-1886-
Henry Reynolds opens a butter factory in Waikato.
Inspired by the tattoo on a sailor’s arm, Reynolds chooses the anchor as his brand mark – symbolising safe arrival and reliability. The Anchor brand is born.
-1888-
Anchor wins gold at the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition.
-1896-
Reynolds sells Anchor to the New Zealand Dairy Association. This includes eight factories across Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Taranaki producing 300 tonnes of butter.
-1900-
Anchor registers its trademark.
-1901-
Production of Anchor milk powder begins in Makino
-1911-
Daily Mail runs a front page story about New Zealand butter, the “finest butter obtainable” that comes from grass-fed cows and produced under strict government supervision.
-1919-
New Zealand Dairy Association amalgamates with Waikato Co-operative Dairy Company to form New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, giving farmers the power to take New Zealand’s dairy products to the world
-1920-
The Breakthrough Years of Export
Up to 90% of New Zealand’s dairy exports go to the UK, where Anchor is the best-selling butter.
Anchor is known for brand slogans such as “the leading brand of the choicest butter from the loveliest dairy pastures in the world” and “fresh as a sea breeze, pure as the sunshine”.
-1927-
The Dairy Research Institute of New Zealand is founded to pioneer use of technology and champion advances in dairy production. This later becomes the Fonterra Research and Development Centre.
-1920-
Rationing in UK
Branded products are removed from shelves due to the war. With exports dropping drastically, Anchor diversifies and expands its product range to include cheese.
In New Zealand, new technology extends shelf life of Anhydrous Milk Fat, making it possible for cream - based foods to be shipped to troops on the other side of the globe.
-1951-
Iconic milk tankers debut at farms across New Zealand for fresh milk collection.
-1954-
Rationing ends in the UK and Anchor products return to its shelves.
-1982-
Anchor’s ground breaking innovation UHT cream in aerosol cans takes the industry and market by storm.
-1988-
With deregulation of town milk, the distribution of glass milk bottles is discontinued. This also marks the arrival of Anchor milk.
-2001-
Fonterra Co-Operative Group Limited is established following the merger of Kiwi Co-Operative Dairies with New Zealand Dairy Group. Owned by 10,500 farmers, it is now the country’s largest company.
-2009-
KickStart Breakfast partnership between Fonterra and Sanitarium started in 2009 to provide a free breakfast of Anchor™ milk and Sanitarium Weet-Bix™. With the Ministry of Social Development joining in 2013, KickStart Breakfast now reaches nearly 1,400 schools across Aotearoa serving more than 180,000 breakfast each school week.
-2010-
Anchor launches in China, one of the largest dairy markets in the world.
-2013-
The Light Proof™ milk bottle hits the shelves.
Anchor Milk now keeps fresh-tasting longer.
-2022-
KickStart Breakfast celebrates serving over 50 million breakfasts!
Serving nearly 180,000 bowls of Anchor™ milk and Weet-Bix™ every school week.
