Who are we?
Woody's was born in 2013 by its founder Daniel Todd. Daniel originally hails from Peterborough in the UK, he moved to Australia in 2005 and then onto to New Zealand in 2013. After 17 years working for a Consumer Electronics company Daniel developed a curiosity for pig farming, and in particular the need to promote ethical free range farming pigs. And so the journey began.
Together with his wife Claire and dog Woody (the farm's namesake), neither of whom have any farming experience, they moved to an 80 acre farm in Manakau, just south of Levin, and began raising Large Black and Berkshire pigs.
The picturesque property situated at the foothills of the Tararua ranges, against a backdrop of pine forest, with the Waikawa stream running through it.
From 2016 to 2023
By 2016, idyllic or not, Woody’s Farm was struggling. Daniel realised that no matter how many pigs he raised, small-scale farming alone wouldn’t cover the bills. Like many small businesses at a crossroads, there were two choices: close, or invest.
At the same time, just over the Tararua Ranges, our friends at Longbush Pork had secured investment to grow their herd. They were focused on farming but had no outlet for their premium, heritage-breed pork. It felt only natural to join forces. With Daniel’s marketing background and a shared belief in ethical farming, we set out to champion true free-range pork.
In 2017, we built a purpose-designed butchery and factory in Levin. Longbush supplied most of the pork, raising almost 1,000 pigs at any one time.
By 2021, the butchery was processing over two tonnes of pork a week. We began supplying large cuts and charcuterie to top restaurants, salami and sausage meat to high-end pizzerias, and bacon to ethical cafés across the country. Our retail partners grew to include Moore Wilson’s, Farro Fresh, Commonsense Organics, select New World and Four Square stores, and many specialty retailers nationwide. And of course, we continued offering a full range of meats and smallgoods direct to customers through our online shop.
By 2022, demand had grown to the point where we needed pork from more than one farm. Alongside Longbush, Highground Farm in Timaru began supplying free-range pigs. We regularly visit all our farms to ensure the high animal welfare standards we started with are upheld. It’s not easy to find true free-range farms in New Zealand, so we’re proud to work with the few who meet our values.
Where we are today?
In 2023, we took the next step and moved into a larger butchery just down the road. Fittingly, the building was once used by a local farmer to process his own meat for nearby restaurants. Now, we’re continuing that tradition and expanding into more retail stores.
Ten years ago, we set out to give Kiwis an ethical alternative, offering 100% provenance in every cut of meat. It’s taken hard work, some tears, and a massive amount of investment to get here. But we believe no one should be eating meat from caged or intensively farmed animals.
Thank you for supporting us — and ethical farming.