As regular readers know we changed our business model last year. It took us a lot of chatting and discussing with friends before going down the new route, but we decided to bite the bullet and go for it.
The major change was that we now ‘grow to order’. Rather than selling meat piecemeal, customers can now book half a pig or a full pig, and come November or so they will have a freezer full of delicious free range pork and ham. So how did it go? It went very well so much so, we are now offering lamb in a similar way. If you are new to the blog… we grow our animals completely free-range, using organic meal and use no herbicides or pesticides on the property.
The Pig Whisperer aka Day Dreaming Foodie
As you can imagine we stressed and worried about how smoothly it would all run.
- In previous years, when we had pigs coming and going on a regular basis I never ‘obsessed’ about their weight. However, I have to admit that I was convinced these guys were not growing at all. I guess it was looking at them every day, knowing that they would all be going to slaughter around the same time…. they seriously seemed to just not grow! Of course, they did, but as the saying goes ‘the watched pot….’
- The system of growing to order, having a deposit, and issuing a balancing invoice prior to collection/delivery, is definitely less stressful than selling the meat ‘piecemeal’.
- The major bonus for us, was that we got to meet pretty much all the customers. Some came to collect and we sat around and had lunch. Some even came and stayed over for a night. So from that point of view it was wonderful to meet and spend time with like minded people.
- And of course, the bonus to the customer was that they got to choose exactly how they wanted their meat butchered, AND they could spread the payments over the year.
This year (2018) we will be taking orders again. We will grow your pig and/or lamb to order for you.
You can order a half pig or a full pig. You can get together with friends or family, and share the cost/meat between you. When the time comes we will send you a ‘cutting list’ so you can decide how you’d like your meat prepared. Your meat will be ready for you at the end of November/early December….. just in time for your own Christmas ham!
Costings are the same as last year. A deposit of €150 when booking. A half pig will cost you €12.50 per kg. A full pig €10 per kg. In 2017 a full pig weighed out at around 50 kg.
Oh, and just so you know …. half a pig butchered will fit in 3 drawers of an under counter freezer.
To fill you in on the lamb we grow – we have been growing Zwartbles sheep for ourselves and family over the past few years. The meat is totally delicious, and now we are offering the opportunity to a wider group. Again you can decide on a half (€85) or full lamb (€160) which will be butchered according to your instructions. A full lamb weighs approx. 35 kg.
Zwartbles wether
So go on, have a chat with family and friends, and give us a call to order your pork or lamb.
Orders will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Leave a comment below, or fill in the contact form here.
At this stage we cannot even guarantee that we will have enough pork/ham for everyone…. as the pigs haven’t even been born yet!
A Year In Redwood 
Good to know it has gone so well.