Sarah Horn
What was once a takeaway joint in Napier nicknamed ‘Stabbies’ has been transformed into an award-winning juice bar and eatery that explores how food can act as a medicine while delivering an incredibly tasty meal.
Early in 2015, friends Gretta Carney and Fleur du Fresne decided the time was right to launch a business specialising in healing foods in Napier. They planned to create and sell products at the local farmers’ markets and eventually open an eatery. However, it happened all at once when they came across the site on Hastings Street.
Svenja Blanke, Bradley Gamble, Gretta Carney, Petra du Fresne, Katie Forshaw.
They saw it in August, signed the lease in October and Hapī Clean Kai Co-op opened in December. At the same time, they were making trips to the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market and Black Barn Growers’ Market with their house-made products such as nut ‘mylk’ and cheese, paleo bread, bone broth, cold-pressed juices, sauces and baby food. They’ve recently also started selling these products through their website to extend their reach beyond the Hawke’s Bay.
It has been a steep learning curve for the entrepreneurial pair but they’ve made all the right moves so far. When they gutted the old takeaway bar they found an original art deco ceiling untouched since the day it was built.
Vegan treats.
A carefully managed internal restoration, to preserve the art deco elements, won them an award from the Napier Art Deco Trust, while their signage, by Napier artist Rakai Karaitiana of Aroha & Friends, netted them another.
Their menu of innovative, local, organic food and drinks has earned them a niche in the competitive Napier food scene. Where else can you buy a cold-pressed turmeric tonic flavoured with lemon juice and honey and fortified with a tincture?
Try making Hapī Clean Kai Co-op’s paleo loaf.
“We are ‘potentising’ our food and drinks with our medical knowledge – they are simple health fixes using herbal extracts,” says Gretta, who has a background in organics and has trained in homeopathy. Fleur is a naturopath and has also worked at raw-food eatery Little Bird in Auckland and raw/vegan food supplier Naked Treaties in Melbourne.
Their hot chocolate, made with Ola Pacifica Cacaoccino and their own nut mylk, is converting coffee drinkers to the unique taste of pure cacao. Gretta says the cacao is high in magnesium and an excellent mood booster.
They use maple syrup or honey to sweeten the drink – in fact, sweeteners are one of the puzzles of catering to a clientele who may have health issues or dietary requirements
Gretta explains: “Rice syrup is vegan but not paleo; honey is paleo but not vegan; maple syrup is paleo and vegan, but it’s really expensive.”
Gluten-free, dairy-free pies include their alpaca and kimchi pie, which piqued the interest of judges at the Supreme Pie Awards. Gretta says the meat is like a cross between lamb and venison and is a lean protein that’s high in iron. She gets the meat from her cousin who farms alpacas for their fleeces and hides but sells the meat when they need to cull the herd.
Gluten-free sandwiches.
Sandwiches use gluten-free buckwheat flour bread from Oh My Goodness Specialty Breads in Hastings, with fillings such as organic chicken, chipotle mayo, avocado and micro greens, or tempeh, carrot, almond satay and micro greens.
It’s like all the elements of a regular cafe have been taken to a higher level of refinement in terms of boosting health benefits and nutritional profiles. That even includes their ice cream. It’s not really ice cream, it’s called Tribal Jack’s Coconut Soft Serve, a locally produced vegan treat made from coconut cream that is low in calories and sugar, and high in beneficial probiotics.
Cold-pressed organic elixirs.
It may seem like Hapī’s food is specifically for people with dietary issues, but you can pick up a Hawthorne coffee, a tasty sandwich and a piece of raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake without it really mattering that it’s vegan, gluten-free or paleo. “Everyone is welcome,” says Gretta. “That’s part of our philosophy; we don’t want to be alienating anyone.”
**Hapī Clean Kai co-op
89 Hastings Street, Napier**
Story by : Nick Russell. Photography by : Sarah Horn.
This article was first published in Taste magazine.
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