed credentials
A strong provenance story that supports premium positioning in local and global markets.
Recognition of the hard work and dedication of our farmers, who follow Maui Milk’s strict pasture-based standards with pride and care.
Celebrating Together
We extend our sincere thanks and congratulations to our team and milk suppliers for their dedication to sustainable, pasture-based farming and achieving grass-fed certification of the milk supply.
By choosing Maui Milk, you’re supporting products that reflect the very best of New Zealand grass-fed farming. Premium quality, ethical care for animals, and deep respect for the land.
Together, we can continue to build a healthier, greener future, one glass of Maui sheep milk at a time.
