“I’m living the dream”.  We could probably end this employee spotlight right here.  Those words from Leo De Los Reyes say it all.  

Only it doesn’t.  Because Leo has a very specific dream and that’s why he works at Fortuna.  But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  Let’s take it back to the start, when Leo was a small boy.  A small boy with a dream.  

Growing up in the Philippines, Leo was exposed to farm life from the very beginning.  His father was a sugar cane farmer and while he might have been expected to follow in his Father’s footsteps, Leo preferred animals to crops.  So when he started studying agriculture, the idea of majoring in animal farming sounded sweeter than sugar cane to him.  

Post study, the end goal was always to farm in New Zealand.  The appeal of four seasons and learning from Kiwi dairy farmers, who are recognised as the best, was too much for an eager dairy farmer to resist.  Before that could happen, Leo needed two years experience in order to satisfy the immigration criteria.  That meant going somewhere with no seasons.  Well, one season.  One very hot season.

Milking cows in Saudi Arabia might be about as far removed as it’s possible to get from milking cows in Southland.  Leo knew that’s what he needed to do though.  So he joined the team at a 24 hour milking operation that had a herd of 10,000 cows.  

It was worth it and Leo arrived in NZ in 2010 to take up a role on a private farm in Balclutha.  The job was going well but it wasn’t quite what Leo wanted.  He has a list of short and long term goals, which he reads to himself every night before he goes to bed, then again in the morning, before the day starts in earnest.  The job in Balclutha wouldn’t let him tick off everything.  So he would be left….well, dreaming. 

That’s when we met Leo.  This was 2016 and Leo interviewed with Pete for a position at Glenarlea.  He did well and found himself working under Brendon Santos for the next 3 years.  It was time well spent and moved Leo closer to achieving the goals on that list and realising his dream.  

“I wanted to try another farm and then Fortuna purchased Piriti”.  Leo has worked on all 3 farms at Piriti now, where he currently manages Piriti 1.  It’s a job he enjoys and feels well supported to do; “I am surrounded by smart people.  If I need advice, I can ask anything.  There is lots of upskilling at Fortuna.  I am very, very lucky with that.”  (That’s nice Leo, but we’re the lucky ones here).  

Leo still reads his list of goals every night and again every morning.  The ultimate goal is to own his own farm.  But before that is becoming a contract milker.  It’s all possible and at Fortuna we work with the team to bring them through to own part of the company.  “Fortuna is open to everything I want to do, which is great,” says Leo.

All these years later, Leo still wakes up every morning with a smile on his face.  “I like milking cows, that’s my favourite thing.  I like to see the girls”.  Then after a hard day's work, he can relax in the warm staff house and ... .maybe dream a little more.  

After all, dreams can come true.