Cheryl and Brett Percival bought their lifestyle block in 2014. The property runs along the banks of the Waikanae River and is located at the gateway to Reikorangi, nestled under the foothills of the Kapakapanui Ranges.

One of the first things they noticed when they arrived on the land was the abundance of fruit growing on the heritage fruit trees in their own orchard. Come summer with the wealth of fruit dropping off the trees the aroma of fruit fermentation on the ground was unmistakable.

Being practical, creative and innovative turning waste into profit seemed an ideal solution and before long ideas began brewing and one day while Brett was buying some kit for his homebrew beer, Cheryl spontaneously bought a still and a few experiments later the original Damson Plum and Boutique Plum on Ice Liqueurs were born.

Christmas presents for family and friends gave them a great opportunity to experiment and test different ideas with all sorts of fruit varieties, and eventually they decided to commercialise their idea.

The transition from the corporate world to the food and beverage industry gave Cheryl and Brett the opportunity to utilise their ‘can do attitude’ which combined, with Brett’s background in agriculture, business strategy, and financial planning along with Cheryl’s background in Human Resources, Food and Health & Safety compliance as well as their drive to create quality homegrown and handcrafted products, the pair figured they didn’t have anything to lose.

Keeping it local, 5036 Boutique Brews was launched at Kāpiti Food Fair in 2019. With only two products released it was a very successful day and the feedback was unreal so instantly they knew that Cheryl’s initial ideas for a whole range of products was a real possibility.

As the popularity of their versatile and genuine fruit products grew and spread across the country, they realized they were faced with deciding whether to ‘go big’ or ‘stay home’ – so to speak. Having found the business/lifestyle combination that really worked for them, their decision to stay uniquely boutique has been worthwhile for so many reasons.

For Brett, the combination of being his own boss, having a business to nurture, think strategically about, develop and implement operational systems and processes to support future sustainability is what makes him tick.

For Cheryl, it’s about the satisfaction and reward of creating something from scratch and being part of an innovative and collaborative artesian community is something she really enjoys.

Being future focused, early on Cheryl and Brett invested in planting more fruit trees. However, due to business growth the fruit that their land produces needs to be supplemented by local growers to meet the demand of their boutique production.

Their process is a finely tuned operation, predominantly done by hand out of the shed on their property.

Their ethos is to be a successful and efficient niche business creating a variety of quality homegrown and handcrafted products. That’s why they strive to only use spray-free fruit, and refrain from using preservatives, additives or essences in their liqueurs to ensure maximum flavour and authentic fruit liqueurs!

Read more about the process of 5036 Boutique Brews here.