As a small company, we take great care to provide our customers with the highest levels of product quality and customer service. Knowing how important traceability is within the food industry we also implement stringent controls throughout our whole breeding process and the hatchery.As specialist breeders we also see our 12 years of experience with our breeds as a key feature for our customers. For example, our knowledge spans the whole breeding and hatching process and on to the actual rearing of the broiler under Organic and natural conditions. We pride ourselves on having been 'hands on' with our breeds though all these stages right through to the actual processed bird. It is this 'hands on' approach and experience that we hope to pass on to our customers as part of our ongoing committment to assist them produce the very best bird possible.
We started with our first small European breeding flocks in the UK in 1991 having returned to that country to care for a sick elderly parent. First in the UK with these specialty slow growing broiler breeds, we went from our initial 200 breeders to 1700 per flock, four flocks per year over a nine year period. Initially we took all our birds 'from egg to plate' and were fortunate to be involved in the construction and operation of a brand new small poultry processing facility. This gave us valuable experience with the birds from the day-old chick through to the final sales and marketing of these birds. 99% of our customers were Organic farmers and we sold day-old chicks from our own licensed hatchery right across the UK on a weekly basis. We set up and managed two large producer groups, one for a 'natural' market and one for a large Organic processor who sold into all the major grocery stores. Our birds were available fresh, weekly, in whole birds and portions in all major grocery stores in the UK. When we returned to Canada we were determined to make these breeds available to the Organic and natural producers in North America, to give the consumer a superior tasting bird, and the producer a hardy, rustic bird highly suited to Organic and natural production systems. We now have over 3000 breeding stock on the ground in WI and a dedicated hatchery in NE Iowa. We have a small but committed team of people who work together to provide the very best quality chick for our customers.
Our plans for the future include further expansion of our breeding flocks to be able to fulfill our expanding customer base, and to visit with some of our customers on their farms. We also plan a Freedom Rangers' on line magazine which will feature news, interesting articles, and have a question and answer section.Any helpful hints from our experts, our customers ,who are right there on the farm are especially welcome. We invite you to share your story with our readers.