You have not enjoyed top quality pork products until you have shopped at The Flying Pig, the factory shop of the Mockford family’s proud pork enterprise.
Father Peter, and twins Bradley and Shaun Mockford are supremely proud of this brainchild, that had some interesting beginnings. The Flying Pig as a name came as an obvious option, as Bradley, who is in charge of the company, explains:
“When we grew up there was a flying pig hanging in our living room. So when we looked for a name, The Flying Pig came up as an option. My wife, Joanne, who is also part of the business, loved it and so it began.”
Adding value to their pork had been a dream for the family for quite some time and in 2018, when listeriosis broke out, the opportune time arrived to realise the dream.
“We always spoke about opening an online store to add value and we now offer various options to clients. When listeriosis hit, we had to diversify.”
He said thanks to a brilliant team, they weathered the storm by putting their heads together. “We learned some valuable lessons from the listeriosis debacle, in terms of how to handle the current Covid-19 pandemic. That, along with the long relationship we have with Standard Bank, helped us to survive the listeriosis crisis.”
They were just out of the woods, having had a good festive season that year, when foot-and-mouth disease broke out in 2019. Suddenly, explained Bradley, pig stock levels increased exponentially as they could no longer export.
“We have to sell around 900 pigs a week. The income dropped almost overnight, as auctions were not permitted either.”
So in 2020, when Covid-19 arrived, it initially affected the price in a very negative way.
“But we were well conditioned for the crisis. One difference was that we were nationally and globally united in the crisis. The prices luckily later went up as imports were reduced. There was a rib shortage across the country! Meat sold at The Flying Pig is not overly processed, but hand-spiced or marinated and packaged instead.”
Getting the recipe right is something they pride themselves on.
“We offer affordable bulk boxes and really put the time into packing the perfect box.”
They deliver door-to-door across Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga and hopefully further soon.
“Our logistic partners, JKJ Express, Fartraco and Allegraine Dairies are instrumental in our delivery turnaround time. Jay Clark who has been involved from the very beginning is doing a wonderful job with our marketing and our online system works really well, thanks to his expertise. It is quick, safe and easy, and user-friendly. What I like most about it is the fact that the prices are available on the website and there is a note section where you can leave a note for the delivery partner.”
The Mockfords farm with three pig lines, namely Duroc, Large White and Landrace. They employ 165 people whom they regard as family. Apart from the Flying Pig, they also run a farm stall which sells products including bacon jam, crackling, coff ee, and a selection of cheeses. This can be added to your box when ordering. There is also a small walk-in store in Ladine. The pigs bred at Mockford Farms are surely a fortunate bunch.
As Bradley elaborates: “Happy pigs produce healthy piglets and good quality meat. We keep our pigs happy by considering their environment. We also have to keep them at a certain temperature, cool for the sows and warmer for the piglets.”
What are you waiting for? Order now or miss out ‘pig’ time! www.theflyingpig.co.za.
