Growing premium, regenerative, delicious, grass-fed beef with nature
...for you.
Salubre Beef Farm
KENEPURU SOUNDS, NEW ZEALAND
"It is our firm belief that with healthy soils, this must equally equate to healthy and nutritious animals, and ultimately healthy nutritious meat.
How can it not!"
PETER & SUE EVANS | KENEPURU SOUNDS, MARLBOROUGH, NEW ZEALAND
Salubre Farm is located in the beautiful Kenepuru Sounds. This very appealing and unique property has a rich history of food production dating back to the last century. The farm totals 700 Hectares in area with 220 hectares set aside for regenerative grazing.
The 480 hectares of land not being farmed is in either in virgin forest or in well advanced regenerating native forest. This includes substantial podocarps such as Rimu, Totara, and Matai. These trees are hundreds of years old and would have been alive when Captain Cook anchored his expedition boats Endeavour and Resolution in what is known today as the Queen Charlotte Sounds.
From very early during their farm ownership, Peter and Sue had both come to the conclusion that they needed to do things differently to avoid relying on industrial inputs which at the time of takeover was mostly rye grasses, or as Peter put it, “one big monocrop”.
As smaller farmers they could not rely on scale to earn a living. Thinking through all the options led to researching Wagyu Beef, and perhaps more importantly, it lead to investigating Regenerative Agriculture in greater depth.
Peter’s initial comment to the Regenerative Farming Consultant was, “I will make no secret about it. I’m really struggling to get my conventional farming head around this regenerative stuff.”
These days after much trial and error, concerns, doubts, and learning he happily reports, “I am totally convinced that the Regenerative approach to farming does really work. Yes, without the use of glyphosate, synthetic fertilisers and nitrogen inputs.” Nature, it turns out, is an excellent farming consultant and partner. You just have to watch, listen, and learn.
Our animals' health and well-being mean the world to us, just like our name "salubre" implies.
The Farmers
PETER & SUE EVANS
Susan and Peter both grew up with agricultural backgrounds. Sue also had an extensive horticultural background which originally saw our farming aspirations begin with a small avocado and passionfruit holding. This ended up with us owning a kiwifruit orchard.
After kiwifruit, Peter and Susan sold horticultural blocks, and a few years later purchased their first cattle grazing block of 45 acres which also ran a small plant nursery. Their next move was to an 80 acre cattle grazing block in North Otago. Then came a bigger move a few years later to their first real farm, comprising approx 260 Hectares, where they grazed cattle.
In 2015, after selling their Otago property, the Evans purchased their current Farm in the Kenepuru Sound. This was the genesis moment for Salubre Beef.
"There is nothing more satisfying than watching a customer smile as they bite into our beef."
PETER EVANS
The Farming System
FROM LITTLE THINGS BIG THINGS GROW
Salubre Beef Farms with Nature
Any farming system is just that, a system. That means the farm itself operates as a coherent complex ecosystem. Every element has its place and purpose. When systems are disturbed they often demonstrate stress. A stressed farming system is obviously not ideal for the production of superb tasting beef. The solution is simple. Don’t fight nature…you will never win.