Owner Joanie Williams said four of her company’s largest cafe customers had been picked up by a bigger dairy competitor, contributing to the decision to shut up shop. Photo / Origin Earth, Florence Charvin
Owner Joanie Williams said four of her company’s largest cafe customers had been picked up by a bigger dairy competitor, contributing to the decision to shut up shop. Photo / Origin Earth, Florence Charvin
The owners of Havelock North-based boutique dairy company Origin Earth say a “perfect storm” forced them to close, but there remains hope that someone could take over the business and keep it running.
Joanie and Richard Williams began Origin Earth from Hastings in 2010, before expanding and moving to HavelockNorth in 2012.
They offered a range of about 30 products including fresh single-farm origin milk from nearby Hawke’s Bay farms, yoghurt and cheeses through an online shop, and a regular stall at the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market.
A brief single-sentence post announced the company’s closure through its Facebook page on Friday.
A comment from the business under its post attributed the decision to “rising lease costs, predatory pricing by larger companies, and the general state of the economy”.
Joanie Williams told Hawke’s Bay Today that four of her company’s largest cafe customers had been picked up by bigger dairy competitors.
“A good number” of other customers were currently in “significant arrears” with payments, and rent increases for the premises had increased pressure.
“It is the perfect storm ... It has made us look at whether persevering for another 12 months to get through this will leave us better off or worse off,” Williams said.
She said there had been “respectful” expressions of interest in the business and plant, but they were trying to sift through “people trying to pick over dead bones or get a bargain”.
“There is significant interest from someone else, with our support for some time, taking [Origin Earth] over.”
Joanie Williams said there had been significant expressions of interest in the business and its plant site. Photo / Origin Earth
She and her husband had found the response to the closure “very humbling”.
“The biggest thing for us is the sheer mass of the community response. There are clearly a lot of people who feel Hawke’s Bay will be worse off without us.”
She said it had been an “incredible feeling” to be told by their five staff that they wanted to keep running milk as long as possible for Origin Earth and it had been a “tear-jerker” seeing their comments about the closure.
“My staff have been flipping amazing.”
A notice on the Origin Earth website informed customers that the last orders for milk from the online shop were closed, while cheese would remain available while stocks last.
The cheese shop was no longer open for tastings or milk bottle refills.
Fellow local businesses, such as No5 Cafe and Larder, expressed disappointment at news of the closure and support for Origin Earth.
“Since our own beginnings in 2011, we’ve loved and cherished our relationship with this incredible local business. Their closure is not just a big loss for us but for our Hawke’s Bay community and local food scene,” a post from No5 Cafe and Larder said.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
