Ever since we first came up with the idea for this farm over a bottle of wine in our tiny SoCal apartment a couple of years before Greg graduated from grad school, we knew that we were going to certify the farm as “organic.”
Our first year, we did just that and we were beyond thrilled. And then, we hit a snag. While we were able to call our chicken, turkey, eggs, and ginger “organic”, when it came to the pork, it was more complicated.
Essentially, the pigs (meaning the animals) were organic, but because the butcher didn’t have an “organic handling certificate” (which is a special certificate regulated by the USDA), the pork (meaning the physical cuts of meat) could not be called “organic.”
We’ve heard time and time again that these technicalities never mattered to you much, because you know us and you know how we raise our animals. But on our end, it always felt like a bit of a loose end, especially as we shared about the farm to new community members.
Our butcher wasn’t motivated to pursue the certification at first. And I don’t blame them- it requires a lot of paperwork and isn’t negligible in terms of cost.
But, over the years, as they got to know us and our business, and saw the quality of the animals that we raise, it got to a point where they didn’t need convincing. We wanted our labeling to match our farming practices and they were 100% on board.
It’s taken 3 years and a lot of collaboration between our farm and our butcher and just this week…. it finally happened. Our butcher now holds an organic handling certificate which means that we can now say that we offer CERTIFIED ORGANIC PORK!
This won’t change anything about how we farm or the products we sell. Or the way our meat is cut or packaged. But it will provide greater clarity for newer customers. And we’re ecstatic!