Our Durum Wheat
A HEALTHY ANCIENT GRAIN. HOMEGROWN NEW ZEALAND GOLD.
Durum is one of the world’s oldest cultivated grains, prized for millennia for its high protein content, silky-strong texture, nutty flavour, and handsome golden hue. It’s an essential ingredient in pasta, pizzas, and baked goods of all kinds.
At the Wairarapa Grains Collective, we believe New Zealand shouldn’t have to import this basic staple from industrial farms overseas. That’s why we’re proud to bring a high-quality heritage strain of durum home to the valley we’ve farmed for generations – and proud to share it with families across the motu.
But we’re not just New Zealand’s only homegrown durum wheat flour – we’re an essential local ingredient in any Kiwi pantry. In 2026 we became the first flour ever to win Gold at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, cited for excellent flavour and versatility. One taste of our New Zealand gold and we know you’ll agree.
Good as GOLD
Durum flour, named for the Latin word for hard, is both heartier and tastier than its plain white cousin. Our flour’s robust and flexible molecular structure creates the bite and stretch in al dente pasta, chewy pizza crusts, and hearty breads. Durum’s lightly sweet, earthy flavour gives a richer character to any bake, and its famous golden colour provides a warm glow that bleached flour simply can’t match.
Good for you too
Durum’s famous strength also makes it healthier than plain white flour.
Higher in Protein
An essential nutrient greatly reduced in many industrial flours
Lower Glycaemic Index
Easier to digest, gentler on gluten
sensitivities, better for blood sugar control
Higher in Antioxidants
Twice the lutein, essential for eye health
High in Fiber
Promotes healthier digestion and lower cholesterol
Grown Here
We believe New Zealanders deserve grains free from unstable global markets and overseas factory farms, and we don’t think you should burn carbon just to haul noodles over the sea.
We grow our durum on family farms in the Wairarapa, and our groundbreaking partnership with Featherston pasta maker Monty & Sons embodies our mission to feed our communities with healthy, delicious grain grown right here in Aotearoa.
Grown Right
Our four farming families – including two past winners of the Ballance Farm Environmental Supreme Awards – are the Wairarapa’s proud pioneers of no-till farming.
Where standard plowing rips the soil apart, releasing carbon dioxide, killing off microbial life, and leaving topsoil vulnerable to erosion, we sow our durum seed by seed, with minimal disturbance to the biome beneath our feet – and utmost care for the future of Aotearoa’s most valuable resource.
Any Menu, Any Kitchen
You can taste Wairarapa Grains Collective Durum Flour at top restaurants around the country, including the Michelin-listed Otto on Auckland’s Karangahape Road and their neighborhood pasta-and-wine bar Pici down the street. We’re in local bakeries, from All You Knead in Whangarei to Minghetti’s in Blenheim. Cooking at home? We’re proud to be the only ingredient in the award-winning pasta made by our Wairarapa friends Monty & Sons.
You’ll also find our flour in fine food purveyors Moore Wilson’s and Farro, and the pantries of discerning New Zealand home cooks and any family seeking tastier, healthier, homegrown grains. Visit us at wairarapagrains.nz and follow us at @wairarapagrains to learn how our durum flour can make your own breads, pizzas, pasta and beyond as good as gold.
OurStockists
Shop Our Durum Flour
Our Recipes
Sourdough Bread
Durum Wheat Pasta
