SealesWinslow History

SealesWinslow is a leading compound ruminant feed manufacturer, offering a complete animal nutrition package to enhance the performance and wellbeing of pasture fed animals and herds.

Seales Ltd

SealesWinslow is the amalgamation of two of New Zealand’s leading animal nutrition manufacturers; Seales Ltd in Morrinsville and Winslow Feeds and Nutrition in Ashburton.

Seales was established in Morrinsville in 1968 by Rae and Bev Seales.

In 1997 Seales was sold and its new owners had the intention of processing and adding value to the 35,000 tonnes per annum of sweetcorn waste produced by Heinz Wattie’s in Gisborne. However, within 3 months major changes by Heinz worldwide and the sales and closure of the Gisborne facilities, resulted in a loss of this business opportunity. Over the following 3 years Seales diversified into growing maize and onions on leased land. In 1999/2000 the Company was caught by a dramatic collapse of global onion prices resulting in losses exceeding $1.5 million and was on the verge of receivership.

After identifying a niche market for custom blended pelleted feed to the dairy sector the business was restructured by selling off non-core assets and refocusing the business. The outcome of the new business model resulted in sustained sales growth, averaging 35% per annum from 2000 to 2005. From this solid foundation, exponential sales growth occurred, with sales increasing by 260% and EBITDA increasing by 541% over the next three years. In September 2007 Seales commissioned a new feed mill in Morrinsville with a capital value of over $16 million. This provided a four-fold lift in capacity and included the very latest state of the art technology out of Europe and Canada. In 2009 Seales invested a further $1.6 million in a third feed line that would grow capacity by 30%, as well as employing four new senior positions to accommodate the continued growth of the company.

Seales Ltd became New Zealand’s largest independent feed mill primarily supplying high-end custom blended pelletised feed.

Winslow Feeds and Nutrition

Winslow Feeds and Nutrition began as a division of Winslow Ltd, a progressive and innovative agribusiness based in Ashburton.

On the 1st December 2000 it was brought by the Carr Agricultural Group. Initially established as a specialist ruminant feed mill to supply the growing demands of the dairy industry, the Winslow business developed significantly during the 2000’s to provide a wide range of agricultural products and services to a diverse customer base.

Winslow was the South Island’s leading ruminant feed mill.

SealesWinslow

In May 2011 Ballance Agri-Nutrients joined forces with Seales Ltd and Winslow Feeds and Nutrition to create a new nationwide business focused on meeting farmers’ complete animal nutrition needs from pasture through to supplements.

The new operation, SealesWinslow, was 51% owned by Ballance Agri-Nutrients. The shareholders of Seales Ltd and Winslow Feeds and Nutrition owned the remaining 49%. In 2013 Ballance Agri-Nutrients moved to full ownership of SealesWinslow.

Under Ballance Agri-Nutrients, SealesWinslow expanded its national footprint and its ability to meet customer needs. This includes the multi-million dollar feed mill development in Whanganui, which opened in August 2013.

Farmlands

In June 2024 Farmlands purchased SealesWinslow from Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

The combination of Farmlands’ expertise in bulk and retail feeds and SealesWinslow’s ruminant business offers Farmlands the chance to leverage different expertise and skills, making it easier to diversify the co-op’s offerings to farmers across the animal nutrition sector.

By maintaining ownership of the feed mills within the New Zealand co-operative, local farmers retain ownership over this critical aspect of the food production supply chain.

The deal also supports Farmlands’ commitment to rural communities, as it boosts Farmlands’ national presence, with five mills spread across key regions in New Zealand.