Bear and the Flower Farm Story Catalogue - September 2018

farmers feeding peopleour farm story Excellent source of Omega-3

1 bearandtheflower.com farmers feeding peopleHello! We are Christopher and Jessica Fasoli, the farmers behind Bearand the Flower Farm outdoor raised pork. We are passionate about raising our pigswith three key values in mind: nutrition, lifestyle, and genetics. Together, thisapproach makes for happy pigs and great tasting pork with exceptional marblingand well rounded flavour.In 2013, we sold out of the cattle that Christopher’s family had been raising for over30 years on our family farm in Irricana, Alberta. After missing working with animals,in August 2015, we decided to put to use one of our quarter sections of land thatpreviously had only been grazed by cattle! Sometimes you have to take a leap offaith and that’s just what we did. We both left our full time jobs and decided tobecome outdoor natural pig farmers.If there is one thing to know about us as a couple and team, it’s that we are drivenand passionate about our farm and what we do. Hours and hours of constructionand work have gone into creating Bear and the Flower Farm. In 3 months wetransitioned the farm into a pig friendly place, installing feeders, a watering system,fencing, huts, and so much more.Probably the biggest question we get is how did you come up with the name Bearand the Flower Farm? EVERYONE ASKS! It’s kind of cheesy but ‘Bear’ and ‘Flower’are the nicknames that we have for each other. Now can you guess who is the Bearand who is the Flower?To learn more about our farm, follow us @bearflowerfarm to see what we’re upto on the daily!

our missionAt Bear and the FlowerFarm we are devotedto providing superior andhumanely outdoor raisedpork products. All whilerevolutionizing the porkindustry towards a globallyconscious transformation,pig by pig.

3 bearandtheflower.comNutritionAt Bear and the Flower Farm we work witha certified swine nutritionist. Ournutritionist has helped us to develop feedrations that allow us to finish our Bear andthe Flower Farm outdoor pork in a timelymanner, all while keeping this process anatural plant-based formulation. We takeour animals feed seriously and want themto have the best!We source our ingredients 100% fromAlberta to create our proprietary feedblend so that Bear and the Flower Farmoutdoor raised pork is a consistent, highquality product!We pride ourselves in feed that is: • GMO free • Antibiotic free • Animal by-products free • Hormone freeRich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Every100g of Bear and the Flower porkcontains .9g of Omega-3s.

our FeedOur feed is pelletized and we do this for the following reasons: Feeding pigs apelleted diet improves feed efficiency and growth with 4%-8% compared to a mashdiet. A pellet gives enhanced palatability, less feed waste and improved nutrientutilization, resulting in a more economical and environmental friendly production.To ensure optimal health and performance we use patented natural feed additives.A probiotic, which is a combination of naturally-occurring bacteria strains that workto stabilize the intestinal microflora. These beneficial bacteria compete with the badbacteria in the gut to improve the overall health of the animal. We also include a veryspecific soluble fiber of plant origin which acts as a prebiotic. This prebiotic favoursthe beneficial bacteria in the gut which helps to improve the overall health of the pigs. Our feed contains: • Barley • Wheat • Peas • Linseed • Lysine • Flax (enriches our pork with Omega 3s) • Limestone • Salt • Phosphate • Calcium • Vitamin A, D, E and Copper • Patented probiotics and prebiotics

5 bearandtheflower.com omega-3s We decided at Bear and the Flower Farm that it was time to kick it up into high gear in terms of our nutrition. We sent our pork into the laboratory for testing and found that not only is our pork naturally rich in Omega-3s and other nutrients, it has 3x the required amount for certification. Bear and the Flower pork now meets the qualifications for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a rich natural source of Omega-3s. Omega-3s are known for aiding in these areas of your overall health: • Mental Health • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia • Brain Functioning • Asthma • ADHD • Healthy Fetus Development • Healthy Skin and Hair • Healthy Fats in the Blood Stream

l i fe s t y l eBear and the Flower Farms outdoor raised piggies are happy year round! We get a lot ofquestions about how the pigs do in the winter time, and to be honest they do muchbetter in the cold then in the heat!! Did you know that pigs don’t sweat? Because of thisthey can get really over heated so in order to help our pigs relax and live happier, this pastsummer we trenched in a sprinkler system from our river to our pigs. Yes...our pigs have a‘splash park’.So how do the pigs get through the winter with no issues? We have heated waterers andthey get plenty of straw to burrow under. We had special metal tin huts made for our pigsso they can also have a roof over their heads during snow and rain.Our farm is growing. We recently expanded our pigs living space to support pasture re-generation! We also increased the square footage of each pig per acre allowing space formore waterers’, shelters, feeders and ease of handling. Now each pig enjoys more than1000 square feet to roam and play!

7 bearandtheflower.comgeneticsWe realized that raising pigs wasnot that much different thanraising cattle. First of all, youneed to make sure you havegreat genetics. As we trieddifferent breeds of pork, it waslike Goldilocks and the threebears. . . this one’s too fatty, thisone doesn’t have enoughflavour. We knew that if Bearand the Flower pork was goingto lead the industry, it needed totaste great; better than great!Great genetics take years todevelop so after some troubleshooting and errors, we searchedthis province high and low forthe best breeds and breeder.Then we met our breeder whohas been raising pigs for over30 years. He raises the pigs nat-urally in an open barn environ-ment, also allowing them spaceto graze outside. Then we finishthem on our farm!

Bear and the Flower Pigs Good genetics are developed over time! It takes more than 24 months to breed the next generation of pigs. We work with a geneticist to improve our herd every year, in search of healthy pigs and the best tasting pork.Our Breeding ProgramWe cross Duroc and Landrace pigs to develop a breed that is adaptable to our climate, pro-duces great tasting pork with good marbling, a nice cover of fat, and lots of meat.DurocDuroc is a heritage breed from North America, native to us. Often referred to as the BlackAngus of the pork industry! Like Black Angus cows, the Duroc breed is known for itsexceptional meat quality and eating characteristics, as documented in tests performed bythe National Pork Producers. Duroc pigs are one of the fastest growing breeds of pig whenthey’re kept on a consistent and nutritious diet. This hardy breed is a great outdoor pig asthey stay healthy and happy in both cold and warm climates.LandraceLandrace pigs have admirable meatiness on foot and particularly on the rail. The rumps arelong, and the hams are plump but not overly fatty. The sides are long, of uniform depth,with sixteen or seventeen ribs per side (at least 1 extra!). The Landrace breed is known forcrossing well with other pig breeds. Additionally, Landrace breeds are recognized for theirlengthy body, a high proportion of carcass weight in the loin and ham, and the best amountof meat. The Landrace female pigs are prolific for farrowing large pigs.

9 bearandtheflower.comLeading the industryBear and the flower farm has beencommitted to leading the outdoor hogindustry since we opened. By not onlysetting the highest standards for ethicaltreatment, nutrition, genetics, but now wehave taken our pork one step further intothe food safety side of farming. We havenow become the first outdoor raised hogproducer in the country to achieveCanadian Quality Assurance (CQA).What does cqa mean?Canadian Quality Assurance is a globally recognized standard for pork quality, rearingtechniques, traceability, and transportation. Up until now these standards have only beenavailable to indoor raised pork producers. Bear and the Flower Farm has worked extremelyclosely with the Canadian Pork Council and Alberta Pork to define and set CQA standardsfor outdoor hog producers. We will be piloting this new program until January 2019 whenthis program will be officially rolled out to the rest of the country based on this currentproject.The CQA program for outdoor farms will help revolutionize the outdoor hog industry,allowing it to become borderless not only in Canada but around the world. This is a biggame changer not only for the producer but helping to make outdoor raised pork morereadily available to a larger consumer base.

'Farmers Feeding contact us! People’ [email protected] 587-215-8886@bearflOwerfarm

farmers feeding people Because Christopher and Jessica care so much about what their pigs eat and what you eat, they created a proprietary feed blend that naturally enriches the pigs. Now for every serving of Bear and the Flower pork, you will receive your daily intake of Omega-3s! Our pork tested at 3x the required amount for Omega-3s and Bear and the Flower pork is now certified as a rich, natural source of Omega-3s. w w w . b e a r a n d t h e f l o w e r. c o m @ b e a r f l o w e r fa r m- Catalogue design & photography by Cathryn Sprague / uploopcreative.com -