RESTORE
Something’s Simmering WORDS KATE UNDERWOOD | IMAGES BRYDIE THOMPSON
While the rest of Tauranga sleeps, a 30 litre batch of traditional, organic bone broth, laden with kilos of chicken frames and feet, simmers away in a family garage. Though it’s not your average garage. Along with a boat and the usual toys, it contains a fully functioning, commercial-food-grade kitchen and is home to the artisan bone broth business Restore Wholefoods. The business (and garage) belongs to Bec and Andrew Harrison, who live on a BioGro certified organic lifestyle property in Te Puna, along with their two kids, a small kiwifruit orchard and a flourishing vege garden. Dubbed the ‘Bone Lady’, Bec grew up on an East Coast farm so is no stranger to animal parts. After a corporate career in environmental planning she now finds herself elbow deep in broth. Bec has a history of poor gut health, diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in her early 20s. And her son suffered severe eczema, colic and reflux as a baby. It was while looking for nonmedicinal treatments she discovered the nutritional power of bone broth and started making it at home. One summer after a few courageous glasses of wine, Bec and Andrew brainstormed ideas to move on from corporate life and
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create a family business from home that would put some goodness into the world. Bone broth! They decided it was a great idea and set about making it happen. With next to no food industry experience, the first few years were a steep learning curve. New legislation forced them to produce a Custom Food Control Plan and hours were spent studying, researching, sourcing organic ingredients, and navigating bone disposal all while fitting in house renovations and busy young children. In the early days Andrew got sick of waking up to the distinct smell of broth for breakfast and joked about getting it out into the garage, but fast forward to today and the bones, chicken feet and perpetual ‘roast’ smell have all been worth it. In 2018 their small batch broth is now the only BioGro Certified Organic broth on the market, and currently stocked by 30 retailers throughout NZ. A strong link between gut and overall health has shone the light on bone broth in recent years, as more people are diagnosed with gut-related health issues such as coeliac disease, embarking on the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet or looking to improve digestive health. Crowned ‘nature’s original tonic’, broth’s ability to support both external and internal organs including skin, hair and nails through to joint, gut, blood, kidney and overall immunity, is supported by a growing realm of scientific evidence. Bones and connective tissues are a naturally and extraordinarily
