Ulli and Helmet Spranz pioneer Australian organic-biodynamics at B.-d. Farm Paris Creek dairy in Adelaide Hills

Ulli Stanz (pictured), who founded B.-d. Farm Paris Creek organic-biodynamic farming in the Adelaide Hills with her husband Helmet. The  compnay and its range of dairy products (top) were evenyurall taken over by Maggie Beer Holdings.
Images coruest B.-d. Farm Paris Creek and The Weekly Times

Helmet and Ulli Spranz, regarded as pioneers of the Australian organic-biodynamic farming, founded B.-d. Farm Paris Creek  dairy products in the Adelaide Hills in 1995. B.-d. Farm Paris Creek became Australia’s largest vertically integrated biodynamic and organic dairy business.

The company produced premium biodynamic and organic dairy products including milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter with the brand dominating the organic dairy market share in South Australia. Helmut and Ulli Spranz bought their first  Their first dairy farm was acquired in 1987 in the Adelaide Hills and adopted the practices and principles learned from their experiences as young dairy hands in the Swiss Alps. 

The Spranzes were considered Australian leaders in the converting farms to organic and biodynamic techniques. They led by example, from 1995, with  B.-d. Farm Paris Creek as Australia’s largest vertically integrated biodynamic and organic dairy business based at Paris Creek near Strathalbyn. To meet expected demand, Paris Creek upgraded its processing from 10 million litres to about 30 million litres of milk. It was supplied from a pool of South Australian organic-biodynamic (no chemicals, no pesticides, no herbicides or preservatives, and nothing genetic modified) farmers and had control over an estimated 20% of Australia’s organic raw milk still only 0.5% of the national milk market.  

In 2017, B.-d Farm Paris Creek business was sold for $34 million to Australian food and drinks investor Primary Opinion’ that already had taken  taking a 48% stake in food and cookery firm Maggie Beer Products. Helmet Spranz saw it as “a great step forward for the B-d Farm Paris Creek vision. When we came to Australia in the mid1980s, we firmly believed in our vision of providing our children with a safe, healthy place to live. We added to that our vision of sustainable, premium organic dairy products and have created a team of people that are as passionate about organic as we are.” 

Maggie Beer Holdings (that became 100%-onwed by the Longtable Group, formerly Primary Opinion) later took over the B.-d. Farm Paris Creek business, saying it would continue to farm and manufacture in South Australia. This followed by detailed strategic review by Maggie Beer Holdings board and management that included the viability of upgrading the B.-d. Farm Paris Creek plant to expand its dairy product making and its value as an internal asset for making and supplying Maggie Beer Products including “the strategically important cheese products”