A foray into hobby farming led CopperTree Farms founder Nick Venter and his team to create some of Australia’s finest beef—and now butter. Baking Business caught up with Nick to learn more about his journey and what it takes to produce exceptional butter.

Can you share the origins of CopperTree Farms?

I originally worked in finance in South Africa and moved to Australia in 2015 when I was 45. I retired early but quickly found myself bored. In 2017, I bought a small hobby farm thinking, “How hard can it be?”

One of the reasons I got into farming was because I couldn’t understand why beef in Australia was so expensive compared to South Africa. I soon realised just how many people are involved in the Australian food system. While many claim to offer “paddock to plate,” it’s often more like paddock to plate through a dozen other hands.

I started with Angus cattle, aiming to produce the best steak in the country. Six months in, someone told me I needed Shorthorn cattle for better beef, so I bought those. Another six months later, I was advised to get Speckle Park cattle. And so the journey continued.

Eventually, I asked a group of meat experts what the best beef they’d ever had was. Surprisingly, many said it came from retired dairy cows. I was sceptical, but then I read about Asador Etxebarri in Northern Spain, one of the world’s top restaurants, which exclusively served beef from retired dairy cows. That inspired me to partner with local dairy farmers, buying their retired cows, and giving them six months on our farm to enhance their quality. That’s how CopperTree Farms began.

This relationship with dairy farmers led to your butter production. How did that come about?

It was somewhat accidental. While working with dairy farmers, food scientists, and veterinarians, we explored ways to increase marbling in the beef. High marbling means more tender meat, but the methods suggested also increased the butterfat in the cows’ milk. To me, that wasn’t a problem—it was an opportunity.

I consulted Neil Perry and his head chef, Corey Costelloe, about who made the best butter in Australia. Both had their favourite butter, but then I discovered that Naomi Ingleton “Australia’s butter Queen” had crafted both. Naomi, a chef who studied butter-making techniques in France and Switzerland, had previously made butter for Noma in Copenhagen.

During COVID, I flew to Albury and convinced Naomi to teach us how to make butter. We rented her old factory and produced our first batch of butter in early 2021. When we saw the market potential, we built a state-of-the-art butter factory at our new site in Frenchs Forest, Sydney. We churned our first butter in the new facility in May 2023 and in February 2024, CopperTree Farms received the prestigious Butter Champion award from the Royal Agricultural Society.

Butter production at CopperTree Farms

What sets CopperTree Farms butter apart? What should bakers consider when sourcing butter?

Three key factors distinguish our butter. Firstly, we naturally culture it.  While many butters today add artificial cultured flavour, we take a different approach. We make crème fraîche and churn it into butter, resulting in a truly cultured product with a deeper, more authentic flavour.

Secondly, our butter boasts an exceptionally high fat content. While most butters contain around 80-82% fat, we leave ours as it comes from the churn, which results in 84-86% fat content. This higher fat content creates an incredibly rich and creamy texture, ideal for premium baking applications.

Thirdly, we prioritise keeping our butter as natural as possible. Many butters on the market include additives like canola oil, colorants, genetically modified soy or added vitamins. Our butter contains only fresh cream and sometimes Murray River salt—nothing else.

Why should the baking industry reconsider where they source butter?

Many bakers rely on imported butter—often choosing New Zealand butter for its lower cost or European butter for its superior technical qualities. However, if we can produce butter in Australia that rivals the best Europe has to offer, doesn’t it make sense to support locally produced goods?

We also recognised that the baking industry heavily depends on imported butter sheets, and there hasn’t been much focus on producing high-quality butter sheets locally. That’s why we partnered with Egli, a Swiss company that manufactures equipment for technical butter sheets. We secured the intellectual property to produce these sheets in Australia and are excited to launch them in early 2025.

Imported butter sheets are often frozen and travel long distances before reaching bakers. By sourcing butter sheets locally, bakers support Australian farmers and also benefit from fresher, higher-quality butter sheets with a consistent and reliable supply at competitive prices.

Our freshly churned butter maintains its distinct flavour profile, enhancing the taste of baked goods. Our customers have reported excellent results across various applications, including laminated pastries, sweet yeast breads, cookies, cakes, caramels, and buttercreams.

Sustainability is a core value at CopperTree Farms. Why is this important to you and your business?

Sustainability is central to everything we do. We’re always seeking ways to improve and ensure sustainability in every aspect of our business. Our butter factory is powered by solar energy, demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship and reducing our carbon footprint.