Justine Troy

Justine Troy is a New Zealand entrepreneur, author and farmer who co-founded the iconic vodka brand 42 Below alongside Geoff Ross.

Troy trained as a speech-language therapist before studying journalism and turning to business. She and Ross famously started distilling 42 Below vodka in their Wellington garage in the late 1990s, building it into the world’s most awarded vodka brand before selling it to Bacardi in 2006 for million. Troy’s role in the brand’s culture, storytelling and identity was central to its success.

After 42 Below, Troy invested in a string of NZX-listed companies including Turners, Moa Brewing Company and Trilogy International, the skincare company that was later sold to Citic Capital for million. She has also built a profile as a published author.

The biggest shift came when Troy and Ross swapped their Auckland life for Lake Hawea Station, a 6,500-hectare high-country sheep and beef property in Central Otago. Under their stewardship, Lake Hawea Station became the first farm in New Zealand and the first in Australasia, to be certified carbon-positive. The station farms in partnership with Silver Fern Farms, applying the same brand-building and regenerative thinking that defined their earlier ventures.

Troy’s profile is noteworthy because her career spans vodka, venture investing and high-country farming, an unusual arc that connects three of New Zealand’s signature industries and consistently returns to the idea that a brand can be built around doing things properly.

Justine features in our look at how New Zealand brands break out globally.

Sources: RNZ · Lake Hawea Station · Silver Fern Farms