Humanely raised on open pastures, Gunthorp’s Duroc hogs are a heritage breed that produces high-quality meat with fine-grained marbling, a beautiful pink color, and rich flavor that can stand on its own.
The Story of Gunthorp Farms
The Gunthorp family in La Grange, Indiana has been in the business of farming since before the Great Depression, raising their animals on pasture the entire time, even as industrial production boomed around them and threatened to put pasture-based farmers out of business.
The pressure came to a head in 1998, when Greg Gunthorp was selling his pigs -- he only raised pigs back then -- into the "commodity market" for just five cents a pound. Five cents was the going rate for pigs, whether you raised them in overcrowded, closed barns or on pasture; and incredibly, that 5-cent rate was less than Greg's grandfather earned per pound in the 1920s.
Making a Sustainable Future
To keep the pasture-raised business going, Greg knew he needed to diversify his business. He started raising poultry and even selling his pork directly to high-end markets and restaurants. Now in their fifth-generation of pig farming, the Gunthorps continue to raise their hogs in the way they know is right. Their Duroc hogs enjoy open pasture year-round, feeding on native grasses as well as supplemental non-GMO feed from local farmers in the area. These heritage breeds, in combination with their diet and care, produce high-quality meat with fine-grained marbling, a beautiful pink color, and rich flavor that can stand on its own — beating anything you’ll find at your grocery store.