Hasselmann Family Farms - The Pigs

As a small boy on his grandfather’s mushroom farm, with only a few goats, chickens, and pigs, Scott Hasselmann began dreaming of a farm of his own. Today he lives a two hour drive from the city and raises grassfed laying hens, pigs, cattle, and a dozen sheep with his wife Nena and their two children Georgie and Alexia. Scott and Nena just began their farm four years ago, and still feel they’re in the start-up phase. In fact, they met in Nicaragua after Scott finished serving in the Peace Corps as an agricultural volunteer and lived there for over a year before returning to the States.

Scott admits that he has loved animals his whole life. After reading books on running a farm Scott and Nena became inspired and moved to rural Illinois with their first child. And they decided to do things differently. Hasselmann Family Farms’ products are special because of the family’s commitment to keeping animals on pasture and to providing a healthy, local product to the community and Chicago environs. They have found that people at the farmer’s market are extremely interested in and appreciative of how the animals are cared for and raised.  Scott explains, “It’s a win-win situation. They get healthy, humanely raised food that is good for the rural economy and we get to stay on our farm.”

Becoming certified by Animal Welfare Approved was a next step for the Hasselmanns, allowing them to build consumer confidence while certifying their high-welfare practices. The ability to market directly to customers and enjoy those relationships is a priority for the Hasselmanns, and their farm is always open for visitors. Their products are sold to families around Chicago, at a farmers market in Palatine, and also to three restaurants in Chicago: The Blueprint, The Bristol, and Southwater Kitchen. Right now Scott has enough to handle on his 50 acres, but continuing to raise humane meat and eggs for consumers is his family’s dream.