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23 Years of Green Pasture Products: From Our Family to Yours
Written by Green Pasture / June 9, 2026
Page Contents
Introduction
Since 2003, Green Pasture Products has been guided by a simple commitment: to create traditionally prepared food supplements with care, integrity, and respect for time-honored practices.
As we celebrate 23 years this June, we find ourselves reflecting on a journey that began long before Green Pasture became a company. What started with a family, a farm, and a willingness to learn has grown into something shaped by many hands, many seasons, and many years of steady work.
We are deeply grateful for the people who have been part of that story. To the families who have welcomed our products into their homes, thank you. To the practitioners, educators, and customers who have shared Green Pasture with others, thank you. To those who have supported us since the early days, and to those who are just discovering us now, thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives in a small but meaningful way.
Over the past 23 years, Green Pasture has grown in many ways. Our labels have evolved, our product offerings have expanded, our team has grown, and more. Yet through every stage of that growth, the foundation has remained unchanged: a commitment to quality, responsible sourcing, traditional preparation methods, and carefully crafted whole food supplements.
That commitment was recognized in March 2012 when Dave and Barb received the Nebraska Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The recognition reflected the steady work behind the scenes and the principles that had guided them from the beginning: integrity in business, dedication to quality, and a deep respect for traditional nutrition. While meaningful, the award was less a turning point and more a reflection of what had already been taking shape: a company built slowly and intentionally, grounded in daily work and long-term conviction.
At its heart, this is a story of family, farming, perseverance, and a deep respect for traditional food practices carried forward through generations.
Where It All Started
The story began in 1999, when our family purchased a farm in Holt County, Nebraska. Over New Year’s weekend, we left Illinois and arrived in Nebraska in the early hours of January 1, 2000. It marked the beginning of a new century and an entirely new chapter of life.
We started with a small herd of Shorthorn milking cows and a great deal to learn. In those early months, we built an outdoor dairy barn, established pasture, installed fencing, and prepared for our first milking season. By June, the dairy was in operation.
Life on the farm was demanding and constantly evolving. Our family cared for the animals, managed the land, homeschooled the children, and learned the rhythms of farm life one day at a time. Looking back, those years were filled with long days, hard work, unforgettable memories, and constant learning, but also a growing appreciation for the land, the animals, and the value of working together as a family.
Those early years became the foundation for everything that followed.
The First Product: Concentrated Butter Oil
In 2001, after attending a food and farming conference in Sioux City, Iowa, at the encouragement of the late Terry Gompert (an “out-of-the-box” educator who had been a trusted guide in our early farming education) we were introduced to the work of Dr. Weston A. Price and the concept of concentrated butter oil.
The ideas resonated immediately. We had already been exploring ways to use milk from our grass-based dairy to create something meaningful, and we felt drawn to the process of developing a product inspired by traditional food practices.
Not long after that conference, we began making concentrated butter oil in our own kitchen. What started as curiosity quickly became evenings spent learning, experimenting, and refining while still tending to the daily demands of the farm.
Those early days were humbling. Product development happened alongside farm work, with cows to care for, equipment to maintain, and a constant list of responsibilities that came with rural life.
Our first labels were designed and printed at home. If they got wet, the ink would often run, a simple reminder of how small and hands-on those early systems were. We packed orders by hand and celebrated every shipment that went out the door. Despite the challenges, approximately 250 jars were shipped in the first year.
What carried those efforts forward was not scale or structure, but consistency, attention to detail, and a commitment to doing things carefully, even in the simplest conditions.
The Wetzel family in the early days on their farm.
Built Through Family Work and Sacrifice
Those early farm years shaped Green Pasture into what it is today. Each member of the family had a role to play. Some helped bring cows to and from pasture, others assisted with milking, and others supported daily life in the kitchen and around the farm. The schedule was demanding, especially during milking seasons, and many summer moments were set aside for the work of the farm.
There were long nights spent walking cows under open skies, calves born in the cold of early spring snow, and seasons where resources were stretched thin. Through it all, the work continued. As this was built, we worked hard… some would say too hard!
What remained constant was a shared sense of purpose. We were building something from the ground up, not for convenience or quick return, but because we believed in the direction we were moving and the work itself.
Growing Beyond the Farm
Over time, the combined demands of farming, manufacturing, sales, marketing, homeschooling, and family life became more than could be sustained all at once. After careful reflection, the family recognized that one part of the operation they no longer needed to manage directly was milking the cows.
Letting go of that chapter was not an easy decision, but it marked an important turning point in the evolution of Green Pasture Products and opened the door to the next phase of the journey.
As the company grew, Green Pasture began seeking partners who shared a respect for grass-based farming and traditional dairy practices. That search eventually led to a partnership in Argentina, where the climate, pasture conditions, and farming traditions closely aligned with the values the company had been built upon.
This transition reflected a broader theme in the Green Pasture story, learning what to maintain, what to adapt, and how to continue moving the mission forward without losing its original foundation.
In more recent years, global supply chain challenges created another opportunity to adjust sourcing. Green Pasture has since transitioned to a domestic butter supply, partnering with a creamery located in the rolling hills of the Midwest.
The Addition of Fermented Cod Liver Oil
As Green Pasture Products continued to grow, so did the product line. One of the most significant additions was Fermented Cod Liver Oil.
Development began around 2007, guided by interest in traditional approaches to handling cod livers and historical references to preparation methods used prior to modern industrial processing. The early years were focused on research, formulation, and quality evaluation before the product was introduced to the market.
Fermented Cod Liver Oil was developed using small-batch production methods with close attention to each stage of preparation and ongoing third-party testing.
As the product evolved, flavor development became part of the process, with the goal of offering options that supported regular use while maintaining product integrity. Early profiles included Orange and Mint, with additional variations explored over time. Feedback sessions and informal tastings were held within community settings, including Weston A. Price Foundation chapter meetings.
One cinnamon flavor profile, developed through customer input, remains a long-standing option today. Family members also participated in early feedback, including the Wetzel children, who contributed to testing and evaluation of flavor variations.
Skate Liver Oil and Our Product Line Today
From there, additional product lines developed as sourcing relationships expanded. During early sourcing efforts, Dave developed a relationship with a fish scientist who introduced connections to cod liver sources in Alaska, as well as historical references to skate liver oil in certain regions.
With that insight, Fermented Skate Liver Oil was added when supply allowed. Availability of raw materials continued to guide production.
Blended products were also developed, inspired by historical references to the use of cod liver oil alongside traditional fats. Fermented Cod Liver Oil and Concentrated Butter Oil were offered in blended formats for convenience, while individual oils remained available for those who preferred them separately. Today, Green Pasture offers blended capsules as well as gel formats in unflavored, cinnamon, and chocolate varieties.
As Fermented Cod Liver Oil was being developed, historical references to topical use of fish oils were also explored. Over time, this led to consideration of how these ingredients could be incorporated into personal care formulations.
Within our own experience, the oils were also used in practical ways, which contributed further to this interest in external applications.
Through connections within the Weston A. Price Foundation community, we partnered with Vintage Traditions to develop balms featuring Fermented Cod Liver Oil, Fermented Skate Liver Oil, and Concentrated Butter Oil combined with essential oils to create balanced aromatic profiles.
The Beauty Bars originated from an internal employee initiative exploring alternatives to conventional shampoo formulations using simple ingredients. Following early experimentation and informal feedback, the concept was developed and introduced in two natural scent options: Lemon and Eucalyptus Mint.
During the years of operating the dairy farm, raw milk had been applied to pasture land as part of broader land management practices. Later, we became interested in whether fermentation byproducts from cod and skate liver oil production could also be incorporated into soil applications.
To explore this further, the fermentation byproduct was combined with additional organic inputs such as molasses and water, resulting in the development of Soil Rescue.
What Has Stayed the Same
Even as Green Pasture Products has grown and evolved over the years, the foundation of the company has remained consistent.
- We are committed to quality. Our products undergo third-party testing throughout multiple stages of production to support food safety and product integrity.
- We continue to use traditional preparation methods and single-batch production. Our Fermented Cod and Skate Liver Oils are produced using traditional fermentation methods, reflecting historical approaches to preparation. Our Concentrated Butter Oil is made using a gentle centrifugation process.
- We maintain high standards for responsible sourcing. We hold Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for our Fermented Cod Liver Oil and continue to work with partners who align with our sourcing principles.
- We do not add synthetic nutrients. Our products are made using carefully selected whole food ingredients.
At the center of everything we do is a commitment to creating products we would feel confident sharing with our own families, a principle that has guided Green Pasture from the very beginning.
Looking Ahead with Gratitude
As we celebrate 23 years of Green Pasture Products, we are filled with gratitude.
Gratitude for the early years that shaped us. Gratitude for the customers who believed in traditional whole food supplements long before they were widely understood, and for those who are just discovering them today. Gratitude for the families, practitioners, educators, and loyal customers who have shared Green Pasture with others over the years. And gratitude for the opportunity to continue this work.
The Green Pasture story has always been rooted in family, farming, entrepreneurship, and a commitment to honoring traditional practices through carefully prepared whole food products. As we look to the future, that commitment remains steady.
This year, there are a few new developments beginning to take shape, including the possibility of new additions to the Green Pasture family and meaningful collaborations that we look forward to sharing when the time is right.
We invite you to join our newsletter to stay connected and be among the first to hear what’s ahead.
Above all, we remain committed to the same principles that have guided Green Pasture for the past 23 years. Those principles continue to guide every decision we make as we move forward into the next chapter.
Thank you for being part of our story. Here’s to 23 years of Green Pasture and to the years still ahead.
Shirley Bauman says:
Congratulations! I’ve been buying cod liver oil from you, almost since the beginning I think! Keep doing what you are doing! I really appreciate all of you!
Green Pasture says:
Thank you so much for your support and loyalty over the years! We’re incredibly grateful to have customers like you as part of the Green Pasture family.