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Inventing Better Tasting Pork

I invented the perfect tasting pork but need to build a birthing & growing facility to produce a sustainable herd of pigs.

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Inventing Better Tasting Pork

Inventing Better Tasting Pork

Inventing Better Tasting Pork

Inventing Better Tasting Pork

Inventing Better Tasting Pork

I invented the perfect tasting pork but need to build a birthing & growing facility to produce a sustainable herd of pigs.

I invented the perfect tasting pork but need to build a birthing & growing facility to produce a sustainable herd of pigs.

I invented the perfect tasting pork but need to build a birthing & growing facility to produce a sustainable herd of pigs.

I invented the perfect tasting pork but need to build a birthing & growing facility to produce a sustainable herd of pigs.

Carl Blake
Carl Blake
Carl Blake
Carl Blake
1 Campaign |
Ionia, United States
$4,622 USD 58 backers
6% of $75,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

I invented the perfect tasting pork but need to build a birthing & growing facility to produce a sustainable herd of pigs.

My name is Carl Blake and I’m an Iowa farmer. I’ve done what many people said couldn’t be done. I’ve invented better tasting pork by breeding a better pig. Not just a better pig … a super pig. A happy, healthy pig that’s really good to eat.

The Problem

The stuff most grocery stores are selling as “pork” just isn’t. Real pork isn’t white. It’s red, like beef. Big pork producers try to add flavor to that pale white stuff by injecting it with chemicals imitating the flavor of pork. They add water to make it weigh more so they can charge more. And you don’t want to see where this pale pork comes from! Huge corporate farms, with pigs spending their entire lives inside tiny little cages. It’s inhumane. It’s not good for the pigs and it’s really not good for those of us who eventually eat the pork. It doesn’t have to be that way. There’s a revolution under way to change the quality of pork we eat, and it starts with breeding a better pig.

The Inspiration

A couple of years ago, I began researching and discovered that some of the best tasting pork in the world came not from a pink pig but from a black pig created 180 years ago in Germany.  King Wilhelm I took Chinese Meishan pigs and mated them with wild boars to create the Swabian Hall – a pig with just the right ratio of fat to meat.  It was named the world’s best pork in 1832 and then again at the 1892 World’s Fair.

When I wasn’t able to import that pig into the US, I figured out a way to improve on it. I took a Chinese Meishan and bred it with a Russian Wild Boar.

The Result

Iowa Swabian Hall

Iowa Swabian Hall

I call this new pig pig the Iowa Swabian Hall. It’s a healthy, happy pig, raised humanely in the heartland. I feed my pigs hydroponically grown barley because it’s less expensive than corn, pigs love it, and it’s more nutritious and eliminates a lot of health issues.  Here’s the amazing result: This pig and this process produces pork that tastes better than any other I’ve tried. The first year I perfected this pork,  I entered it into the prestigious annual competition Cochon555 that brings together the country’s top chefs, pork farmers and wine makers. I thought, well, if I’m going to compete, I might as well compete against the best.  Guess what? My pork won – first place.  And then we won three more national competitions!

Hydroponically Grown BarleyHydroponically grown barley

Why I Need You

Produce better pork and they will come!  Bizarre Foods America with Andrew Zimmern visited my farm for a taste.  Reporters began calling.  I was featured on the front page of the New York Times. I even appeared on The Colbert Report – all increasing public awareness of the pork.  Chefs, grocery stores and restaurants all want to buy my pork.  All this publicity is fantastic, but I am still running a tiny operation with limited capacity. In order to grow the herd to meet the new demand, we urgently need a new birthing and growing facility.  Unfortunately, no state funding is available for a project like this.  Traditional investors aren’t interested in helping the small family farm.   I’ve thrown every penny I’ve got into this.  My kids, my family and friends have all pitched in to help.

BFA

Andrew Zimmern and Carl

NY Times

Front page of nytimes.com!

Colbert

Carl and the piggies on Colbert

Growing the Herd

In order to produce new litters of Iowa Swabian Hall, and meet the demand for this better tasting and healthier pork, I need to build a new birthing and growing facility. That includes:

  • Custom designed farrowing stalls for birthing
  • A community pen where piglets and sows can eat, sleep and play together
  • Improvements to the existing water purification system to give clean water to pigs and hydroponic units all year long.

We need a total of $75,000 to create the infrastructure to build a sustainable herd of happy, healthy pigs and provide the best tasting pork possible. This is a start to finish build project that ends with the completed birthing and growing facility that could yield 25,000 pounds of Iowa Swabian Hall pork each season.

We’ll be sending a message to the entire pork industry that the humane treatment of pigs is crucial and that the family farm can make a difference.  I am often asked to speak to schools and community groups.  Completing this project will allow us to bring kids to the farm to model humane farming methods and how we each have a say in where our food comes from.

Please understand that we are not asking for a handout - but a hand up. A way to complete this project.  We will perform all labor and make installations work. I work every single day of the week and I see no slowdown. That is our level of dedication to this project.

smoke

Iowa Swabian Hall on the smoker

pro

Iowa Swabian Hall prosciutto

Thank You

This is a project I can only continue with your help. Together, we can change the way pigs are raised and pork tastes in America.

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Choose your Perk

An Email Thank You

$5 USD
Carl will personally THANK YOU via email.
Estimated Shipping
June 2013
3 claimed

Postcard & Pig-Ture

$15 USD
A Iowa Swabian Hall postcard delivered to your home and membership in the PIG-TURE of the MONTH CLUB. One piggy digital photo delivered by email for 12 months.
Estimated Shipping
June 2013
3 claimed

May the Pork Be With You

$25 USD
Display your pork pride proudly with a custom designed BUMPER STICKER! Plus all digital perks of lesser value.
Estimated Shipping
June 2013
7 claimed

Recipes & Name That Pig

$50 USD
One porktastic RECIPE delivered each month by email for 12 months. Plus: the first 200 contributors will be granted naming rights for one new born PIGLET and will be emailed a picture of your little namesake. Plus all digital perks of lesser value.
Estimated Shipping
July 2013
9 claimed

May the Pork Be With You pt 2

$75 USD
WEAR your pork pride proudly with a custom designed Iowa Swabian Hall T-SHIRT! Plus all digital perks of lesser value.
Estimated Shipping
June 2013
5 claimed

May the Pork Be With You pt 3

$100 USD
At this level, you get a custom designed Iowa Swabian Hall T-SHIRT and KNIT CAP! Plus all digital perks of lesser value.
Estimated Shipping
June 2013
11 claimed

Name a Farrowing Stall!

$250 USD
24 contributors will be granted naming rights for one FARROWING STALL - the place where pigs are born. The stall will feature a plaque bearing your name. This level also includes a T-SHIRT, BUMPER STICKER and all digital perks of lesser value.
Estimated Shipping
June 2013
5 out of 24 of claimed

Bring Home the Bacon!

$500 USD
5lbs of premium Iowa Swabian Hall BACON. This level also includes a T-SHIRT, BUMPER STICKER and all digital perks of lesser value.
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
0 claimed

Swabian Hall Style

$1,000 USD
A pair of Iowa Swabian Hall OVERALLS signed by Carl. Just make sure to wear the left strap under your arm like Carl does! This level also includes a T-SHIRT, BUMPER STICKER and all digital perks of lesser value
Estimated Shipping
June 2013
0 claimed

World's Best Pork

$2,500 USD
More than 10 pounds of assorted Iowa Swabian Hall pork products to include CHOPS and RIBS. This level also includes a T-SHIRT, BUMPER STICKER and all digital perks of lesser value
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
0 claimed

Even More!

$5,000 USD
More than 20 pounds of assorted Iowa Swabian Hall pork products to include CHOPS, RIBS and PORK LOIN. This level also includes a T-SHIRT, BUMPER STICKER and all digital perks of lesser value
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
0 claimed

Go Hog Wild!

$10,000 USD
Spend a DAY ON CARL'S FARM, meet the pigs and enjoy an on-site Iowa Swabian Hall pig roast thrown by Carl Blake himself. Travel expenses not included. *Time of visit to be determined by you and Carl. This level also includes a T-SHIRT, BUMPER STICKER and all digital perks of lesser value
0 claimed

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