From Corporate to Carrots: Our Story

Our Story Behind Clarence Valley Organics

If you’ve ever wondered who the new owners behind Clarence Valley Organics (lets be honest you might not have wondered) 😂 — hello, I’m Bree.

I thought our first blog post should be a real introduction. Not a polished business bio. Just the real story of how we got here, why food matters so much to our family, and what we hope Clarence Valley Organics becomes.

Because this business is not just a business to us.
It’s a life change.

Before Clarence Valley Organics

Until recently, my world looked very different.

I spent years working in corporate leadership and People & Culture roles. Prior to that was hospitality - I have opened 3 restaurants from build stage to fully functional, managed and run both fine dining and hatted restaurants, cafes, event centres. I loved the work, but behind the scenes my real passion had quietly been growing for a long time: nutrition, pregnancy, postpartum health, and how food shapes our energy, mood and long-term wellbeing.

I completed my Masters of Nutrition in Pregnancy, Postpartum and Babies through Oh Baby Academy because I wanted to understand nourishment at the deepest level — not just calories or macros, but how food supports real life, real families and real motherhood.

Long before CVO, food had already become my life’s work.

My First Business: Little & Nourished

My first step into the food world was a business called Little & Nourished. I was working a part time Human Resources Manager role and this was my little love language on the side.

It was a wholefoods pregnancy and postpartum meal delivery service in Sydney. We cooked deeply nourishing meals designed specifically for pregnancy recovery and postpartum healing — the kind of food new mothers should be supported with but so often aren’t.

We also ran individual and group introducing solids workshops, helping parents feel confident feeding their babies real food.

Little & Nourished came from a very personal place. I saw how under-supported mothers are during postpartum and wanted to create something that wrapped nourishment around families in a practical, real way.

Then life threw a big curveball.

I fell pregnant with twins.

And I was incredibly sick.

So sick that I could barely function, let alone run a business. With a heavy heart, I had to hibernate Little & Nourished and focus entirely on growing and protecting my babies.

At the time it felt like an ending.
Looking back, it was a pause.

Nurtured Beginnings

After the twins were born and life slowly stabilised, a dear friend and I created another project called Nurtured Beginnings.

This one looked different. It was slower, softer, more community-focused.

Nurtured Beginnings was an online pregnancy course with a monthly in-person circle where we gathered with mothers and supported them through pregnancy and into postpartum.

It was never just about food.

We supported women to nourish their:
• body
• mind
• nervous system
• and spirit

Inside the course we shared:
• meditation, reiki and breathwork tools
• recipes, cheat sheets and meal plans
• batch cooking and grocery lists
• natural remedies and holistic tools

We also built a web of incredible guest practitioners:
naturopaths, nutritionists, homeopaths, dieticians, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, women’s health physios, somatic practitioners, relationship coaches, Reiki practitioners and more.

It became a beautiful community space for mothers.

And through both businesses, one thing became very clear:

Food sits at the centre of everything. 

We sold Nurtured Beginnings mid 2025 to an incredible birth and postpartum Doula who will be re-releasing with an Ayurvedic take on all the incredible work we began and I am so thrilled that someone else can keep that flame burning for women in the motherhood season.

Motherhood Changed Everything

Like many women, motherhood changed how I looked at food forever.

Pregnancy, postpartum and raising three children made nutrition deeply personal. Food stopped being theoretical and became very practical:

How do we nourish exhausted parents?
How do we make healthy eating easier, not harder?
How do I introduce solids in a way which makes sense for how I want my family's nutrition baseline?
How do we feed families without spending hours at the supermarket?

We started caring deeply about where food came from.
Who grew it.
How it was grown.
And what kind of future food system we were supporting.

I was driving far and wide for my preferred raw milk, raw honey, fruit and veg, seafood and meat - it was always so important to me to be able to provide a solid nourishing baseline for my families meals that we made it work not matter what. When we were on one wage and struggling a bit financially in a previous season we always prioritised filtered water and spray free/organic food (even when it felt impossible) as our values piece and i think that period has set our foundation until now.

The Move to Yamba

In late 2025 we made a big decision.

We sold our home.
I resigned from a role which I had been working my whole career to achieve as Head of People and Culture for a $1b business in Sydney.
We moved our family to Yamba.
And we bought Clarence Valley Organics.

It still feels surreal typing that.

This wasn’t part of a long business plan. It was a values decision. A lifestyle decision. A gut decision.

We wanted our children to grow up close to nature and community.
We wanted our work to feel aligned with our values.
And we wanted to be part of something that genuinely supports local farmers and local families.

Clarence Valley Organics felt like the natural next chapter of everything that came before it.

What Clarence Valley Organics Means to Us

At its heart, CVO is about making real food easier.

Not perfect food.
Not restrictive food.
Not “Instagram wellness”.

Just real, seasonal, nourishing food that fits into real life.

Food grown locally where possible.
Food that supports farmers.
Food that supports families.
Food that helps make weeknights easier.

Because sometimes dinner looks magical.
And sometimes it looks like 6pm, three hungry kids and no plan.

CVO exists to make those nights easier.

Why Education Matters to Me

Alongside running Clarence Valley Organics, I’ve always felt a strong pull toward education.

Not complicated nutrition advice.
Not overwhelm.
Just simple, foundational knowledge that helps people feel confident in their food choices.

This blog will become a place for:
• simple recipes
• seasonal food ideas
• foundational nutrition education
• practical tips for feeding families
• honest reflections on food and life

Everything will be practical, gentle and realistic.

No perfection required.

Thank You for Being Here

Whether you’re a long-time customer or brand new, thank you for being part of Clarence Valley Organics.

This business only exists because of this community.

We’re so glad you’re here.

Bree x

Photo by Zoe Morley Photography