About Us
Combining Green Fingers and Culinary Talents
Paul Stevenson has been in the horticulture business in Omaha for over 35 years. After being inundated with more wonderful seasonal produce than their family could ever possibly eat, Michelle Stevenson decided to combine Paul’s green fingers and passion for horticulture with her culinary talents and gourmet standards for quality fine foods. Michelle created a delicious line of high-quality, specialty preserves.
After starting at the local Matakana School Gala Day with her kasundi sauce, Michelle has bowed to pressure from local customers and gone on to create the Black Earth Preserve Company. She has expanded her Indian tomato sauce range to also include “Kasundi With Kick”.
In order to meet an ever-growing customer demand new Chilli and Lime Conserve was introduced in 2017. This is a seasonal product with a limited supply as it can only be made with fresh limes.
Best Quality Ingredients
Since the sauce company’s small beginnings, the one thing that has not changed is Michelle’s determination to only deliver homemade quality products to her customers throughout New Zealand. Michelle uses only the best quality ingredients, and nothing artificial.
Michelle’s aim is to create the best kasundi and sauces using produce from her family’s own garden that she possibly can. Everything is made by hand and no corners are cut, ever.
Key To A Great Sauce
A good sauce, chutney or pickle should be thick and full of flavour. Finding the perfect balance of ingredients is key. Too much spice and it can overpower the flavour, too little and the sauce is bland. Get the balance of sugar and vinegar out and your sauce is too acidic and has that “vinegar taste”. Black Earth Preserves is a sauce company that has got it just right.
Find out for yourself.
The Stevenson’s property at Omaha holds the story of an old kauri forest swampland, preserved in the peat underfoot.
Paul and Michelle take their role as guardians of tens of thousands of years of history seriously. They are determined to leave the rich peat soil of their gardens in good condition for future generations.
They only put the good stuff on; you can taste it in their sauces.
Cycle Fuel
Black Earth Preserves is at 134 Jones Road. What could be better than a sauce company right on The Matakana Cycleway and Walkway? The 14-kilometre-long Matakana Cycle Trail runs from Matakana to Omaha and Point Wells. It takes about an hour to complete and is a mix of off-road shared paths, cycle lanes and quiet roads.
But be warned, there are some awesome places to stop on the way. Why not make a day of it; eating and drinking your way along the Matakana Omaha Cycle Trail?
Start the ride at Matakana markets, then move on to Morris and James Pottery, on Tongue Farm Road. As well as having world famous ceramics, Morris and James has a very nice café. Further up the road, why not pop into Hyperion Winery at 188 Tongue Farm Road for bit of wine tasting?
You can then continue on to Omaha Bay Vineyard, on Takatu Road, for more wine tasting and some lovely food platters. At OOB, Omaha Organic Berries, feel free to stop for a punnet of fresh organic blueberries, an ice cream, or a chilled blueberry juice to be enjoyed under the orchard trees. Next stop: Jones Road Cider at 107 Jones Road for handcrafted apple cider.
Then on to Omaha’s best sauce company – Black Earth Preserves at 134 Jones Road. Stop and pick up some grunty kasundi sauce from us.
Make sure you give us a call first on 021 171 6672 to ensure we have enough in stock for you. If you’re planning a trip with a group you can email us in advance.
Once back at Matakana there are some nice places to go for a drink or coffee: MMK – great location next to the river – or the local Matakana Pub.