The Freedom Farms story is not a farming story.
You won’t find gumboots lined up at our front door… heck some of us don’t even own any gumboots. Freedom Farms is run by a small group of New Zealanders who are committed to supporting local farmers doing work we feel really proud of.
Where did freedom farms begin?
Over a decade ago we found ourselves asking salty questions about where bacon came from… and we were less than chuffed with the answer. So we set out to make it easier.
Before we started Freedom Farms, every time we went to the supermarket we simply had no choice. We could either swallow the idea of buying bacon that was likely made from animals raised in crates or cages, and usually imported from a unknown country… or go without.
We’re quite fond of bacon, it tastes good. So going without didn’t appeal much.
We reckoned that there were lots of kiwis just like us… people who give a damn about how the food they eat was produced, and who are willing to pay a little bit more to be sure they get the best quality when it comes to food.
So we set out to find local farmers who looked after their animals and their farms in a way we would be proud to support. We helped develop a set of farming standards that set the ground rules for what Freedom Farming was all about. And we found a great team of farmers who were willing to be audited to prove they were doing good work.
Fast forward a decade… now you can find Freedom Farmed bacon, eggs, ham, sausages, fresh pork and more treats at your local grocer, butcher or specialty food stores. New Zealanders continue to vote with their wallets for food they feel good about… and there is so much to feel excited about for the future of food in this great little nation.
Farmed in New Zealand
We reckon NZ has some of the very best farmers in the world.
No crates. No cages.
No exceptions.
Farm to Plate Traceability.
If it’s in a Freedom Farms pack… it came from one of our farms. Simple.
Independent Auditors.
We have experts audit the farms… they’re all about the details, and don’t let stuff slide.
Our mission statement
What gets us out of bed in the morning?
We exist to connect New Zealand consumers with local producers who are working to build a damn good food system: one that gives farm animals a better life, takes it easy on the environment and will be resilient into the future.
Easy peasy.
Our values
What stuff makes us feel really good?
curiosity
We are eternal learners, ask all the dumb questions (but never treat other’s questions or ideas as dumb) and are comfortable throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.
food
We’re not really interested in having salty conversations about the rights and wrongs of food… we just want to support the stuff we feel good about. And it has to taste great too.
humour
We take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
Meet Our People
Hilary Pearson
Gregor Fyfe
Cameron Fyfe
What we do
Value relationships.
Love talking about food.
Know *exactly* where our products come from.
And how they were farmed.
Obsess over details.
Love talking about provenance stories.
What we don't do
Have a buck both ways.
Work late/weekends.
Egos.
Have a sales team.
Say no to cake.