DIRECT FROM THE HEAVEN'S: TO YOU
Proudly brewed in Marua, Hikurangi, Northland.
We operate a hand-built brewery using recycled dairy equipment to produce artisanal beer in rural Aotearoa New Zealand.
OUR BEER
Nestled in the beautiful Marua Valley just outside Hikurangi, we brew small-batch beer in a country setting. Our ales and lager beers are full flavoured yet easy drinking, and are made from mainly local (New Zealand) ingredients.
We supply in 500ml bottles, kegs, and occasionally as real ale in cask. If you are local, give us a bell, we might be able to deliver to your door (see 'shop' for details). Our standard range is below. New and seasonal beers will be announced through social media.
ABOUT US
In the Beginning
Jodi and I started brewing in the late 90's in a garage overlooking the rain soaked Tararua ranges. I (Ben) bought malt in nearby Palmerston North and spent many evening hours crushing it gram by gram with my (soon to be) mother-in-law's coffee grinder. After getting married, we set out on our adventures, moving to the North East of England in 2002.
Along the border between what would become Scotland and England, the Roman’s built Hadrian’s Wall: an impressive stone fortification, which depending on who you talk to: controlled trade; kept the army busy; or prevented incursions from rampaging Northerners. This old frontier was where we started Bondgate Brewery, a tiny brew house supplying country pubs and beer festivals with ‘cask’ real ale. During this time Jodi worked at several hospital sites as a Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer, and I developed a career as a research associate in the area of health technology assessment, eventually obtaining a PhD in Medical Sociology. In 2015 we returned to NZ with our two children to be closer to family. We also brought with us a dream to start a new rural nanobrewery, supplying freshly brewed beer to the local community.
In 2016 we were very lucky to be able to buy a ‘slice of Heaven’ in the beautiful Marua valley, Northland, with 6.5 acres, a creek and a cosy cottage. Over the last few years, with lots of help from neighbours, family and friends, we’ve added fences, a menagerie of animals, and built a brewing shed.
So why the name?
Our family name - ‘Heaven’ - is a very old, localised Gloucestershire name. It possibly derived from ‘Haven’ as in ‘safe harbour’ or from the Welsh 'Evan' (Gloucestershire shares a border with Wales), but either way it’s been spelt 'Heaven' for over 500 years. Our branch of the family, for many generations, were agricultural labourers, carters (horse and cart drivers) and stockmen. No kings or princes here. Nevertheless, our family history is rich with stories of rural life, ploughing, work with shire horses, and of course enjoying a good beer after a hard day in the field! When Jodi and I arrived in Marua we talked to locals about potential brewery names. The advice we received was to go with a name that was about us and what we were bringing to the valley, as newcomers, rather than draw on local landmarks or the history of those living here long before us. ‘Heaven’s Brewery’ therefore seemed the most honest and open response. Our logo reflects the location of the brewery: surrounded by magnificent Totara trees with a crescent moon to represent 'the heavens' above.
The inspiration for our little brewery comes from the tradition of small, regional breweries such as those found throughout Europe, where fresh, easy drinking beer made from local ingredients is brewed for a local market. However being Kiwi’s we were also keen to apply this ethos to the brewery build itself: rather than buy equipment ‘off the shelf’ we collected used dairy tanks, learnt some TIG welding, and eventually (after some trial and error) got it all working.
We hope you enjoy our beer. Please get in touch if you have any questions, and check our social media pages for news and updates. If you are interested in how we built the brewery, we have been posting episodic updates on our Facebook page.
