Why New Zealand milk matters
In New Zealand, grass-fed isn’t a premium farming practice. It’s simply how dairy is produced.
New Zealand’s mild climate, regular rainfall and fertile soils - including mineral-rich volcanic soils in many parts of the country - support lush pasture growth throughout the year, allowing cows and goats to spend their days outside grazing on grass and forage. It’s a fundamentally different dairy system to many parts of the world, where pasture can be seasonal and animals may spend more time indoors, and are fed grain.
And you can see it in the milk.
A pasture-rich diet naturally increases nutrients such as beta-carotene, contributing to the richer, creamier character and naturally golden colour New Zealand dairy is known for.
This way of farming has been shaped over generations, with deep dairy expertise and rigorous standards for quality, traceability and food safety behind every step from pasture to milk.
For Haven, New Zealand isn’t simply where our milk comes from. It’s where our formula begins.
We start with exceptional, naturally grass-fed New Zealand dairy, then make considered choices about what happens next: selecting A2 milk, keeping our whole milk whole, and adding only what has a reason to be there.
Whole milk, never skim
Many milk bases begin with skim milk and add fats back later. We choose a different approach. Starting with whole milk allows us to naturally retain components found in milk fat and means there is no need for us to include any added seed or vegetable oils.
MFGM is a naturally occurring component of milk that's also found in breast milk and has been widely studied for its potential role in supporting cognitive development, immune function and gut health.
It's one of the many reasons we choose whole milk as the foundation of every Haven formula.
Naturally A2
A2 refers to a type of beta-casein, one of the main proteins naturally found in milk. Most conventional cow’s milk contains a combination of A1 and A2 beta-casein. At Haven, we choose milk with A2 beta-casein because of its naturally gentle protein profile.
For our cow’s milk, we source from carefully selected herds that are genetically tested to produce A2-only beta-casein.
Goat milk is different. It naturally contains predominantly A2-type beta-casein, giving us another naturally gentle milk base for our goat formulas.
Different milk. The same thoughtful starting point.
