Homegrown juice changing lives a drink at a time

Darlene and James Pearks say they love their work.

Wellness means a great deal to Whangarei woman Darlene Pearks.

After exiting the corporate world 10 years ago and three children later she was looking for a new career path, "something that was in line with my beliefs and something in the wellness industry".

So she set about getting trained as a massage therapist, attending a course at NorthTec.
Three years on and she says she is still loving it. "Helping others to relax and invite less stress into their lives is probably the coolest thing I have done in my career," the 41-year-old said, who has a background in corporate management.

With her new path all sorted the focus turned toward husband James, 42, who was driving for Coca-Cola and who also wanted a career change.

Seemingly out of the blue an opportunity to purchase the Northland Homegrown franchise popped up, Darlene says.

"It was a great opportunity to combine some of our core values and business."

James and Darlene are both originally from Whangarei, but then lived in Auckland and Wellington for several years. The couple returned from Wellington to have their children.
"We love the lifestyle and weather up this way, and our babysitters [mum and dad] live here too," Darlene said.

The Pearks partnership took over Homegrown Northland last September and although the experience has been a huge learning curve they have already grown it from there.

Darlene says it helps that Homegrown juices are not like other juices on the market because they are raw, cold-pressed juices that go through a cold pasteurised process which doesn't strip it of nutrients like other juice processes.

They're the closest thing you can get to homemade juice, she says. "The product just sells itself once people know the difference."

The Northland Homegrown franchise covers the area from Wellsford to Kaitaia. The pair deliver to all the supermarkets and some cafes and restaurants.

It's a huge area, with James doing all the driving and Darlene helping out on some days and also behind the scenes.

"Our biggest hurdle is getting the amazing brand out there," Darlene said. "We love that our business helps improve the health of others. Making great nutrition choices has always been important to our family so it's great that we can extend this into our business."

The Homegrown Juice Company originates from when the Brownlie family first planted an orange orchard in Hawke's Bay in 1969. Today the company has the largest plantings of orange orchards in New Zealand, located in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay.