About Brown Owl

Brown Owl's loyal Kaitiaki, with the help of community volunteers, work hard to feed Rotorua, organically.

We are a social enterprise, that began as a co-op over 12 years ago. Forming an incorporated society in 2014, through various 'hubs', we took the leap in 2020 in to the current Brown Owl shop. After over a decade of hard mahi, Brown Owl Incorperated saw it best for the continued success of Brown Owl, to sell the operation to local and devoted couple Liam and Johnelle, who have been operating the business since September 2024.

We are still served by the same staff and dedicated volunteers who are passionate about organic food and community.

We prioritise local supply with our faithful local and regional growers delivering freshly harvested produce weekly, with the addition of the best quality, certified organic dry goods and sustainable products, purchased in bulk and bagged down in store where possible, to offer our community the best value we can.

Our mission remains in line with the purpose of the former Brown Owl food club and society:

Enrich community connection, health and wellbeing;

Nurture, support, grow and promote the local organic food economy;

Do anything necessary or helpful to achieve the above purposes, such as:
• facilitating access to safe and nutritious produce and foodstuffs, including, but not limited to, those that are organically certified.
• enabling a meaningful connection between local buyers and local producers.
• widening the population able to participate in the local organic food economy by removing financial, cultural and/or educational barriers.
• promoting networking in the local organics community.

If you would like to get more involved with Brown Owl, volunteer a few hours, or have an important idea to share, please contact us at operations@brownowl.nz