Pokeno Bacon
Fifty years of growth for a Pōkeno bacon and meat business
For John and Helen Clotworthy establishing Pokeno Bacon (now about to celebrate its 50th year in business) was about bringing home the bacon, literally – and to earn a living to create a great future for their young family. There was also the appeal of raising their children in the countryside. Today, Pokeno Bacon is headquartered on the southern side of Auckland’s Bombay Hills and famed for its extensive range of pork products, as well as prime beef, lamb and chicken.
It was 1977 when John and Helen Clotworthy arrived in Pōkeno, then a small village surrounded by farmland; population about 160. Immediately they stepped out of their green Vauxhall Viva they saw that this was home – not only for themselves and their young family but also for the butchery business they envisaged.
A butcher by trade, John saw opportunity in creating quality, homestyle pork products from the plentiful pigs being raised on nearby farms – and so Pokeno Bacon was established, going from strength or strength as the years passed and their four children grew up.
Today Pōkeno, located on the southern side of Auckland’s Bombay Hills, is no longer a country village but a thriving town with new residential subdivisions being developed at pace alongside industry including the Hynds Pipe Systems and Synlait plants.
The Clotworthys’ eponymous Pokeno Bacon is at the heart of the community, employing 23 staff across its home shop and another shop and processing facility in nearby Pukekohe. The Pokeno Bacon café at Mercer was franchised to a staff member some 15 years ago.
While John and Helen are still very much involved, two of their sons – Pat and Ben – are now running the business which remains in family ownership. Pat is the general manager while Ben oversees operations in Pukekohe. Growing up, they and their siblings worked in the business, funding the purchase of their first cars from their wages.
When the SH1 motorway first bypassed Pōkeno 25 years ago, times were tough for Pokeno Bacon for several years until customers realised exiting the motorway and rejoining it was easily done. These days shoppers, who are still offered a free sausage from the ever-sizzling pan in the Pōkeno shop, can purchase locally sourced beef, lamb and chicken as well as pork products.
The range includes the Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage 2025 Awards gold category champion and people’s choice winner – the chicken con queso sausage, a bold crowd-pleaser that is a blend of juicy chicken thigh, cheese, mild jalapeno chilli and aromatic Mexican spices.
While Pokeno Bacon’s extensive range of sausages includes the likes of Toulouse, bratwurst, spicy Italian, smoked chorizo and biersticks, there are shoppers who cannot head home without a black pudding, also the winner of two recent awards.
Pat Clotworthy says from the outset, Pokeno Bacon has sourced its meat as locally as possible. “We encourage customers to look for the New Zealand Pork sticker on our pork products. Our Angus beef is locally grazed and comes direct from a family-owned farm – we call our beef range Koheroa after the road that leads to the farm – and our lamb is from the Miranda area.”
He adds that Pokeno Bacon uses traditional curing methods and quality ingredients, including spices, “we keep it simple and natural; for example, in our bacon we use celery seeds, a natural curing ingredient”. Customers also appreciate tips for preparing and cooking its products. Among the dishes promoted are recipes created by chefs such as Chelsea Winter (for example, Moroccan lamb shanks) and Annabel Langbein (crispy pork belly).
Having made their home and built their business in Pōkeno over the past five decades, the Clotworthys are passionate about supporting their local community. Helen, in particular, is very involved in a range of initiatives, including Pōkeno Meet & Greet where long-time residents and newcomers alike gather on a regular basis – and even bring a plate to share for morning tea.
Others supported by Pokeno Bacon include Pōkeno Playcentre and the nearby Bombay School, as well as the local Rotary and Lions, plus the rugby and cricket clubs as well as the likes of Pink Ribbon and Kidney Kids annual fundraisers.
And, as for the sizzling sausage sample still handed out freely to customers, it was Helen’s idea to do so about 40 years ago when New Zealand regulation then prevented the sale of raw meat on Sundays and public holidays. “We could sell bacon though, as it is a cured meat which meant it was well worth opening the shop,” she says.
She quickly applied for an exemption which was eventually granted, but in the interim the free piping hot sausage proved such a hit with customers, many first-timers biting into the sample and saying ‘that’s tasty – give me half a dozen of those’ – and so the giveaway has become tradition, the old original electric frypan having been replaced several times with newer models over the years.
With the aroma of hot sausages wafting from the pan every day, Pokeno Bacon attracts multiple generations of families. Helen says the older ones brought their kids in over the years and now those ‘kids’ are parents themselves bringing in their own children.
She adds that as well as local customers there continues to be numerous people who detour off SH1 to pick up their bacon and other meat products and get ice creams at one of the two shops that compete to scoop the biggest.
With a chuckle she says many would no doubt proclaim that a balanced diet – well at least on some days – is a Pōkeno sausage in one hand and a Pōkeno ice cream in the other.