General News
17 April, 2023
COVID-inspired move home leads locals to serve up sustainable meat practices
An overwhelming desire to get back on the land is what led Lachlan and Sophie Cameron to start their own paddock to plate business and just nine months in, Percydale Farm is already turning heads. The husband-wife duo’s goal of establishing their...
An overwhelming desire to get back on the land is what led Lachlan and Sophie Cameron to start their own paddock to plate business and just nine months in, Percydale Farm is already turning heads.
The husband-wife duo’s goal of establishing their own farm was born during COVID lockdown in 2020, which led them to re-evaluate life and relocate from Bendigo back home to the Maryborough area.
An initial herd of 40 Australian White sheep, known as the Wagyu of lamb for their eating quality, was initially planned to be for the Cameron’s own consumption and as the flock grew, so too did the paddock to plate idea.
“Our initial goals were based on producing the most nutritional lamb possible for our own consumption, but as our flock started to grow we couldn’t keep up with eating our own lamb,” fifth generation farmer Lachlan said.
“We sold lamb in the general livestock market, but that didn’t feel right not knowing where the lambs were going or not being recognised for their superior taste and how they were raised.
“We wanted our sheep to be honoured by consumers who love eating the best quality lamb and who genuinely care about what they eat.
“We investigated alternative markets and sold through a brand that sells direct to the public, and that is where the concept was born to tell our own story and sell our own lamb direct, paddock to plate.”
Following a business model of using the whole animal and reducing waste, the couple sold their first lamb products as Percydale Farm in June last year and have been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received.
“We’ve had people reach out to us and say they’ve gone through all the lamb in a week and we pack the boxes to last around a month, so that’s probably the best feedback you could hope to get,” Sophie said.
“The support is amazing from the community, we’ve come a long way in our nine months of selling paddock to plate and are continually learning and refining our offerings.
“Like most small businesses, you have to wear many hats. We are farmers, which is no easy job, but we’re also looking after customer relations, quality control, deliveries, accounts and marketing — we’re learning as we go and enjoying the process.”
Percydale Farm offers its paddock to plate lamb service monthly with free delivery in west Melbourne and central Victoria, including to Maryborough, Ararat, Bendigo, Ballarat and everywhere in between.
Lamb products are packaged in a variety of sizes to suit individual needs, with options including a couple’s box, family box and mega box, each of which can be tailored.
While returning to the farm presented a change of pace from the usual 9-5 working day for Lachlan and Sophie, it also meant a lifestyle change for their daughter and little helper Ellena, and their new sidekick on the way.
“While running a small business with so many moving parts comes with its challenges, farming gives us so much more in return,” Sophie said.
“While pregnant with our first we really started to think about how we wanted to spend our days and what life experiences we wanted for our children. Not just in the form of a few times a year, but weekly.
“We talked about how much we loved growing up on farms in central Victoria ourselves and how important it was to provide a similar experience for our children.
“Farming is something productive and outdoors that we can all do together, teaching responsibility, animal compassion, environment management and how food is grown. With the bonus of being able to produce fresh quality food for our family.”
Moving forward, the Camerons are looking to expand their operation to supply local restaurants and cafés with locally produced lamb products.
“We love delivering lamb to our local community, friends and family and we would love to extend relationships with central Victorian cafes and restaurants to get quality, locally grown lamb back on the menu and a key feature,” Lachlan said.
“We are already dabbling with this after one of our loyal lamb box customers Hannah, who owns the cafe Fred & Bets in Ararat, loved our lamb for her family so much that she has since started filtering it through her businesses menu with great success.”
For more information on Percydale Farm and to support local, head to their new website at www.percydalefarm.com.au, search Percydale Farm on Facebook or call Lachlan on 0429 014 716.
