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“ We ’ re located in the crater of the largest known volcano in the history of man . So , we ’ ve literally got geothermal power under our feet which is released in natural steam form . Our shareholders provide the national grid with steam power to generate electricity and we ’ re able to use that clean steam to power our plant . Normally , that process would be facilitated by a coalpowered boiler , which , as we know , has a significant emissions profile . As a dairy , we dehydrate several of our products , which is an incredibly energy-intensive process . To be able to remove that requirement for coal and reduce our carbon footprint is a notable benefit . We then repurpose the steam and it ’ s used to heat a nearby greenhouse that grows premium vegetables , like tomatoes and capsicums , year-round . Any waste from the greenhouse is then combined with ours and sent to a worm farm , right next door . The resultant vermicast is used as compost for native plants and trees . It ’ s a beautiful , closed loop system that has been set up by our visionary founders . I ’ ve never seen anything like it ,” he enthuses . “ One of our shareholders , Tūaropaki Trust , partnered with Japan ’ s Obayashi Corporation to create a hydrogen production facility near our plant . The next step for us is to power our milk tanker fleet with hydrogen and support our goal of becoming completely carbon neutral .”
Environmental stewardship
Miraka produces over 300 million liters of milk per year and exports its products around the world . Its milk is sourced from farms near to the factory , giving a farm-fresh advantage . The company produces a range of dried products and exports largely to Asia , the Middle East , and Africa , recently adding a frozen milk concentrate to its product portfolio .
“ The concentrate is blast frozen and requires molds to facilitate the process ,” explains Karl . “ The frames for these were created by reforming recycled ocean
Miraka dairy farmers and brothers , Michael & Mark Thomasen with Japie Nortje , centre , Miraka Supplier Relations Manager
Kaitiakitanga is a New Zealand Māori term used for the concept of guardianship of the sky , the sea , and the land , and it is important to us
buoys from the country ’ s mussel farming industry . Alongside this initiative , we ’ ve also partnered with Tetra Pak on a scheme that recycles our redundant UHT milk packaging into construction board for the housing sector . We like to work with like-minded organizations with similar values to our own .
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