The Lifestyle Farmers

Farmer's with a passion for producing great produce and the Hinchinbrook Way of life

On a small patch of land overlooking the stunning Hinchinbrook Island, the Cordner family proudly raise the Australian award winning Sommerlad chickens for sale to local customers, restaurants and selected retail outlets. 

These birds are free to roam on mixed pastures, protected by their ever reliable team of Maremma livestock guardian dogs. They are also proud sugar cane farmers, with cane and poultry production fully integrated. By following holistic farming practices Bellasato Farm is focused on farming systems of health and resilience, from soil and animal health, to improved water quality outcomes for the nearby Great Barrier Reef.

Sommerlad chickens

The Sommerlad chicken is very unique in the Australian marketplace, developed over many years by Michael Sommerlad in Tenterfield NSW. They are a truly differentiated table bird, reminiscent of the quality of 'Poulet de Bresse' of France. The unique generics of Sommerlad poultry result in slower growth and active foraging ability. Combined with traditional free range pasture rearing, and whole grain feeding, Sommerlad chicken is unlike any other available in this country.

Bellasato Farm's Sommerlad chickens are selected for the table between 10 and 14 weeks of age, (where as standard supermarket chicken is processed at 5-7 weeks of age), and processed right there on their farm. Their naturally slow growth rate allows their organs, muscles and bones to grow in harmony, and their longer outdoor life allows them time to develop intramuscular fat, and nutrient dense meat, with outstanding texture and flavour.