Patoa Farms is the visionary project of Steve Sterne and Jens Ravn whose families joined together with a specific goal to farm pigs outdoors and as close to their natural habitat as possible.

For the sows, this means roaming free range with small straw based shelters in large paddocks for farrowing. For pigs being finished for bacon, it means large eco-barns with deep litter straw, the perfect blend for producing pork in the most eco-friendly sustainable way possible.

The search for land to begin this vision ended in 1998 when they happened upon a stretch of country bordering on the south bank of the Hurunui River in North Canterbury. Here “Patoa Farms” was formed and now 20 years later there is no looking back.

After Jens and Anne retired from the business in 2013, Steve and his family have continued on the story.

Patoa Farms are Pig Care accredited and are the supplier of Free Farmed Pork to Woolworths.

Steve Sterne, Director

Holly Sterne, Director

Jelle Edzes, Wholesaling & Procurement Manager

I grew up in North Otago and have a background in both agriculture and banking. After studying at Lincoln University, I spent several years managing dairy farms before moving into agribusiness banking with Rabobank. In 2024 I joined Patoa Farms, where I manage procurement and wholesaling. My focus is on building strong supplier and customer relationships and helping to drive efficient, effective farm performance.