About Us
Crafted Earth is a boutique, family-owned nursery located in the lush Motueka Valley. Nestled between the mountains and river, Crafted Earth is home to over 300 varieties of rare flowering perennials, a huge selection of herbs, a growing collection of medicinals, and organic vegetable seedlings.
Joel and Ashlin, their children Boe and Summer as well as Ashlin's mother Maureen live multi-generationally on a burgeoning four acre property. Crafted Earth was born six years ago and has been operating from our new premises for only three years. Over this time, Joel has built his nursery from the ground up, expanding it year by year. What began as a backyard set up, selling primarily at weekend markets, has developed into a thriving business with a bountiful roadside farm stall and an ever-expanding online shop as well as our continued presence at local markets. We are beyond proud of our team and all of the effort that has gone into creating this dream.
Joel Briffault
Ever since I was in my teens I had a strong feeling that humanities growing dependency on our commercial food system wasn't leading us in a positive direction. So at the age of 15, I got a spade and started making a veggie patch in mum's back yard. Between then and today I have ventured into many avenues of horticulture and it wasn't long before I was swept up in the beauty and magic of propagation. I feel so fortunate to share my passion of organic vegetables, soil health and uncommon, sought-after perennials with my community. Thanks for taking the time to browse our site and welcome to Crafted Earth.
Ashlin, Boe and Summer
You can find the rest of the family walking around nibbling on the produce or digging in the dirt! Ashlin creates online content for Crafted Earth, utilises the harvest and when time allows it, you can find her in her art studio drawing.
Tamsin Leenhouwers
Tamsin brings her love and passion for gardening, plants and people to enrich our days here at the nursery. She has such a warm and positive energy and is fantastic company to work with. Outside of Crafted Earth, Tamisn teaches Violin, plays awesome music in her band Tea Tree and is mum to four incredible girls.
Amy Massey
Amy is our online content creator, researcher and nursery worker. She has an incredible eye for detail and has tirelessly worked away to set up our new online shop. You will also see her at the Motueka Sunday Market working on the stall. Amy brings skills from her media background and combines them with a love of herbs, flowers and wellbeing.
Sally Briffault
Most of our local customers would by now have met my mum Sally. She makes our descriptive plant labels, pots plants, incorporates her exceptional organisational skills and works at every Saturday market. Sally gave up her corporate job in search of a life free from stress and is now pretending to retire while stewarding her own 1 Hectare wetland in the Moutere. She is also a baking extraordinaire and is setting up her new business 'The Gardeners Greenhouse' which creates specialty cakes for all occasions.
Maureen Kingsley
The mother of all mother in laws. Retirement couldn't hold her back from sowing all of Crafted Earth's seeds. Maws is also our delivery lady and on call baby sitter. She loves a good yarn! Maws is a fantastic realism artist and when she doesn't have her hands in soil, she is in her studio painting. Maws left behind a life of intermediate teaching to live here with us on our multi-generational farm.
Bruce Lindsay
Bruce is the all rounder. If you need something built, braced or covered, Bruce is your man. Potting benches, shade houses, greenhouse foundations, fences and posts are all Bruce's love languages. Originally from the frosty flats of the Waikato, Bruce left behind a life of manufacturing to meander his way through outback Australia in a camper-van with his partner Sally. These days you can find Bruce tending to his lifestyle block in the Moutere or out on his boat fishing.