Co-op chefs adding value to Fonterra dairy

Every litre of milk produced by Co-op farmers must compete in crowded global markets where performance, reliability and differentiation matter. Turning that milk into premium products doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s enabled by a global team of Anchor Food Professionals (AFP) chefs, who ensure New Zealand dairy performs f lawlessly in commercial kitchens around the world. Their work protects demand and helps grow returns for farmers.

With 70 chefs around the world, this global community brings the best out of products made from Co-op farmers’ milk and gives Anchor products an innovative advantage. AFP chefs check how well cream whips and holds its shape, how butter performs in pastries, and how different cheeses melt, stretch and bake. By doing so, they ensure that Anchor products are truly market ready.

They also showcase AFP products at major international events such as Bakery China and the China International Import Expo (CIIE), demonstrating the versatility of cream, butter, cream cheese and cheese to thousands of potential customers.

One team with complementary roles

AFP chefs bring more than culinary skill – they’re practical problem-solvers who make sure the Co-op's products perform in real-world kitchen conditions through performance testing, innovation validation, customer collaboration, and trend spotting.

The team spans several specialist roles, including:

• Global Chefs, who lead innovation and represent AFP on the world stage through industry partnerships, including with the Worldchefs Association.
• Research and Development Chefs, who are based in Research and Development centres like Palmerston North, testing how products perform and helping develop new dairy solutions.
• Customer-Led Chefs, who are located in-market and work directly with bakeries, cafés, restaurants and food manufacturers to tailor dairy solutions to local tastes and business needs.

Innovation driven by local trends

In Southeast Asia, food trends move quickly. Based in Indonesia, Customer-Led Chefs like Niko Johansyah and Anadia Hanifandira work directly with restaurants, bakeries and cafés to develop recipes that blend local flavours with the reliability and versatility of New Zealand dairy.

Their work combines chef know-how, customer insight and fast, flexible product development, contributing to more than 250 new applications across the region each year.

“Being an AFP Chef means wearing many hats,” Niko says. “We’re not just cooking – we’re technical sales advisors, trainers, product testers and recipe innovators. We benchmark against competitors, provide insights to sales teams, and even redesign menus to improve kitchen efficiency.”

A connected chef community

Although they’re spread around the globe, AFP chefs operate as a tight network. They share knowledge and test new applications together. This keeps the Co-op’s capability strong in every market and ensures the solutions they offer customers are both innovative and practical for commercial kitchens.

AFP chefs play a key role in ensuring value flows back to farmers by strengthening the Co-op’s innovation engine and deepening customer relationships across key markets.

Their ability to respond quickly to local trends and help customers meet fast shifting consumer demand is driving real momentum in the Foodservice business – where collaboration, agility and innovation translate into accelerated growth for the Co-op, and ultimately, greater value for farmers.