Heartland Potato Chips – From Our Farm to You

We know South Canterbury for its open skies, strong communities and a deep connection to the land. Few stories capture that connection better than the one behind Heartland Potato Chips, where paddock and production line meet in a family-run operation that has become a familiar New Zealand name. This is the story of how a farm in Orari and a small factory in Timaru grew into a brand built on traceability, hard work and a willingness to take big steps in business.

To watch a highlight video of the interview this article is based on, click below:

Roots on the farm: the Bowens and their values

Charlotte Bowen grew up at Fallgate Farm in Orari, a place that has been in the family for fifty years. Farming was part of daily life and it shaped how she thinks about work, people and responsibility. After training and working as a teacher in Wellington and Australia, Charlotte returned to Timaru and moved up the ranks at Heartland Potato Chips when the chance to be part of the family business emerged. That move set the stage for a different kind of career—one that blends community, production and family legacy.

Raymond Bowen’s path equally reflects a hands-on agricultural life. He transitioned from dairy and general farming into growing processing potatoes and, eventually, building a company around those crops. The decision to start potato chip production came from necessity and opportunity when a local processor closed. What followed was a risk, a banking relationship to be won and a business to build from scratch.

“Don’t do a job that you wouldn’t expect someone else to do.”

This simple family maxim captures their ethos. Everyone on the team has worked across roles—from packing to forklift driving to running night shifts—so the leadership understands what each job entails. That grounded approach has shaped how the business runs and how the team treats one another.

From paddock to packet: the Heartland production journey

Traceability is central to the Heartland story. The potatoes that become chips travel less than 30 kilometres from Fallgate Farm to the factory. The process is surprisingly quick and tightly controlled.

• Potatoes are harvested, graded and run through an optical sorter to remove stones and dirt at the farm.
• Once the truck arrives at the factory, the potatoes are peeled, sliced, fried and flavoured.
• From arrival to bagging, the turnaround can be as fast as 12 minutes.
• Finished bags are weighed, boxed (12 bags to a carton), palletised and stored in the warehouse for distribution.

The factory typically runs one flavour a day to maintain consistency and reduce downtime from cleaning and changeovers. Production capacity includes running two lines simultaneously and, on busy days, producing a couple of thousand cartons. That is a lot of chips—and a lot of attention to process control.

Quality control is built into the operation. There are laboratory checks, a calibrated flavour-dispensing machine and specifications that ensure a consistent taste profile from one batch to the next. The most important and unglamorous ingredient is the potato itself. Growing, selecting and handling quality potatoes gives Heartland a genuine advantage in both flavour and marketing—it is a real farm-to-you claim, not a slogan.

Learning by doing: why leadership in a family business matters

Charlotte’s route to general manager wasn’t linear. She started in the office doing part-time admin, filled in across warehouse and sales roles, and eventually found herself thrown into operational responsibilities during peak periods. Rather than stepping back, she put her hand up to learn the fryer and bagger, ran night shifts, got a forklift licence and spent time on the road selling product.

That hands-on experience matters. It means leadership decisions are informed by practical understanding and empathy. When staff raise concerns about a procedure or a piece of equipment, we can respond from experience rather than abstract instruction. It also helps build credibility on the floor and fosters a culture of mutual respect.

Challenges: weather, supply chains and the cost of being local

Running a regional food business is rewarding, but not without risk. The key challenges the Bowens face are familiar to any producer who ties raw-material supply to a specific patch of land.

• Weather and crop risk: drought, flooding and hail can all damage potatoes and reduce available supply.
• Supply chain disruption: during the pandemic and beyond there were shortages of cardboard, film, flavourings and other packaging inputs.
• Scale pressure: competing with large national players makes retail placement and shelf space difficult at times.
• Workforce continuity: maintaining experienced staff and covering seasonal spikes has required creative rostering and a supportive culture.

Those difficulties are balanced by agility. When competitors experienced potato shortages, Heartland quickly turned on a night shift to fill unmet demand and earn new distribution opportunities. That kind of nimbleness—being able to “turn the tap”—is one reason a regional brand can punch above its weight.

Wins that came from grit and community support

Success didn’t arrive overnight. It required convincing a bank to finance a startup operation and building retail relationships that trusted a small New Zealand-owned brand. But the wins have been meaningful and varied:

• Financial backing from local banking partners that enabled production to begin.
• The brand becoming a household name across the South Island and beyond.
• Recognition as the number one chip brand in the South Island for certain flavours.
• Strong staff retention, with multiple team members marking more than a decade of service.
• Small-scale export channels to markets such as Fiji and Singapore, giving the business an international footprint while remaining focused on New Zealand consumers.
• Being the only New Zealand-owned potato chip company in the segment, which attracts conscious shoppers.

Perhaps most importantly, the Bowens have kept the business rooted. Maintaining the farm-to-factory loop reduces transport emissions, tightens quality control and strengthens the brand story—which shoppers increasingly value.

“We’re the only New Zealand owned potato chip company in New Zealand.”

That line is significant. In a crowded snack market, ownership and provenance are differentiators. For many consumers, choosing a product that is locally owned and made with produce from the same family farm reinforces a decision to support New Zealand industry and local jobs.

Community, chambers and connections that matter

Starting and scaling a business in a regional centre requires connection. The South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce played an important role early on, guiding the Bowens through creating a business plan and bringing the right contacts to the table. Ongoing Chamber activities—networking events, mentorship programs and business workshops—remain a resource for learning and expanding relationships.

It’s a reminder that no business operates in a vacuum. Regional ecosystems—banks, local councils, chambers and peer businesses—provide the scaffolding for a small enterprise to grow. For the Bowens, being part of that network made a practical difference in the early days and continues to offer touch-points for future growth.

Staff culture: balancing kindness and professional boundaries

Charlotte talks candidly about leadership lessons. Early on, she learned the importance of maintaining a line between being a supportive leader and becoming a friend to staff in a way that undermines operational clarity. That balance is delicate in family-influenced workplaces where teams are close-knit.

At the same time, the Bowens prioritise knowing their people. They invest in long-term relationships, celebrate tenure and treat staff as individuals rather than numbers. That approach helps with retention and builds a resilient workforce who know how to step up when production demands spike.

“Staff are here to work for you. They’re not your friends.”

It may sound blunt, but taken in context this advice is about setting healthy boundaries. It allows managers to be fair and consistent while still fostering a positive workplace culture.

Leadership lessons from the factory floor

1. Learn the operation from the ground up: Hands-on experience creates credibility and operational empathy.
2. Prioritise traceability: Controlling the primary input—your raw material—simplifies quality management and brand storytelling.
3. Build a team you can trust: Invest in staff development and retention so the business keeps institutional knowledge.
4. Plan for disruption: Have contingencies for packaging, flavouring and other non-potato inputs; strong supplier relationships matter.
5. Protect the brand by maintaining consistency: Specifications, lab checks and controlled flavour deployment keep the product uniform.
6. Stay local when it adds value: Proximity between farm and factory reduces carbon emissions and improves freshness—use it as a competitive edge.
7. Use community resources: Chambers, banks and local networks are practical sources of help and credibility.

Staying in South Canterbury: a strategic and personal choice

The decision to keep both farm and factory in South Canterbury isn’t accidental. The region offers logistical advantages, natural amenities and a community that supports local business. The proximity between paddock and plant lowers carbon impact and creates a narrative that resonates with consumers. From a lifestyle perspective the family values being close to mountains, sea and a place where children can be raised with space and connection.

That rootedness also informs the Bowens’ vision for the future: steady regional growth, more people choosing to live and work here, and a community that continues to back local enterprise. They intend to grow within the region rather than relocate operations, keeping jobs local and supply chains short.

Final thoughts: what the Heartland story teaches us

The Heartland Chips journey is more than a product story. It is an example of how regional businesses can succeed through authenticity, operational discipline and community engagement. Running a food business with family at its heart brings both unique advantages and responsibilities. The Bowens turned risk into opportunity by leaning on their local knowledge, doing the work themselves and building a team that shares their commitment.

For anyone thinking of launching something similar, the practical advice is clear. Know your raw material, respect your staff, plan for disruption, and make your provenance central to the brand. For consumers and communities, the takeaway is to support local businesses that are genuinely rooted in the region. Those businesses create jobs, preserve skills and turn local produce into products with stories that matter.

We look forward to seeing what the next 5 to 10 years bring for Heartland. For now, every bag that carries the family photo on the packet is a reminder that good food can come from small places with big heart.