First Choice Logofirst choice logo

We are First Choice®

At First Choice® we believe in producing high-quality products that you love but not at the expense of our future generations or the planet.

We take great care in ensuring that our products are sourced, produced, and packed in the most sustainable way possible, and we constantly look to improve on and reduce environmental impact. We want to do business in a way that adds value to our everyday life – milk that is germ free, commercially sterile and sourced from South African farmers only.

Quick Facts

And growing… The number of different product ranges we have for you to enjoy.
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How we see each one of you. The best stories are told in the kitchen, and we love being a part of yours.
Family
We export to Ghana, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique and many more to further the goodness of First Choice®.
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woodlands dairy logo

We Are Woodlands Dairy

We are a trusted producer of dairy products and pride ourselves on innovative thinking, speedy product development, and excellent customer service. From humble beginnings, Woodlands Dairy is now one the largest manufacturers of UHT milk in South Africa and home to First Choice®.

How it started... How it's going...

1995
We started in 1995 with only 2 lines and 15 employees, packing only milk.
October 2012
Our initial GHG Baseline was set in october 2012.
June 2013
Woodlands Dairy Sustainability Project was launched.
January 2014
Woodlands Dairy Sustainability Project partners with Trace & Save implementing of SWAN system tool.
2015
We received our FSSC 22000 Certification in 2015.
2015
Our flagship First Choice Dairy Shop is launched in Humansdorp, South Africa.
September 2016
The Biomass Boiler was comissioned, replacing HFO generated steam, reducing our HFO consumption by 85% from 2016 to 2017.
March 2017
Our water recovery plant was comissioned in 2017, with the capacity of 1.5 million litres per day. This reduces our water demand from local municipality by 44% per year.
May 2017
Our first Sustainable Future Booklet is published.
Oct 2018
Two ISO standard certifications were achieved, Health & Safety(ISO 45001) and Environmental(ISO 14002)
Oct 2018
Farming for the future(FFF) assessments were introduced to farms.
2019
We received our ISO 14001 Certification in 2019.
Oct 2019
Our new UHT warehouse of 19 942m3 was commisioned with storage for 25 000 pallets.
Oct 2019
Farming for the future(FFF) assessments were done on 6 farms.
May 2020
Our online shop was launched in May 2020, providing consumers with the option of buying most of our UHT products online.
Jul 2020
Our new cold storage facility was completed.
Nov 2020
Dairy Standard Association(DSA) Farm audits introduced - 14 Farms passed the DSA audits in compliance to Woolworths Farming for the future requirements, including animal welfare.
Dec 2020
First Tandem lift axle trucks were procured and phased in with forecasted savings of 14% fuel consumption.
May 2021
Solar System Commissioned - 2.8MWh solar system was installed.
Jan 2022
Woodlands Dairy was awarded as Woolworths Supplier of the Year.
May 2022
ISO 50001 Stage 1 audited - WD ISO 50001 Stage 1 audit was completed and passed, with full certification. Stage 2 audit to be completed during August 2022.
Food

Our Quality Promise

Our milk is sourced from South African Farmers only who strictly adhere to the Woodlands Dairy milk standard.

Once our UHT milk leaves the factory you’re getting commercially sterile, germ-free milk right from the heart of Mzanzi. Our milk contains no antibiotics and is safe for all consumers.

Awards

1st place
2023 Bloem Show Dairy Championships
1st place
2023 Bloem Show Dairy Championships
1st place
2023 Bloem Show Dairy Championships
1st place
2023 Bloem Show Dairy Championships
1st place
2023 SA Dairy Championships
1st place
2023 SA Dairy Championships
1st place
2023 SA Dairy Championships
1st place
2023 SA Dairy Championships
2nd place
2023 Qualite Award & SA Dairy Championships
2nd place
2023 SA Dairy Championships
2nd place
2023 SA Dairy Championships

Let’s Partner

Supporting the Kouga Region

Supporting the Kouga region is high on our priority list, and we do so by backing various organisations, CSI projects and participating in local events. We love giving back to our local community, because in essence, we are because of you! Thank you for allowing us to do so.

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