A WALLUMBILLA family who established their own paddock to plate hamper business have set their sights on releasing a cookbook to further encourage consumers to use all cuts of meat.
Just five months ago, Craig and Bec Beissel and their children Maggie, 5, and Beau, 7, of Baiden took the plunge and began selling their own grass fed beef products.
Known as Maranoa Beef, customers can choose from one parcel and four hamper options which include a variety of different cuts and cost less per kilogram the more that is purchased.
The products are then personally delivered two weeks later by the Beissels to homes across the Maranoa, Darling Downs and south-east Queensland.
The Beissel’s run 1000 Droughtmasters and Red Brangus across three properties at Charleville and Roma and Ms Beissel said the hamper idea had come from wanting to connect more with their consumer.
“It became a dream of ours to take our product right through to the customer,” she said.
“There were a couple of reasons; one being that we wanted more control over the animal welfare all the way through the process and two being we wanted to offer top quality affordable meat direct to the customer.
“A lot of the prices in Woolies and Coles were getting very expensive and people were turning to other proteins.”
“It’s a good message rather than so much negative for the agriculture industry, let’s bring that positive message,” Craig said.
So far the Beissels have been delivering up to two carcasses of meat each week and have partnered with a Mitchell butcher who packages the products for them.
Ms Beissel said while conditions were often tough in the Maranoa it gave their meat a unique flavour.
“A lot of people who are doing the grass fed paddock to plate have the luxury perhaps of higher rainfall than what we do,” she said.
“It’s quite a feat to produce grass fed beef out here because of the conditions at times but we do believe it gives our beef a unique flavour.
“It’s a real earthy flavour and beautiful and tender.”
The family are passionate about promoting top to tail eating and are hopeful of releasing a cookbook this year with recipes for customers to better utilise the often avoided cuts.
“We want to expand that a lot more this year through helping people to learn how to cook the other cuts and to educate them that they are all premium cuts, you just don’t have the premium steaks and then the lesser cuts,” Ms Beissel said.
“They are all from a grass fed beautifully loved animal, you just need to change the way you cook with it and it tastes beautiful.”