Pope's Passion

Owen Pope grew up in the small New Zealand farming community of Haldane, situated at the far end of the South Island, but he didn't immediately throw himself into farming.

Instead, he tried a variety of jobs and married young, ignoring those who told him he was making a mistake. He had three children before divorcing and ending up in a bitter custody dispute.

Everything changed when he met a schoolteacher named Kaye, who he asked to marry him after knowing her a week. In 1987, they became the proud owners of a block of land in the Moutere, which had a small patch of raspberries.

The couple thought they could make money from a raspberry crop, but that wasn't easy. They discovered that they could add value to their crop by making jam, and began selling their Anathoth brand of jams at a brisk pace.

Soon, other farmers joined their effort, and the couple found themselves at the top of one of New Zealand's most successful businesses.

Join the Popes as they celebrate family values and reveal the business secrets that allowed them to build an empire built on jams, pickles, and hard work in Pope's Passion.