Bitsy the goat and Big Mac the cow at Twin Farms lounging on a bed of hay and wood shavings (Photos courtesy of Bianca Greer)
A rising entrepreneur is bringing a unique experience for all ages to the Columbia area.
Twin Farms Mobile Petting Zoo is Bianca Greer’s newest baby. The California native’s growing business and 6-month-old twins, the company’s namesake, have her full-time dedication – and her outpouring of love.
“I thought, ‘Well, people always wanna come play with the animal – Why not turn that into something?’” Greer said. “So that’s kind of how the idea was born one day, walking through the pasture.”
She makes her animals available for birthday parties, celebrations, local events and more. Her most recent event was at Wittenberg Lutheran Preschool in Batesburg-Leesville. Who wouldn’t want to pet a farm animal at school?
Since starting in January, Greer has relied on “Facebook, word of mouth and hitting the streets” to promote the business.
She began getting the word out in November and now is booked almost fully through May.
“I’d rather be outside mucking horse stalls than be on social media,” Greer said. “At first, I was hitting it the old-fashioned way, and I printed out business cards and flyers. … I was actually bringing my goat or my pig to local pet stores and just sitting outside, walking around, talking to people.”
An animal lover her whole life, Greer said the mobile petting zoo is home to animals she has rescued from different living situations: goats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, a cow and a pig.
“Ethically, I’m a lot happier with rescuing everything, and it’s more cost-efficient for me,” Greer said.
The business brings trials as well as successes. Having to house, feed and transport her animals isn’t cheap.
Shortly before having her twins, Greer faced health issues that reduced her household to a single income. This made becoming a first-time business owner only that much more challenging.
Greer said it would be nice to have “six more arms.”
Still, she said she feels “pretty blessed” with the startup and the experience she’s gaining.
For the greater Midlands area, this is an opportunity for animal education as well as a fun outdoor activity.
There is no shortage of reasons for having a mobile petting zoo at an event.
Ashton Smith’s boyfriend gave her a surprise visit from Twin Farms just because he knew how much Smith wanted to have a baby cow of her own.
“I came home one day, and I’ll be if there wasn’t a baby cow and a baby goat in my front yard,” Smith said. “It was literally the best day ever.”
Smith said Greer made the whole occasion fun with her easygoing personality.
She said it was obvious how passionate Greer is about her business.
Susan Bennett has grown to know Greer as a friend and fellow rescuer.
“She just wants to educate children, especially by doing these birthday parties and going out to meet with educators about animal welfare and animal care,” Bennett said. “I’m excited for her. She’s … doing something that she loves.”
Her advice for other entrepreneurs is to not take anyone’s doubts to heart.
“It’s attainable if you’re willing to put the work in,” Greer said. “It’s a 100% doable, and it’s super easy to get overwhelmed. But you just set one goal at a time.”
Twin Farms at an event Greer set up with Big Mac the cow, Bitsy the goat and Petunia the pig in pens with their hay bedding
Young Bianca Greer, age 4, riding a pony at a petting zoo when her love of animals was only beginning
Silver the white mini-horse wearing a unicorn horn and a rainbow multicolored mane
ABOUT THE JOURNALISTS
Abby Foncannon
Foncannon is a senior journalism major and business administration minor at the University of South Carolina. A military brat, Foncannon has spent her life traveling and looks to continue that in her career. She is interested in humanitarian issues and being a catalyst for difficult conversations. She focuses on localizing national issues so the community can see the direct effects.
Grace Brown
Brown is a senior journalism major and Spanish minor at the University of South Carolina. She is from Charleston, S.C. Last year, she wrote columns for the opinion section of the student-run Daily Gamecock. She plans to expand her reporting work to include more long-form stories about social and environmental topics and eventually wants to explore as much of the world as she can with travel journalism.
