Why is Provenir a better choice?
Provenir is better for the livestock, the farmers and consumers.
Our on-farm processing removes the need for livestock to experience the stress associated with transportation to an abattoir.
The final days are the most critical in ensuring that the quality of meat is maximised and the welfare maintained. While mobile on-farm processing is at the heart of our operation, it is not the only reason our meat is better.
We partner with farmers practising high welfare, traditional practices to produce top quality, grass-fed cattle and sheep. The meat is processed in our own artisan butchery utilising a combination of traditional butchery and advanced techniques of chilling and hanging in order to maximize quality. Our process respects the life of the animal and values the quality of the meat throughout the whole process.What is artisan butchery?
Artisan butchery is the time-honoured care, skill and craftsmanship of the butcher to value the whole beast. Bringing artisan butchery into the modern context we utilise technology to incorporate proven techniques including multi-staged chilling and advanced hanging methods to maximise yield and tenderness. At Provenir we see artisan butchery as a perfect balance of traditional skills and modern technology, working together to produce exceptional quality meat and a range of cuts that you wont find in the supermarkets.
Doesn’t on-farm processing already happen?
Yes, and no. Our on-farm processing is undertaken in a licensed abattoir and butchery, enabling the meat to be sold commercially.
Our commercial operation should not to be confused with mobile (or home) butchering, which is the on-farm slaughter and butchering of a farmers livestock for their personal consumption. Depending on state based regulations, this meat must not leave the property, cannot be legally sold or even given away.
Typically, on-farm processing is undertaken by the farmer or by professional ‘on-farm butcher’, who are skilled at both the slaughter and butchery of the livestock. The ‘on-farm butcher’ will conduct the slaughter on-farm and supply a mobile cool room to hang the carcass before returning at a later date to undertake the butchery, packaging and supply of the meat to the farmer or landholder for their freezer. This process is great for animal welfare and the livestock owner, farmer and his or her family but unless you receive an invitation to the dinner table, this meat is unable to be legally obtained off property, whether as a gift or for sale.
Provenir will conduct on-farm processing in our commercially licensed abattoir, just like current fixed abattoirs, our difference is that we are mobile and therefore able to process on-farm.Is Provenir meat ethical?
We all have our own ethics and the founders of Provenir respect that what may be ethical for us, may not be ethical for you. We acknowledge that your definition may be different from ours and that is why we choose not to label our meat ethical and instead have chosen to express the processes we employ as being highest welfare. We do, however, believe in full transparency and providing you with the whole story of how our meat is produced. We hope that by providing this information you are able to make an informed decision as to whether you feel Provenir meat is right for you.
Further, the founders of Provenir believe that if we are going to eat meat, we should respect the life of the animal to the very end, never compromising animal welfare. We believe that the only way to achieve this is through mobile on-farm processing. We also believe that honouring the life of the animal by valuing the meat and eating mindfully fits within our ethics; everything else is a compromise.Are you a farm, an abattoir or a butcher shop?
At the heart of Provenir’s business is our mobile on-farm abattoir, however, we know that to produce exceptional meat the process begins on the farm and continues through into the butchery.
Provenir is not a farm, rather we partner with select passionate farmers who meet our high welfare farming criteria. Provenir purchases the stock from our partner farmers at the point of processing.
We own our own butchery and our artisan butchers utilise traditional techniques and modern technology to maximise yield, taste and tenderness to produce exceptional quality meat.
We partner with retailers, chefs and restaurants that value true provenance, high welfare and exceptional produce to supply you with Provenir meat.
One day we hope to create a closer connection with our consumers by opening a retail and online butcher shop, so that you may purchase directly from us. Until then please seek out and ask for Provenir meats at select retailers and restaurants, and register your interest to be one of the first to know when you can buy direct.Do the animals get transported?
Provenir has a requirement that all livestock have not been transported for a minimum of two months prior to processing. This ensures the livestock are calm and have adjusted to their new environment and herd following any transportation.
The majority of our farmers have their own farm breeding programs and the livestock processed by Provenir will have lived their whole life on the same farm in which they were born, and raised stress-free within their own herd. However, there may be some instances where the livestock have been transported. The first instance is that in this vast country of ours, the farm or station is so large that livestock are transported between locations within the station. This may be a better option than droving over long distances, which may cause livestock greater stress and physical exhaustion, and discomfort.
The second instance may be that some farmers specialise in raising cattle, rather than having their own breeding programs, or they may be bringing in new stock and bloodlines. In this situation, livestock may have been transported between farms before settling within their new herd.
As we are all about transparency and provenance, you can read about the practices of our farming partners which will include details of whether they supply Provenir with stock that has been transported during their life or where they were born and raised on-farm.What is the best before dates of our meat.
Best before dates vary depending on the cut of beef, packaging type and the time your meat pack takes to be delivered fresh from our butchery to your home.
The following can be used as a guide to understand how long the meat will last fresh upon delivery.
Steak – 21 days
Artisan cuts – 21 days
Roasts – 15 days
Stir-fry strips and Kebabs – 7 days
Mince beef – 7 days
Sausages – 6 days
Hamburgers – 6 daysWhat is in your sausages & hamburgers?
Sausages – Spicy Beef and Beetroot
Ingredients: Beef 82%, Beetroot, Garlic, Chilli Salt, Pepper, Parsley, natural hog casings.
Sausages – Beef
Ingredients: Beef 87%, Water, Salt, Pepper, Parsley, Preservative (223), natural hog casings.
Sausages – Beef & Herb
Ingredients: Beef 84%, Water, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Preservative (223), natural hog casings.
Hamburgers
Ingredients: Beef 87%, Water, Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Parsley, Preservative (223)Is the meat fresh or frozen?
All of your meat will arrive fresh, it has never been frozen.
Each package will have it’s own best before date to consume by if fresh.
If you want to freeze the meat do so as soon as possible. Then, defrost in the fridge overnight, once defrosted cook and consume immediately.How long is the meat aged?
Everything we do at Provenir is focused on minimising animal stress and maximising meat quality – which includes our hanging technique.
We have designed our units to enable the tender stretch method of hanging (hanging an entire half carcase from the hip joint rather than quartering the carcase and hanging from the achilles and rib cage respectively)
This technique maintains the natural form of the carcase and has been shown (by MLA research) to minimises cold shortening and maximises meat tenderness. Utilising this method of hanging means that we can achieve maximum tenderness in a shorter period of time. On average, we hang the carcase for five days and in doing so achieve outstanding taste and tenderness.How much are the shipping fees?
We are currently offering delivery throughout ACT, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria. Visit our delivery information page to see if we delivery to your area and costs.
Is the packaging environmentally friendly?
We strive to consider the environment in every aspect of our business, from working with regenerative farmers, through to the delivery of our product.
We have put much research and consideration into the best packaging currently available for Provenir meat. The number one consideration is for food safety and providing a wholesome food product. While further consideration has been had from the perspective of environmental sustainability of the raw packaging material, post consumer disposal (recyclability or composability) and also the impact packaging can have to reduce food waste.
That’s why we pack our meats using Plantic trays, and where possible we use ‘skin-pack’ packaging, which significantly increases the shelf life of the meat. We also use MAP and cryovac packaging, dependant on the cut of meat.
Plantic trays are not only recyclable, they are also made from layers of renewable corn-starch material and recycled post-consumer PET content. The trays can be washed and recycled in your curb-side recycling bin, while the film can either be left attached to the tray and put in curb-side recycling, or be washed and recycled at a REDcycle bin at one of the participating supermarkets.
Where possible we are looking to reduce our packaging and move to non plastic products, however availability of these products is limited or not 100% suitable from a food safety and shelf life / reducing food waste perspective.
We believe we have found the best packaging solution currently available but are always willing to do better if possible. If you have any suggestion of how we could provide a safe food product with good shelf life and reduce our use of plastic we would love to hear from you
Everything we do at Provenir is focused on minimising animal stress and maximising meat quality – which includes our hanging technique.
We have designed our units to enable the tender stretch method of hanging (hanging an entire half carcase from the hip joint rather than quartering the carcase and hanging from the achilles and rib cage respectively)
This technique maintains the natural form of the carcase and has been shown (by MLA research) to minimises cold shortening and maximises meat tenderness. Utilising this method of hanging means that we can achieve maximum tenderness in a shorter period of time. On average, we hang the carcase for five days and in doing so achieve outstanding taste and tenderness.
Not-So-Frequently Asked Questions
Provenir is all about transparency, but we also respect that there are some details you may not want to read as you scroll. The following questions are sometimes hard to ask, but we understand many of you want to know the full details.
We offer our not-so-frequently asked questions to those who want to know more as we believe the answers are important to know the whole story.
Can the slaughter of livestock be humane?
Yes, we believe that with correct methods, the slaughter of animals can be humane. We define ‘humane slaughter’ as death without pain, suffering or distress. The animal is instantly rendered unconscious by stunning, followed by rapid death. For cattle and lamb, this is done through bleed out, without regaining consciousness.
To ensure ‘humane slaughter’ a high level of skill is required by the operator in animal handling, correct application of stunning and killing method with well-maintained equipment. The RSPCA holds a position on the humane slaughter which can be read here.How is the animal stunned or rendered unconscious?
Cattle and sheep are stunned with a physical impact to the head utilising a captive bolt gun. This impact instantly renders the livestock unconscious and they feel no pain.
Where does the waste go?
Provenir does not consider any part of processing livestock as ‘waste’. Rather, we see it as a resource. We are currently working with one of Australia’s leading bio-fertiliser manufacturers to extract value from the ‘waste’ product in a safe and beneficial way. The bio-fertiliser is a fermented product made from the biological resource, the final product is a solution which can be used as a substitute for expensive chemical and biological fertilisers to nourish, regenerate and activate life in soils.
Is Provenir meat ethical?
We all have our own ethics and the founders of Provenir respect that what may be ethical for us, may not be ethical for you. We acknowledge that your definition may be different from ours and that is why we choose not to label our meat ethical and instead have chosen to express the processes we employ as being highest welfare. We do, however, believe in full transparency and providing you with the whole story of how our meat is produced. We hope that by providing this information you are able to make an informed decision as to whether you feel Provenir meat is right for you.
Further, the founders of Provenir believe that if we are going to eat meat, we should respect the life of the animal to the very end, never compromising animal welfare. We believe that the only way to achieve this is through mobile on-farm processing. We also believe that honouring the life of the animal by valuing the meat and eating mindfully fits within our ethics; everything else is a compromise.
