about us
faq
so then, what’s so special about these hogs?
all of our pigs are born on the farm, and are raised for a minimum of 12 months (and a maximum of 16). while other breeds usually finish out around nine months, mangalitsas don’t reach maturity until they are a year and a half old! mangalitsa are a slow growing breed, but we can promise it’s worth the wait and cost.
the meat is a dark red and healthily marbled, and is often referred to as the “kobe beef of pork”. mangalitsas are a lard breed as opposed to a bacon breed, so yes, they are a fatty animal! according to our friends over at smoky mountain mangalitsa, “the fat soluble vitamins A, C, D, & K are present in healthful quantities and bio-available. it has been reported that mangalitsa meat contains 5% more marbling in the muscle than other heritage breeds and over 10% more mono-unsaturated fat (liquid at room temperature) in the lard.”
listen, we get your fear of fat. but this is a whole different breed. we love fat, and we hope you’ll come to appreciate it as well.
are you organic?
we are not certified organic. this would mean that the pigs could not receive any non-organic vegetable and food scraps, as well as only be fed certified organic feed. we feed locally grown grain at all times, and know our pigs really enjoy the scraps from our farmer friends! we also do not want to pass the price of organic only grain on to our customers as we watch prices sky rocket when we feel that the feed we have access to is just as high quality and more affordable. animal welfare will always take a front seat to any certification.
do you use hormones or antibiotics?
the simple answer is- no. again, putting animal welfare first, we strive to avoid any conditions in which a pig would need either of these. however, sometimes during farrowing, our sows might need a small dose of hormones to make things easier, and if they have an infection, we are certainly going to treat it. we never feed or administer either of these inputs unless an animal’s life is at stake (which is very rare!), and these animals do not end up in our meat herd. we feel it is important to be transparent and put the quality of the life of the animal first and foremost.