“We’re building a sustainable future for our kids and making the most of the opportunities we have”.
Jippy Singh is explaining what motivates him to get out of bed in the morning. “My family is my main driver. That and I love farming.” It’s easy to see he means it, too. The giveaway is the smile on his face when he talks about farming, his family and the future he and his wife, Jass, are building together.
Jippy and Jass are Contract Milkers at Mahia, where they milk 850 cows in a 64 bay rotary shed. They’ve been at Mahia since 2024 and have built a great team that shares a real sense of pride in what they do. That was recently recognised at the 2026 Fortuna Awards in July, where Mahia took home both the Supreme Award and Farm Pride Award.
Originally from India, Jippy and Jass came to New Zealand in 2010. Jippy arrived first, moving to Christchurch to study Business Management. On his weekends, he’d leave the City to explore and take a look at nearby farms. His grandfather was involved in the Buffalo business (trading and milking) so farming held a certain fascination. But this was back when dairy farming had no shortage of workers and competition for positions was especially tough. “We applied to hundreds of jobs and eventually managed to get one”, explains Jippy.
From day one, Jippy knew moving to Dairy Farming in NZ was the right decision. “I enjoyed the challenge, there was something new to do every day. And I just like being outside. I’m a village guy and I can’t sit inside.”
Through hard work and determination, Jippy became a farmer. Then he became a Fortuna Farmer. They live on farm with their 3 daughters (aged 9, 3 and 2) who are developing their own love of the outdoors, animals, and farm life. From the very beginning, Jippy and Jass have embraced the partnership with Fortuna and we’ve equally valued having them on our team, and we’re pleased to be playing a role in seeing them grow, succeed and build a future for their family.
“We’ve built a great relationship with everyone at Fortuna. We have the same family values and that’s where the success comes from. We think the same way”, explains Jippy. “Fortuna is based around people and they look after their people, and they look after the land. They set high standards and I've learnt so much since I’ve been at Fortuna. It’s been built by farmers and that shows.”
There’s no denying we often get labelled as a ‘corporate’ and that tends to have negative connotations for some. But Jippy is right when he says the company has been built by farmers, as that’s our founder's story.
“It’s a family really. You’ll be blown away by the amount of help and support you get. Everyone gets involved, even David (Fortuna’s founder) gets involved in the WhatsApp group discussions. Farming always has its challenges and it’s the people who you have around you to help you deal with them that’s important. At Fortuna, you have good people and they look out for you and stand by you. That makes every challenge easy.”
Jass agrees: “If you have an open mind and want to learn, Fortuna is a great place. The structure isn’t what you’d expect and it feels more homely than anything else.”
Jippy and Jass have certainly created a homely feel on their farm, developing a tight-nit team who embody the Fortuna values and take pride in their work. One of their team is now enrolled at the Fortuna Academy (our in-house leadership programme) and their hard work was rewarded with the accolades at the recent Fortuna Awards ceremony.
Not that it’s all about hard work. Life on farm is also about simply enjoying being on farm. “There’s a hill on the farm and I sometimes just go to the top and sit there for 15 minutes,” says Jippy. “I enjoy the view and take the time to appreciate how far we’ve come. We came here with just suitcases really, with nothing, and we’ve built a business with the help of Fortuna and have built a sustainable future for our family.”
Jass smiles as Jippy says this. It’s an acknowledgement that the sacrifices Jass made was all worth it. Together, they’ve worked hard, followed their dreams, and paved the way for their children to be able to follow their own dreams by attaining the kind of financial freedom possible with farming.
When we talk about creating opportunities through dairy - this is precisely what we mean. It’s about making life better for entire families, for this generation and the next. That’s what Jippy and Jass have done.
Maybe you can do it, too?
