In the spring of 2018, we received a phone call from Mr Wil Beijsens asking if he could come and have a look at our showroom in Nijnsel. Of course, we were happy to oblige, as we enjoy showing people around our company and showroom. It turned out that Wil had been living in Australia for years and was visiting his family in Brabant. In Australia, Wil runs a large pig farm called Bellgrove Pork, based in Gordonbrook, Queensland. He was keen to purchase Dutch livestock housing equipment because of the high standards set here in terms of quality, animal welfare and feed conversion. That was the reason for his visit to Verba in Nijnsel.
Making your own pet food
As is often the case abroad, Bellgrove Pork uses fine feed, crumbs and meal, much of which comes from the immediate vicinity or from its own land. Not all feed trough mechanisms are suitable for this, but our Verba in particular Mewaco (a Dutch abbreviation for ‘MEel WAter COmbinatie’) turned out to be exactly what Wil was looking for. As the name suggests, this feeding trough is specially designed for flour and crumb-based feed.
No bridge formation
There were several reasons why Wil was interested in the Mewaco. First of all, the Mewaco feeding trough can be shipped unassembled and is easy to put together. This, of course, saves a great deal of space when transporting it in a shipping container to Australia. Furthermore, large groups of piglets and fattening pigs can feed from the Mewaco, and the Mewaco Duo comes with a lid as standard. Furthermore, the Mewaco is ideally suited to fine feed, partly because the feed trough and drinking trough are clearly separated, which means the water is less likely to mix with the feed and therefore prevents bridging from occurring. The Mewaco is unique in this respect when compared to competing feeders, where the troughs are stamped from a single sheet of metal and the water and feed mix together, which can cause the feeder to become blocked. In addition, the feed hopper of the Mewaco feeder also features a stirring mechanism operated by the pigs themselves, which keeps the feed loose at all times should water, against all odds, still come into contact with it.
Ordering the feeding troughs
Once Wil was back in Australia and had taken all the measurements, a substantial order for Mewaco feeders followed: 48 Mewaco Duo feeders for piglets, 2 Mewaco Duo feeders for fattening pigs and 72 Mewaco feeders for fattening pigs. An order that was enough to fill a whole container. Wil has now been using the Mewaco feeders for several years to his complete satisfaction.
In September 2022, Wil was so pleased, in fact, that he decided to place a further order with us for 50 Mewaco Duo fattening pig units, to be supplied unassembled. For us, he is, of course, a fantastic ambassador in Australia. Wil sent us some photos showing the current situation. We would like to thank Wil Beijsens warmly for his choice and wish him and his company, Bellgrove Pork, many more healthy and successful years ahead!
