Fairfield - Katea

Otago

28 Oct

Dates: 1910-1970
Location: 357 Katea Road, Katea 9586, Otago (-46.409961, 169.624927)
Registration No: 688
Brand name: FAIRFIELD; KATEA

Establishing the Fairfield Co-operative Dairy Company

The Fairfield Co-operative Dairy Factory Limited was incorporated in 1910 with a cheese factory being built on a section sub-divided from Charles Anderson’s “Fairfield” farm on Katea Road about 5.5kms from Owaka. The factory was first mentioned in the annual list of factories in 1911.

The company’s early years reflected both the opportunities and uncertainties facing small rural dairy co-operatives. At the company’s annual meeting in October 1913, Otago dairy instructor Mr A. C. Ross emphasised the importance of producing high-quality cheese for overseas markets, stressing that good dairy produce depended on clean milk, proper cooling and better management of dairy herds. The company’s sixth annual report, presented in 1916, recorded a substantial 40 per cent increase in milk supply, with 1,079,617 lbs of milk processed to produce 47 tons of cheese. However, the following season brought a sharp decline in milk supply, forcing shareholders to consider closing the factory and winding up the company. They ultimately agreed to forgo their usual dividend to help meet expenses and the position improved in 1918, when milk deliveries increased by more than a third compared with the previous season, demonstrating the fluctuating fortunes of the small co-operative.

Expansion, Production and Operational Challenges

During the 1920s, Fairfield experienced renewed growth and invested in improvements to its buildings and equipment including lining the cheese making room in 1920. Milk receipts reached approximately 1.58 million pounds in the 1922-23 season, with cheese production equivalent to nearly 69 tons. The company continued increasing prodution through the following decades, although it also faced regulatory and environmental challenges. In 1937, Fairfield became the subject of a prosecution for failing to differentiate payments for first- and second-grade butterfat as required by regulations. In 1943, concerns were raised that whey from the factory was polluting a small stream flowing into the Owaka River. By the 1943-44 season, the factory’s cheese output had reached more than 102 tons.

Otago Witness - Issue 3176 - 27 January 1915 - Page 42 - Supplement

Fairfield cheese crate - photographer unknown - image courtesy of Owaka Museum

1923 share transfer certificate - image courtesy of Owaka Museum

1928 share transfer certificate - image courtesy of Owaka Museum

1932 share transfer certificate - image courtesy of Owaka Museum

1934 share transfer certificate - image courtesy of Owaka Museum

1936 share transfer certificate - image courtesy of Owaka Museum

1945 Manager reference from Wilfred Baird for Mr J Eason

Fire, the Katea Name and the Factory’s Final Years

The factory suffered a devastating setback on a Tuesday morning 10 January 1950, when fire destroyed its old wooden cheese-making building. Manager J. Todd discovered the blaze at about 11.30 am and attempted unsuccessfully to extinguish it. Local residents rallied to save equipment and finished cheese, including a new separator valued at approximately £750, but the building, other machinery and a quantity of cheese were lost. The manager’s residence was also threatened before a change in wind direction averted further damage. The company quickly arranged for the nearby Ratanui factory to process milk from its suppliers, with Ratanui employees agreeing to work a night shift to accommodate the additional milk.

The factory was quickly rebuilt in concrete in 1950 and in November 1953, the Fairfield Co-operative Dairy Factory Limited formally changed its name to The Katea Co-operative Dairy Company Limited, reflecting its location more directly. The factory switched its branding from FAIRFIELD to KATEA to reflect the name change and continued until 1970 when it was finally closed down. The company was subsequently listed for removal from the register of companies in 1975.

High Manager Turnover

Like many small relatively isolated dairy factories, Fairfield/Katea suffered from high turnover of managers who wore many hats including the role of cheesemaker. From its inception in 1910 until its closure in 1970, the company advertised for managers in 1912, 1914, 1916, 1918, 1924, 1926, 1938, 1943, 1949, 1951, 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1967. So, it’s likely the company had as many as 15 managers in its roughly 60 year life span.