The team behind Willesden Farms
Willesden Farms is led by a highly experienced senior management team with a proven track record of growth across various industries throughout New Zealand.
About Us
Brent and Belinda Thomas
Brent and Belinda Thomas are the majority owners of the farming businesses. Both have a significant and highly successful commercial and entrepreneurial background. Prior to taking over the much smaller farming operation from the family in 2008, Brent and Belinda were co-owners and founders of Raeward Fresh, a successful Fresh Food business that was developed to complement the existing family business of Hellaby Meats (SI) Limited. The wholesale and manufacturing part of the business was successfully sold to Bidvest in 2011, with the retail brand sold off to Foodstuffs (SI) Limited, which saw Brent and Belinda continue running the flagship store at Harewood under Foodstuffs until this was sold in 2015.
Belinda is originally from Southland, and her family are the owners of H&J Smith Holdings Limited, which owns various property interests in Southland, Mitre 10 in Queenstown and Laser Electrical in Invercargill. Belinda is on the board of directors for H&J Smith Holdings Limited, as well as the subsidiary companies.
Matt and Katy Iremonger
Complementing Brent and Belinda are General Managers Matt and Katy Iremonger. Matt and Katy have an extensive and successful track record in farm business management and have driven the on-farm expansion alongside Brent and Belinda by fostering excellent relationships with suppliers, processors and other business partners. This unique relationship and focused skillset is a major driver behind the access the group has to expansion opportunities in the past and imminent future.
Recognising the quality of their on-farm management and the wider industry participation, Matt was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2022.
We champion innovation in everything we do
Combining the expertise of generational farming with advances in agriculture, we raise industry standards.
Husbandry
We prioritise the physical and emotional health of our animals, adopting farming practices that ensure their comfort.
People
As a family-run business, we have a tight-knit workforce that shares our passion, values and strong work ethic.
Partners
We’re active members in our community, working alongside Bioprotection Aotearoa and local groups.
Research
We collaborate for the future of farming, contributing to studies for the MBIE, MfE and Massey, Waikato and Lincoln universities.