W.W. Corpe (1836 - 1923) was one of the pioneers of the dairy industry in the Manawatu. He arrived in the Feilding district about 1881 and was a sawmiller for some years before constructing a butter and cheese factory at Makino, near Feilding. Mr. Corpe was making butter by 1887 and continued in the industry until 1903, when he sold to Joseph Nathan and Co Ltd. of Wellington.