Legendary Lawn Care
The Candoo Chronicles
We’re not your average lawn care company. Candoo was built on grit, a passion for quality, and the downright refusal to take ourselves too seriously. While we’re here to give you a lawn everyone will fawn over, things didn’t exactly start that way. Let’s be frank—our story’s a bit unexpected and definitely not as straightforward as the fresh mower lines of a Candoo lawn job.
One Man, One Mission, One Mower
Meet Dan Doo
Dan Doo, Candoo’s CE-MOW, wasn’t born with a silver spoon – more like a rusty garden trowel. Raised in a small town about 13 acres shy of the WopWops, NZ, Dan was different from his friends. While they were busy playing PlayStation, he seemed more interested in watching grass grow. Dan got his first taste in lawn care at the local park, which doubled as a sheep paddock. He often jokes, “Sheep make for terrible mowers, but excellent fertilisers.”
Dan’s lawn-care genius first revealed itself at nine, when he carved a near-perfect replica of Michelangelo’s David into his family’s hedges using only a whipper snipper. Some say the hedge is still standing. Others claim this piece of hedge artistry is actually a likeness of Dan, himself resembling an even more elegant version of the Greek-god-looking statue.
As a teen, Dan was the 3-time national Extreme Mowing champion, dethroning the infamous Cliff Trimwell by smashing Cliff’s LPH (Lawns Per Hour) with a single-handed technique that sent the crowd wild. Dan’s record still stands, unbeaten. “Trim that, Cliff,” Dan remembers yelling as he accepted his Golden Mower trophy.
After his early successes, Dan’s life took a slight detour in his twenties. Fresh out of school, he took a job at a hedge fund, only to be shocked that it had nothing to do with trimming hedges. Beige carpets. PowerPoint slides. Endless talk about investments. It wasn’t the open air, and it certainly wasn’t grass. That was all the MOW-tivation he needed to make like a Pohutukawa and leaf. So, he did what any self-respecting Kiwi with a dream would do: he quit, borrowed his granddad’s ancient mower, Old Smokey, and went full throttle into lawn liberation.
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With his wife, Jan, cheering him on, he tackled his first Candoo customer’s lawn—a backyard so wild, legend has it posties went in… and never came out. Dan’s attention to detail and his commitment to doing the job right (the first time) quickly turned him into a local legend.
Word spread faster than kikuyu grass, and soon Dan was the talk of the town. Neighbours peered over fences—not to be nosy, but to admire the transformations happening next door. Soon, even his kids, Ken and Jen, were pitching in, and before long, a crew of passionate lawn enthusiasts joined him.
And so, Candoo was born—a lawn care crusade to rescue locals from weekend-wrecking yard work and unkempt lawns. Armed with his trusty mower, a can-do attitude, and zero tolerance for half-done jobs, Dan set out to give New Zealand lawns a much-needed kick up the grass.
To Dan, lawn care was never just about trimming hedges or mowing lawns. It was about crafting outdoor spaces where families could make memories—where kids could play backyard cricket without losing the ball in overgrown grass and every Kiwi could feel a little prouder of the patch they call home.
When not running Candoo, Dan can be found giving TED Talks such as the fan-favourite The Art of Letting Grow, or hosting his podcast “Mow Money, Mow Problems.” He recently launched ‘Au de Candoo,’ the world’s first fresh-cut-grass scented cologne, selling over 1.7 million units on day one, making it New Zealand’s second-largest export overnight.
However, despite his recent fame, Dan is as keen as ever to dive into each and every Candoo job. So, next time you look out at your yard and think, “This place could use a bit of love,” remember: If you can’t, Dan Doo “Candoo”. And if Dan Doo can’t, well… that’s never happened.
What Makes Candoo, Candoo
Lawns Worth Lingering On
Candoo wasn’t built overnight. For Dan, lawn care was never just about trimming hedges or mowing lawns—it was about crafting outdoor spaces where families could make memories, where kids could play backyard cricket without losing the ball in overgrown grass, and every local could feel just a little prouder of the patch they call home.
As Candoo grew, so did our mission:
To take the hassle out of yard work so you can enjoy weekends without wrestling a lawnmower. A gorgeous yard should be a joy, not a job, and we’re here to get our hands dirty so you don’t have to.
Our Vision?
To become the go-to for premium lawn care, putting customer satisfaction and quality service at the heart of every job. Whether it’s a trim, a mow, or a total transformation, Candoo’s here to make your yard the envy of the neighborhood.
So next time you look out at your yard and think, “This place could use a bit of love,” remember: if you can’t, Candoo. Give us a bell, and we’ll have your place looking pretty before you know it.
Candoo Values
We like to think of these as our lawn care commandments, driving everything we do:
We’re here to serve you—always our number 1 priority.
Things change, and we’re always ready to adapt, holding ourselves accountable to the highest standards.
From better lawn care to sharper service, we’re always growing.
We believe the grass can always be greener, so we push the boundaries.
If we make a mess, we clean it up — simple as that.
Company Growth & Partnerships
Ready for a Good-Lookin’ Lawn?
Ready for a yard even Dad would approve of? Give Candoo a bell, and we’ll sort you with a quote—fast.
Call us on 0800 CANDOO or click that big green button below to book online. Your dream yard is just a click or call away!
