Win a Cow Hide Rug with Provenance!
Although home furnishings may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of an ethical meat company, utilising cow hides is an important part of Provenir’s zero-waste approach. This philosophy comes in response to the issue of waste in the commercial Australian meat processing industry, as well as respect for the animals that are integral to Provenir’s livelihood – ensuring that everything is celebrated and nothing is wasted. Each beautiful, completely unique cowhide that Provenir offers is carefully processed with the wellbeing of the animal as the focus before being finished and cured ready for use by a local artisan tanner.
Provenir are giving one lucky person the chance to win a cow hide rug, valued at $1,500. To be in the running, simply purchase any of our delicious grass-fed beef on the Provenir website between Wednesday 25th of May and Friday 17th of June 2022.
Once you’ve made your purchase, hold on to the card in your box (we recommend sticking it on the fridge!), which contains your unique entry code. Then stay tuned for further information on how to check whether your code is the lucky winner!
What makes a Provenir cowhide rug special?
Like Provenir meat cuts, each cow hide can be traced back to the farm on which it was produced via a QR code imprinted on the underside of the hide. Through our farmer profiles you can learn about the farming practices that raised each unique hide and can rest assured that the animal was raised and treated humanely and ethically from start to finish.
After being processed on-farm, Provenir hides are skillfully tanned at Greenhalgh Tannery near Ballarat. Greenhalgh’s Tannery is a family-owned and operated tanning business that has been in operation for more than 140 years. This traditional a vegetable-based tanning operation is one of few left in Australia – an artisan craft that is unfortunately becoming scarce in the wake of new, faster chemical alternatives.
Vegetable-based tanning means that wattle bark, rather than chemicals, is used to give the hide its preservative and pliable properties. This traditional process requires a lot of skill, knowledge and time – it takes over three months to complete the hide tanning process, as opposed to the short 72-hour process of chemical tanning. These age-old techniques are much slower, but the end result is an exceptional quality hide that is environmentally friendly and produced with care and attention to detail. We think that this fits in well with Provenir’s values and ideologies.
Australian made cowhide rugs
Cow hide rugs are a popular, long-wearing floor furnishing and can be found in many homes around Australia. While they are also available for purchase in many homewares stores, things aren’t always as they seem. Upon further investigation, most of these aren’t Australian cow hide rugs at all, but are instead imports from other countries such as Brazil. Given that a huge amount of beef cattle that are processed in Australia on any given day, it’s strange to think that these hides are not locally made. So what happens to Australian cow hide? Unfortunately, most is under-utilised to say the least.
How do I purchase a Provenir cow hide?
Provenir Hides with Provenance can be purchased at the online store in a range of unique colours and shapes.
How long do cowhide rugs last for?
Cow hide is an incredibly tough natural material and is also consequently used to make many leather goods such as shoes, bags, straps and furniture coverings. Consequently, cow hide rugs are hard wearing and last for many years depending on the amount of use and how well they are cared for. Over time some parts of the fur may show signs of wear, particularly if the rug is regularly walked on, however it’s not uncommon for hides to last for over twenty years and still be in perfect condition.
How to care for a cowhide rug
Cowhide rugs are hypoallergenic and shouldn’t require regular vacuuming (a bang outside to shake off any dust usually does the trick), however they can be vacuumed as required. We recommend vacuuming in the same direction that the hair lies to avoid any damage to the rug.
If anything is spilt on the rug it will seldom infiltrate deep into the rug’s fibre, so can usually be simply wiped off with a damp cloth. This same method can be applied for any dirty marks and a mixture of shampoo and water can be used for any stubborn marks or stains. It’s also safe to use a steam cleaner on your rug. After any cleaning we recommend hanging the cowhide outside in the sun to make sure that it dries completely.
A soft bristled brush can also be incorporated into your rug cleaning methods and may be particularly useful in removing other spills, particularly food. As with vacuuming, we recommend working in the same direction as the hair but you don’t need to be too cautious – they’re very tough!
Cow hide rugs are truly beautiful and deserve to be treated with care, especially if you want to keep them in top condition. We recommend placing your rug in a ‘shoes off’ part of the house – frequent walking in shoes will make your rug dirty and will also cause it to wear much faster.
More about Provenir’s zero-waste approach
Zero waste is the goal of every animal processed at Provenir’s mobile abattoir and on farm butcher. Ensuring that every part of the animal is utilised requires cross-over into many other products. While we utilise a diverse range of cuts and products in our own online butcher store we also partner with other businesses to produce beef jerky, health supplements and dog treats to name a few.
Purchase a Provenir Grass Fed Meat Pack to be in the running
Purchase our grass-fed and free-range beef before the 17th of June 2022 to be in the running. See more information along with full terms and conditions at the Win a Hide Competition Page.
The Provenir Six Star Promise
Provenir allows consumers to buy the best quality, highest welfare beef direct from the farmer. We proudly deliver a six star promise;
Highest welfare meat
Provenir farmers utilise low stress handling techniques and raise their livestock on open pastures within a familiar herd structure; allowing the animals to express their natural character.
On-farm processed
Instead of the livestock being transported, the abattoir comes to the farm. This eliminates the unnecessary stress on animals associated with live transport – the process is slow, calm and kind. Less stress means less adrenalin produced, and thus more retained glycogen stores in the meat, leading to exceptional eating quality, taste and tenderness.
Full traceability & true provenance
Provenir oversees the whole meat production process from purchasing livestock on farm direct from our partnering farmers, to the on-farm processing, to our butchery and delivery to your door. By processing on-farm and utilising the latest in digital traceability technology we are able provide full transparency and guaranteed provenance – scan the QR code on each Provenir meat product to learn more about the farm on which it was grown.
Grass-fed & free range
Provenir partners with farmers who raise their livestock free range, grass-fed and grass-finished This means that the animals are fed on natural grasses, pasture, hay or silage, not in a feedlot.
Exceptional eating quality
Our on-farm process and artisan butchery techniques ensures that the quality of the meat is retained and maximised throughout the whole process.
No and hormones, herd antibiotics or intensive feedlots
Provenir farmers raise their livestock naturally: they do not feedlot, nor do they use hormones, growth promotants or herd antibiotics.
How to Purchase Provenir
If you do care about animal welfare, and of course great tasting, high quality meat, visit the Provenir online butcher shop now and find out for yourself why people are trusting Provenir. Provenir enables a connection between you and the farmer, via a unique QR code on each meat pack, that tells you the entire paddock to plate story behind each cut of meat online.
You can also keep up to date with Provenir news by signing up to the Provenir newsletter.
Sign up for our Newsletter
Our Provenir newsletter is packed full of beefy farm goodness like recipes, new products, specials and more! Don’t miss out, sign up now.
Where to buy
You can have Provenir home delivered, purchase in-store, or experience it first hand at select restaurants.
Home delivered
Order online and receive Provenir beef delivered to your door.
Retail outlets
Find Provenir beef in grocery stores and butchers.
Restaurants
Experience Provenir beef cooked to perfection.
