Farming close to the consumer

Hamish Best and his partner Caroline Flood run Conscious Valley just eight kilometres from Wellington's CBD. That proximity isn't incidental. It's central to how they've built their business, supplying locally grown beef and lamb direct to some of the city's best restaurants and keeping food miles to a minimum.

Hamish has drawn on a background in sales and marketing to forge strong relationships with top Wellington chefs. That's seen Conscious Valley's locally grown meat appear on the menus of some of the capital's most respected restaurants, with a product range that's been deliberately shaped around what those customers want.

What the judges said

The award judges praised Conscious Valley for listening to their customers and adjusting their products accordingly. They noted that while operating at the premium end of the market, the business was making effective use of all cuts and continuing to grow and adapt its range.

Judges also highlighted the collaborative relationships Conscious Valley has built, saying these had been key to the business's growth. They described it as an outstanding example of an end-to-end value chain supplying the local market while modifying farm systems to meet consumer demand.

"Conscious Valley has done a great job at asking their customers what they want and adjusting their products to suit. It's an outstanding example of an end-to-end value chain supplying the local market."

About the PGG Wrightson Market Leader Award

PGG Wrightson is proud to sponsor the Market Leader Award as part of the annual Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards. The award recognises farmers and growers who've shown exceptional commercial thinking, built strong market relationships and found new ways to create value from their product.

Congratulations to Conscious Valley and to all the 2026 award winners. The awards were presented in Christchurch on 20 May.