Better together: Our favourite collabs

Many of our top selling, most innovative products have been born out of collaboration with horticulturalists, ornithologists, and animal nutritionists. 

Of course, our longest-running collaboration (since the 1970s) is with our partner growers, who produce the seed, grain and hay that are central to so many of our products. Their work contributes to everything from rabbit and guinea pig treats to Poultry Peckers and wild bird seed mixes. 

“Working so closely with our growers allows us to control the quality of the ingredients as we are involved in crop preparation throughout the planting, growing and harvesting process,” says Managing Director and owner Greg Webster. “The quality of these ingredients is essential in providing a finished product that delivers a high standard of nutrition.” 

Here's the background to some of our best team efforts. 

1. Topflite's aviary bird seed mixes, with our growing partners

Our bird seed mixes are Topflite’s original collaboration. Farming in Oamaru in the 1970s, the Webster and Mitchell families (who are still at the helm of the business today!) saw the potential for growing sunflower seeds in these fertile soils. While they originally had sunflower oil in mind, there were peeps of interest from an underserved market. 

At the time, the bird feed market was flooded with imported seed, which had to be heat treated to enter the country safely. This treatment removed much of the nutritional goodness of the seed, so bird clubs and breeders were looking for a locally grown alternative. Enter, Topflite. One of our founders, Jock Webster, worked with these experts to grow and create our core birdseed mixes such as budgie and canary feed, which are still best sellers today. 

2. The Pick, created with Dr Merlyn Hay

Veterinarian Dr Merlyn Hay had long known that pet rabbits needed more appropriate feed. Many commercially available pellet mixes for rabbits and guinea pigs are padded out with grains and fillers, which amounts to junk food for bunnies and piggies. To combat the digestive issues, illness and weight gain she was seeing, Dr Hay came up with a pure plant fibre feed in pellet form, with no added grains or fillers.  
 
Designed for optimal fibrevore gut health, her products became The Pick. The range includes two pure, single ingredient pressed hay varieties and a complete daily feed, Fibre Feast. With a specific blend for rabbits and another balanced for guinea pigs, New Zealand small pet owners have a nutritious and locally grown option. 

3. The Garden Bird Supporters Pack, developed with Manaaki Whenua

As an important way to get people excited about doing the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey and to generate awareness of the reasons behind it, this pack needed to be carefully constructed. For this reason, its creation involved a rigorous process that included collaboration with scientists from Manaaki Whenua.  

That’s because there is emerging awareness about what native birds eat (nectar, insects, berries, foliage). We’ve long taken our lead from Manaaki Whenua on the correct concentration of sugar to water for feeding native birds so it was an honour to work with the NZGBS team on this pack, which also includes activities, bird ID tips and tally sheets.  

4. The Peka Power Pack, with Tahu and Harvey

Created to ensure backyard birds are safe from predators while snacking, the Pekapeka feeder was initially a citizen science project by bird expert Tahu Mckenzie from Orokonui Ecosanctuary and product designer Harvey Penfold.  

Our Peka Power Pack was then created with the designers’ input to make the feeder more user-friendly from the get-go, with some energy food and a feeder included, as well as our booklet of tips for attracting and caring for backyard birds. Easy to put up and excellent for yards that lack trees, this simple design is a real winner. 

5. Limited edition flavours of Energy Food, with local growers

Seasonal releases of our Energy food are always snapped up quickly – and our blueberry flavour was no exception. This range was made with the help of a local blueberry grower and juicer, who had leftover skins from the juicing process ready for the taking. The skins give this range a beautiful colour and delicious fruity flavour, which the birds go all a-flap for. 

Similarly, we created the cherry flavour from locally grown cherries, which were freeze-dried and blended with the energy food recipe. These excess or bruised cherries would otherwise have gone to waste, so this is also a winning reuse story.

6. Sprout Jar Kit, with Good Life

Mainly designed with aviary bird owners in mind, but also useful for sprouting seed for wild birds or chickens, the Sprout Jar Kit is easy to use for creating a wholesome, nutrient rich feed for birds of all feathers.  

Rather than re-invent the wheel, we enlisted the help of sprouting kit experts Good Life in the creation of this glass jar kit, which can be reused over and over and also recycled at end of life. Complete with seeds to get sprouting and a mesh lid that lets air in, this kit has proved a huge success.  

So what's next?

Well, the Topflite Hound team may just be working on something extra for our canine friends, with the help of some leading South Island meat and fish producers. Keep an eye out for a new range of wholefood, freeze-dried dog food options coming soon!