The Saddleback pigs Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Bees and pigs aren't often in the same thought, unless of course, it's honey-cured bacon.
But for the Gielen family, the two species harmoniously coexist as part of their journey to create a self-sustainable farm.
Nestled in Motukarara, south of Christchurch, right next to Lake Ellesmere is where the Gielen Family Farm is located.
Here, Russian-born Stacey Gielen and her Belgian-born husband Ode breed saddleback pigs while also extracting honey not only for themselves but also for fellow beekeepers and hobbyists.
Stacey explains, "It all started with the bees."
"We feel really passionate about the bees and honey and we actually did a beekeeping course back when we lived in town, and it just sort of started from there.
"We started having conversations about what it would be like to have a piece of land, what it might look like, can we grow enough food, what sort of food, and then it's sort of evolved from there."
Stacey and Ode Gielen Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Stacey says that following the beekeeping course, the couple purchased their own hive and eventually, they turned their hobby into a business.
In 2018 the couple purchased the little block they now call home - but as most could expect, there was a period of trial and error before they settled on bees and pigs.
Ode says they initially started with ducks, turkey and guinea fowl but realised quickly it was not for them.
"If I would do it again I would ask for advice," Ode said.
"And I was always the guy [to] just try it and see what happens. But lesson learned."
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Now the couple have nine breeding sows and Boris the "big boy". All are primarily black in colour with long hair and have a white broad band around their torso that gives the pig breed their name - saddleback.
Stacey said she was always fond of the breed due to their friendly temperament.
"And the meat is quite amazing. It's marbled, it doesn't have a lot of fat because they're slowly grown pigs so they don't have that."
The couple breed for saddleback piglets which at three months old would sell for $160.
More recently, the Geiliens have started a two-hectare apple and pear orchard which helps to feed the pigs. However, the manure from the pigs also helps to feed the orchard.
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
The orchard is part of their grand vision of being self-sustainable and having bees on site only works to enhance that vision.
The couple's nine-metre-long mobile honey extraction trailer helps to further their business. Not only does it benefit them and their bees, but they are also able to extract honey for others in the area.
"We mostly work with small beekeepers and hobbyists," Stacey explained.
"People that have only one or two hives and would really love to have a taste of their honey, gift to jar to a friend or family member and they did not have the skills to do it themselves."
The couple can take the extraction unit to a person's property and process the honey on site, or pick it up and drop it off.
