[Photo Above - An aerial view of the Grainhub headquarters]

Founded three years ago, on a vision to create a 100% Kiwi-owned business to support domestic growers and farmers, GrainHub is today delivering on that vision as a leading manufacturer and supplier of top quality pelletized stock food for the sheep, goat, dairy cow and dry stock farm sectors. Premium pellet products are an excellent complement to grass, boosting energy when needed to support reproduction, milk production and young animal growth/health.

GrainHub was originally set up to solely supply to other businesses but has evolved to be able to fulfil orders directly, no matter the size. The company can manufacture set blends and recipes to meet customers’ unique requirements and also dry and store grain for growers. Drying, storage, processing and manufacturing operations are carried out at GrainHub’s main base in Tuakau, which is equipped to manufacture for retailers or supply direct to farms in bulk or bag. As well, GrainHub operates a blending site in Woodville.

GrainHub’s quality range includes Tri Starch, Goat, Sheep, Calf, Lamb, Kid Goat, Mineral Feed, Dark and custom blends. Popular products in the GrainHub range include GrainHub Gold high protein pellets sold as dairy goat milking feed and the GrainHub Tri Starch Pellet, utilised across the farming sector as a powerful double punch for production. 

Uniquely well-equipped as a bulk stock feed business, GrainHub is proud to stand by its reputation of being big enough to add value and small enough to care.

“We are making three thousand tonnes of calf meal for some customers and three tonnes for others, so it’s certainly a big range,” says GrainHub Managing Director Darren Edwards. “Having been a farmer myself, I well appreciate the need to treat all requirements with the same respect. The smaller orders add up and, by contributing to our overall tonnage, are hugely important for our business.”

By fostering solid and productive working relationships with both grain growers and farmers, GrainHub has rapidly grown its reach in the North Island to include Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Taranaki and Hawkes Bay. The company is proud to provide premium animal feed solutions right across the dairy industry including milking sheep, milking goats and dairy cows.

“Spring is our peak season. Most of our customers are taking a balanced approach, complementing grass with a component of starch and energy. We have been lucky to be operating as an essential service throughout these challenging Covid times and feel privileged to be a part of our primary industry that is doing so much to support New Zealand’s economy.”

“We are making three thousand tonnes of calf meal for some customers and three tonnes for others, so it’s certainly a big range.”

At a time when international supply chains are strained, having a New Zealand-owned stock food company up and running and able to supply premium domestic product is a real positive.

Having grown up on a farm and previously worked in the dairy sector as a sharemilker and equity partner, Darren has an excellent grounding in agriculture. He also worked for a stock food company before establishing GrainHub with two other stock feed specialists in September 2018.

“We try to keep things as easy as possible by offering good known products to our farmers rather than bombarding them with too much complication and we’re happy to offer guidance as needed.”

Today, GrainHub employs 20 staff members, who work as a close knit team. “Many have come from within industry and have a lot of experience in grain drying and maize handling; we’re lucky to have such a great team.”

Grainhub’s production output is impressive, with around 14,000 tonnes a year made at Tuakau and with a similar tonnage supplied from the company’s manufacturing and distribution centre at Woodville.

In the drying season, around 18,000 tonnes of maize is dried at Tuakau. Storage silos on site have enough capacity for some 20,000 tonnes of maize. Most of the maize being dried and stored is from the Waikato and north of Auckland. “We’re building our own grower base and actively working to increase it at Tuakau; we’re looking for new growers as we go.”

GrainHub has stringent grain processing and handling procedures and is FeedSafe NZ accredited and audited to industry standards. Adhering to industry good practice is central to maintaining quality, Darren observes. Constant testing ensures the final finished product is of a premium standard. “We’re very serious about making sure quality is right at every step in the process.”

“We try to keep things as easy as possible by offering good known products.”

[The Tuakau Site]