The First Six Pigs
posted on
September 12, 2025
Our little meat business began over 25 years ago in 1998. At that time, when you visited the local farmers market, fresh produce and baked goods were the only consistent staples of the market. Our blue coolers were of the first to pop-up on the scene, both locally in Southwest Michigan and in Chicagoland. Its’ safe to say the success of our business plan was a very, very slow burn.
In the first year, we harvested 6 pigs. We will never forget hauling those pigs ourselves to the processor in the back of the pick-up truck. We welded a gated pen and mounted it on the back of the truck-bed to secure the animals’ trip on the highway. Last week our original processor, now retired, surprised us with a visit and reflected on those early years with us. He remembers thinking to himself at the time, ‘these guys must be crazy - there’s no way this is going to work.’ And at the same time, he couldn’t help but recognize persistent determination.
We were always a bit of a nag to the processor. Not because of our attitudes per say, but because our business model seemed to grind against the norm. First it was the label, before it became common practice to private label at a local processor. And, our animals were even different. They carried a lot more fat cover, and had darker course hair than the usual pig carcass. Then, it was the package sizes. Smaller seemed to always be better the closer we sold to the big City. And finally, the ingredients. Can we remove gluten? How about preservatives? We are proud to say, all of our products are gluten and nitrate-free (even our shelf-stable meat sticks!!)
Despite our constant nag that went from an occasional visit to a weekly occurrence, Mr. Devries worked with us and he worked with us very well, developing a professional friendship that carries a level of trust, and respect we’ll always cherish.
His friendly visit really tugged at our heart-strings, and reminded us of our farm’s long journey. So many tough times, with stress and problems to fix - but the relationships and connections made along the way always shine brighter. As we move forward in this life, the very beginning of our farms’ meat business journey won’t be forgotten. It will continue to fuel us, and allow creativity and grit to smolder in our hearts.
