These humble Sunshine Coast butchers have become unlikely social media stars for their personable meat tips and tricks and giving consumers greater insight into the industry.
From the best cuts to use in a casserole to how to easily debone a chook, Sunshine Coast Organic Meats is making a name for itself on Facebook and Tik Tok.
Known online as ‘The Organic Butchers’, the videos featuring butchers, including apprentice Korby Davis, are being devoured by viewers.
The page has more than 9700 followers and one video on the versatility of the “underrated” lamb forequarter chop hit 36,300 likes and a staggering 385,600 views and counting.
Sunshine Coast Organic Meats owner Jono Emblin said that from a business perspective he knew the high engagement of video content as a marketing tool, but was not expecting the posts to take off the way they had.
“We try and get a few of the staff involved where there is interest and put a bit of personality out there,” Mr Emblin said.
“We thought we’d try out Tik Tok to spread it out a bit.
“I think it’s a bit of a personality thing. I think people want that information or being told things they may not have known about different cuts of meat.”
Sunshine Coast Organic Meats has also enjoyed success from its popular Meet the Farmers video, which has tallied up more than 9000 views since it was posted to Facebook in January.
The video gives viewers a chance to meet Shane Elliot, an organic farmer from Jackson in southwest Queensland, who is the main supplier for the Forest Glen butcher shop.
Mr Emblin said this paddock to plate content was able to give his customers a real connection to where their food came from.
“The best way to tell (the farmer’s) story is to say here’s Shane, here’s his story.
“When you see that farmer speaking on his farm it creates that providence that people want to have these days.
“It gives people a sense of ownership and people come in a go ‘I want Shane’s meat’.
“People can identify with the farmer and that’s the sort of connection you want people to have.”
While Mr Emblin and his business partner Chris Amies have owned Sunshine Coast Organic Meats for nearly six years, the popular butcher shop has been on the Coast for more than 25 years and was a pioneer in Queensland’s organic meat industry.
The store sources whole, pasture-raised livestock directly from a handful of certified organic and free-range Queensland farms.
Mr Emblin said this gave the brand a unique food offering and created a more sustainable “nose to tail” cycle with less waste and less of a need to purchase prime cuts.
Excess trim is then used in its range of pet food under the brand Bella and Boots. The signature, organic blend was created in consultation with Dr Renee O’Duhring from Our Holistic Vets at Forest Glen.
“It is the most nutritionally dense pet food you could imagine,” Mr Emblin said.
“Because we buy whole bodies from our farmers, you only get two eye fillets and two rumps and you get a lot of trim. A lot of that trim can go into pet food.
“If we can move more of that beef trim then we can buy more whole bodies, which means we have to buy less prime cuts.
“It’s a wonderful nose to tail story.”
Hoping to continue providing organic food to as many households and four-legged-friends and possible, Sunshine Coast Organic Meats offer online orders across the region and courier deliveries into Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and sells a range of chef-made ready meals.
The store is in Kunara Marketplace at 330 Mons Road, Forest Glen, and for more information you can go to: sunshinecoastorganicmeats.com.au
See Lee on the lamb BBQ chop:
See Korby talking about beef brisket:
