Fonterra Australia Graduate Programs & Internships

What it does:  Fonterra Cooperative Group is the world's largest exporter of dairy products, a leader in dairy science and innovation, owner of a significant portfolio of brands in the Asia Pacific, and a partner to many of the world's leading food companies.  

Mission:  Our Co-operative, empowering people, to create goodness, for generations. Tātou, tātou.

Size and presence: Fonterra Oceania is a united team from both sides of the Tasman working together to create great dairy products for Australians, New Zealanders and many around the world. 

Best known for: In Australia, our portfolio of well-known brands includes Western Star™, Perfect Italiano™, Bega Cheese™, and Mainland ™.  Made using trusted processes and the highest quality natural dairy, we continue to be a partner to many of the world's leading food companies through our foodservice business, Anchor Food Professionals™, and ouringredients business, NZMP™.

The good bits: Flexible hours are an option for most and a healthy work-life balance is encouraged. Career development is encouraged and celebrated. 

The not so good bits: Restructure risk & other people's opinions on you working for Fonterra can be negative

The Fonterra story

We're a business made up of everyday good people who work together to do good things with dairy. With a long history in dairy, we harness our global expertise and local knowledge to support our people, our farmers, and our community.  

In Australia, we collect milk from our Australian farmers which goes to our eight manufacturing sites across Victoria and Tasmania where it is turned into great dairy foods that people love.
We are home to many dairy foods that generations of Australians have grown up with, including Perfect Italiano™, Mainland™, Western Star™, and Bega™.

We also sell dairy ingredients to many of the world’s leading food companies and operate a dedicated sales channel for the foodservice industry, providing a full range of dairy products specifically designed for commercial kitchens.

We’re proudly a Co-operative. This means we’re owned by our farmers (our members) who buy into Fonterra and agree to sell us milk. In return, we collect their milk from their farms and pay them for every drop of milk we collect (measured in kilogram of milk solids) and an annual dividend.

But we are nothing special without our farmer owners -

They trust us with their milk, and we work hard to treasure their product. They’re what set us apart from other companies. That’s because they get up at 4.30am every day of the year to milk their cows and provide our Co-op with the best dairy in the world. They work the land, care for their cows and give back to their communities.

We encourage and support our farmers to be the best they can be, to put the best environmental management practices at their fingertips and help them improve profitability and resilience on-farm.

Fonterra’s farming ecosystem is founded on grass-fed, pasture-based practices, with a continued focus on supporting animals’ wellbeing. We’re taking steps to help take care of Aotearoa New Zealand’s precious natural resources.

Protecting natural resources is intrinsically linked to safeguarding the future of the environment and communities we depend upon.

There's more work to be done and when we come together, we can support resilient intergenerational farming, realise the full potential of dairy nutrition and create goodness for generations to come.

People here in Australia and around the world choose dairy foods as a staple in their diet and dairy is recommended in dietary guidelines as part of healthy, balanced diet for optimal health.

Why? Because it is packed with good nutrients that helps people lead a healthy life. There’s a unique combination of nutrients in dairy, and they play an important role in growing and maintaining healthy bones, your immunity, the functioning of your nervous system (including your brain), helping to prevent tiredness, maintaining healthy eyes, and so much more. As people’s diets evolve, dairy will continue to have a valuable role due to its many nutritional benefits. 

With our manufacturing sites located in regional areas, we are also a large regional employer creating around 900 jobs.

Culture & vibe

What makes Fonterra special? Sure, it’s easy to point to the big things—the iconic brands you’ve grown up with, the ones you see in kitchens and supermarkets across Australasia. Or the way our sites are woven into the landscape, part of the communities they’ve called home for years. But there’s something else, something less visible yet just as important: our culture.

It’s the meaningful actions we take every day. The moments of teamwork, the unspoken respect for each other, the way we show up with optimism and openness. We’re more than a dairy business; we’re a team of marketers, machine operators, innovators, and everyday creators working together to create something special for consumers, communities and our own careers.

We’ve been around for a long time, and that gives us a certain strength and resilience. But we’re also forward-thinking, always evolving and embracing change, because the future is full of opportunity—and we want you to be part of it.

What’s the vibe like here? It’s like being part of a family. We care deeply about safety, diversity, and togetherness. Our people come from all walks of life, and we value the unique perspectives each one brings. Even when you’re fresh out of university, your opinions matter here.  You’ll find an environment that’s supportive, collaborative, and driven by a shared sense of purpose and togetherness.

From the top down, our leadership is respected, and our work culture fosters trust, connection, and growth. This isn’t just a place to start your career—it’s a place where you’ll be encouraged to grow, innovate, and truly make an impact.