That's when he began working with bands like The Eastern and the Unfaithful Ways -- acts he initially felt sceptical about but quickly realised he enjoyed, and over a couple of years it got to the point where he had so much work that he was able to make it his full-time job.
Then comes the sad part of the tale, involving the two Christchurch earthquakes. It was a difficult, frustrating time, but one positive thing that came out of the whole disaster, was the idea that his studio set-up could actually be quite homely, and lead to his current studio-sleep-out-garage set-up next to his house in Lyttelton, which has turned out to be a place of musical magic.
"After the quakes I realised that, okay, you don't need to be in a commercial building, or a fancy studio, there's a lot of stuff you can get away with using classic Kiwi ingenuity and cheeky indie-punk mentality."
That alternative perspective and can-do attitude is something that seems to have attracted New Zealand's best alt-country artists to work with Edwards.
"Almost 100 per cent of the time, the people that I'm working with know way more about country or folk than I do, and they'll reference things that I don't know about. But I'm really loving finding out about these things and exploring, and I guess that's what makes it a bit fresh and a bit different."
Tami Neilson has worked closely with Edwards on her last two albums, and loves his approach for a multitude of reasons.
"He creates so much depth and space with his sound. He can swing from intimate and bare to something huge and cinematic effortlessly," she explains. "He also knows just the right amount of grit to include so things aren't too clean and shiny."
And it's not just his musical ear which makes him a favoured collaborator, his personal qualities are a big component too.
"You always feel like he is working alongside you, encouraging you to stretch your performance, without forcing his own agenda of how he thinks things should be. And he has a special skill of sensitively navigating tricky waters, working in the studio with strong personalities with strong ideas who have been holed up for a week or more in a small space.
"Mostly, he's just a really, really good bugger," she adds.
That particular idea that being a good producer is as much about people as it is about music is echoed in Edwards' own thoughts.
"The relationship always comes first, and it's about establishing that trust, and being at a level where we're friends and equals and we can challenge each other."
Case in point is his work with golden boy Marlon Williams, who potentially could have recorded his debut solo album anywhere in the world, but decided to come back to Lyttelton and work with Edwards, who he's known for years.
"I first met Marlon when he was 17, and ever since then we've talked and hung out, and shared stories, and laughed, and drunk beer, and been mates. So we've had a connection for a long time, and because of that, we could be straight up abruptly honest if something wasn't working, and we know it's not personal and we know how we work."
Edwards is thrilled that albums he's worked on are delighting fans and critics, and winning awards, but he's also clear that's not why he does this job. "Whether anyone likes it or not, whether anyone wins any awards or not, I still love doing this. I am very lucky to do this job, and to know these people regardless of whether they go on to do great things or not."
And that explains a lot about why he's so bloody good at it.
Who: Ben Edwards, producer
Listen to: Marlon Williams, Marlon Williams (2015), Tami Neilson Don't Be Afraid (2015), Hopetoun Brown Burning Fuse (2015), Nadia Reid, Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs (2014).
