Producing soap from heritage pigs is helping Andrew Hearne clean up at the markets.

He is producing a lemon-myrtle scented soap based on the fat from his slaughtered pigs.

They are raised on his farm near Pappinbarra west of Wauchope on the New South Wales mid north coast.

It is part of his determination to not waste one part of his porkers.

"It's one way of us completing nose to tail ethos," Mr Hearne said.

"Nothing is wasted. The whole animal is used."

Partnership yields results

The soap is produced in partnership with a former butcher, Grace Steven, who has an Italian background, and spent many a day with her family making soap based on her grandmother's expertise.

Ms Steven, who is based at Camden, south of Sydney, has sheathed her knives and now makes products such as soap.

"Andrew is a bit of a hero of mine. I love what he does," she said.

"Knowing that he was butchering his pigs it seemed a natural medium to play with."

The heritage pigs at Andrew Hearne's property forage throughout the farm. ( Supplied: Andrew Hearne )

After Mr Hearne's pigs are processed and the meat packed for sale, the fat comes back to him and is rendered and then sent to Ms Steven.

From one pig, aged six months, approximately one hundred blocks of soap each weighing 120 grams are produced.

The finished product is very different to the soap that Ms Steven experienced in her childhood courtesy of her grandmother.

"It wasn't that great a product. It cleaned clothes perfectly, but I daresay their hands were pretty dry," she said.

And you could eat it

The present process results in glycerine "one of the great unsung heroes of hand-made soap" being produced.

She said this was not retained in many of the mass-produced soaps, instead used in moisturising products.

Apart from the glycerine and lemon-myrtle, coconut milk is used giving it a "luscious, creamy" texture.

"It is a 100 per cent edible. If you don't like washing in it, yes you can eat it," Mr Hearne said.

"It is very creamy and it lathers up very well."

In the pork business, with soap on the side

Apart from supplying his pork to some of Sydney's upmarket eateries, Mr Hearne enjoys good sales at the Bondi markets.

The soap has been met with mixed responses.

"People love the scent. They'll pick it up and smell it. Others say, 'I wouldn't wash in that. I wouldn't feel clean,'" Mr Hearne said.

"Then you get to explain to them where lard comes from and how soap used to be made."

Despite the interest, and using lemon myrtle as part of wanting to utilise all of his pigs, Mr Hearne is primarily a farmer.

"We're actually in the pork business, we are not going to diversity and create a range of soaps."

So for the time being it is unlikely there will be a silk purse made out of one of his sow's ears.