The Farm
About Us - Our Story - Our Pigs - Our Cows
About Us
Set in the picturesque Hemel en Aarde Valley, Glen Oakes is primarily a livestock farm owned by Jules and Charles Crowther, who pride themselves on setting standards in ethically raising their beloved pasture-reared pigs, who enjoy a gourmet diet of acorns, roots and grubs.
We invite you to experience rustic luxury – in our charming Stone Cottage or Wood Cabin complete with big fireplaces, hot tubs, comfy lounges, braai areas, spring-fed rock pools and sundecks perfect for lazing. Surrounded by the beautiful Klein River mountains, fynbos and pasture lands, Glen Oakes offers the perfect destination for a romantic getaway or to keep the kids happy all the day long.
We invite you to explore our website – the pictures say it all! If you’re looking for an Overberg weekender getaway and getting back to nature, we look forward to welcoming you to Glen Oakes Farm – so much or so little to do – you decide.
Our Story
Charlie’s love for cattle, sheep and pigs has always been in his blood – a passion that was held from a very young age. Julie grew up in Somerset West, equally drawn to animals, and had a deep connection to horses and a lifelong love for all creatures.
It was on Charlie’s family wine farm in Stellenbosch that the two first met – a connection rooted in their shared passion for animals and farm life. From there, their journey together began.
They threw themselves into the world of agriculture – studying, working and gaining hands-on experience wherever they could. Then came two years of backpacking, during which they worked on farms across the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It was a chapter filled with adventure and a growing vision of what they wanted to build together.
When they returned to South Africa, that vision led them to a piece of land in the Overberg. It wasn’t much at the time – just a small cottage, a few rickety fences and the remains of an old mud wall – but it was enough. They rolled up their sleeves and began the long, rewarding work of establishing the farm from the ground up.
Rooted in their shared love for livestock and a strong commitment to humane, ethical animal husbandry, the farm slowly took shape. Over time, it became more than a livelihood – it became a home. A place where they’ve raised two incredible children, both of whom share their deep respect for animals and the land.
Invasive alien vegetation, especially in the mountain areas, posed one of their first challenges. To help fund the ongoing clearing, they opened the farm to guests. What started as a practical solution – a way to keep the land healthy – gradually grew into something far more meaningful.
Today, those humble beginnings have evolved into a place where visitors come to slow down, explore and connect. The cottages and trails are now part of a beloved destination, where people return time and time again to experience the raw beauty and quiet magic of the farm and its surroundings.
Our Pigs
We love what we do. We love our pigs – maintaining the most healthy, natural life for our pigs, who graze on pastures and dig for grubs, crunchy acorns and delicious roots as good pigs should.
The most important thing of all is making sure the life our animals lead on the farm is as close to perfect as we can provide. Although our pigs end up as charcuterie or fresh pork – it is still imperative that while they are alive they are happy, comfortable and well fed with absolutely no stress or suffering.
Allowing them to mature in this way takes a long time, almost double the time than on commercial pig farms, where they are restricted with space and fed ad-lib. To keep the condition of our pastures healthy, we limit litter numbers, so mass production is definitely not an option for us.
Pigs are amazing animals, highly intelligent, social and inquisitive. Although omnivores it is a common misconception that they will eat anything. Unless conditioned from a very early age to eat specific feed like slop and dirty left-overs, they are actually quite selective on what they graze and choose to eat.
Apart from grazing, our pigs love foraging and their favorite past-time is wallowing in muddy pools, a lot like hippos. Glen Oakes pigs enjoy roaming in their very large paddocks which have specifically planted greens (clover, lucern and rye-grass) to ensure that 80% of their diet contains adequate protein for optimum growth and development. Grazing is supplemented via our unique milled mix to provide a natural supplement of trace elements and minerals that may be lacking in our soils but that are needed for healthy growth and strong immunities. No routine antibiotics or growth hormones are added to this mix and we do not feed with any animal by-products or fishmeal. Our pigs are not fed ad-lib.
- Our pigs are fed no fishmeal or bone meal.
- Our pigs are bred for specific marbling & taste.
- We don’t cut off tails or cut teeth or castrate our male piglets.
- Males & females are raised separately on opposite sides of the farm
- They are free of routine antibiotics or any other drugs
- They are free of growth hormones & steroids
Exercise is important and although pigs spend a lot of time in wet areas during the hottest parts of the day, they are actually incredibly fast and agile, able to get through pretty much any type of fence or over any type of bridge.
All of the above measures ensure our pigs are raised completely naturally, happily roaming on pasture, grazing on grasses, acorns and grubs…wallowing in muddy pools and sleeping in warm nests, just as nature intended.
Purveyors of pasture-fed pork
Growing up slowly in a completely stress-free environment is what makes all the difference to the flavour and quality of our meat.
Glen Oakes pigs are produced mainly for Charcuterie – the art of curing pork, traditionally done in France, Spain and Italy. Time is essential in the process of this technique of curing meat naturally, so the flavour and fat distribution is of utmost importance. The quality of the meat is determined by a few things; the breed, diet, exercise and stress.
To experience charcuterie made from our incredible pork, visit Babylonstoren in Simondium or Kleinhoekkloof in Ashton. Or better yet, while staying on the farm, order a charcuterie platter to enjoy at your accommodation or picnic spot.
Our Cows
Introducing our gorgeous little black cattle, the smallest of all cattle breeds – The Dexter.
The Dexter breed originated in Ireland and have become more and more popular in America, Australia and here in South Africa. They are particularly hardy, non-selective grazers, and happy to eat a variety of different grasses.
Dexters are half the size of the normal sized cow. Mature bulls weigh around 450-500kg and the cows between 270-300kg. This makes them very popular with small scale farming. The carcass size is far more manageable and the cattle are easy to handle due to their size, friendly temperaments and versatility.
Dexters are either short or long-legged. They are typically horned although a polled cow is not uncommon. Dexter cattle carry both the black and red coloured gene, but black is the most predominant colour. Dexter cows are particularly good mothers, calve easily and have ample milk. They are a dual-purpose breed, used for both milk and meat.
Our Dexters are a great help in “cleaning up” the pastures – they eat all the longer less palatable grasses the pigs prefer not to eat. Yes, pigs are selective!!!
We rear our youngsters for beef. Dexter meat has a distinct flavour and dark in colour. It is also famous for its marbling (fat distribution in the muscle) which makes it popular for producing Charcuterie (curing) as this fat allows for more flavour and better preserving whilst drying naturally.
