Vermont Grown Pork
We now offer natural bacon, ham and sausages made from pork naturally grown here in Vermont and we're excited about it!

(Below, pigs graze a pasture across the fence from farmer Greg Finch's lambs.)

The pigs live on pasture during much of the year and in barns with deep bedded packs during the winter and early spring.  They eat only grains and legumes, minerals and pasture or hay.  Farrowing crates aren't used.  These are happy, healthy pigs.

All of our Vermont Grown Pork for our Vermont Grown items currently comes from a single farm in Franklin, VT.  The pigs are Berkshire-Chester White cross pigs, old-time breeds that produce flavorful, high quality pork.

(Above, Tom Biggs (l) of Black River Produce and Greg Finch (r) look the portable grain grinder Greg uses to grind grains fresh each day for his pigs.  The Cover-All shelter the pigs live in during the winter is behind them.)

This pork operation has grown due to a three-way partnership between farmer Greg Finch, distributor Black River Produce (which buys all of the fresh cuts) and Vermont Smoke and Cure, which buys the trim, bellies and hams for our "Vermont Grown" products.  Processing takes place at Vermont Livestock in Ferrisburg, VT.  These days, it takes even more than a village to raise and market a pig!

We also buy and then prepare hams for Whole Foods' New England stores from a nearly-in-Vermont farmer just over the border in New York.

We're on our way to purchasing over 60,000 lbs of Vermont+nearby Vermont grown pork and beef for our products during 2011. We work to significantly increase that number every year.

We buy all of the pure Vermont Maple Syrup for our ham, bacon and sausages from Sweet Retreat, high on a ridge just 10 miles away in Northfield, VT.