Our Story
My aim is to source for you high quality fresh naturally grown protien direct from farmers. To show you the source, and all the steps in between, so you understand where and why we do what we do.
If you choose us great!
If you dont that's ok too. I know we are not for everyone.
But in my mind, at least you made an informed decision, with honest information - and that is far more than most of the food industry gives consumers.
This is our story...
We begin in 1983, when our family purchased a 3500 acre farm 'Blue Hills' at Barraba in North West, NSW.
As kids my sister and I grew up in true country fashion; collecting our own eggs, weeding our own vegie garden, milking the cow, and producing our own meat. We thought nothing of how lucky we were to have a back yard so big, so many animals to play with and especially the healthy nutritious produce.
My passion started here, and is rooted in sourcing and eating fresh nutritious food. I grew up with this as my first option and when I came to live in the city I couldnt believe what consumers accept as 'fresh' or 'quality' purely because they have been removed from the food system by the industry itself.
Mission
The Free Range Butcher delivers grass fed and organic meat from farmers who regenerate their environment, nurturing our customers and the land.
We will become the first choice of discerning conscious consumers for premium quality, naturally grown fresh meat across our delivery areas.
Vision
We are the Premium Online Butcher with an extensive range of the Finest Quality Grass Fed and Organic Produce. We are the conduit between the Ethical Food Producer and the Conscious Consumer-helping fill the Void of Information while Reconnecting Families to their Food Source
The idea of selling our produce had been in the embryonic stages for some years, however the catalyst for beginning to commercially sell our meat products came after eating a non-descript grain fed steak at one of Sydney’s best restaurants. For our mind, we had better steak sitting in our fridge at home.
With two generations of farming knowledge behind us, we began formally selling our products in 2008. Our mission was to produce products which were Ethical, Sustainable, and Traceable. This initial simple mission continues to guide us today.
With a belief that there was a market for our meat products, and after researching the market, we commenced by selling our produce at two farmers markets in Sydney. Within a few months we had expanded into five farmers markets in Sydney and begun also offering an online ordering / home delivery service.
Initially our meat was processed in our local town of Barraba, however as the business grew and the logistics became cumbersome, we moved to Sydney and purchased a shop (later sold) in Pennant Hills and took a lease on a warehouse on the Northern Beaches to house the market equipment and trucks. We grew to operate at over 36 farmers markets a month and deliver homes from Newcastle to Wollongong and west to the Blue Mountains.
After outgrowing and selling the butcher shop in Pennant Hills, we took on a lease in a larger boning room at West Gosford on the Central Coast. We worked there until 2018 and then moved into a larger facility at Somersby, which was newer and closer to the freeway.
We realized many years ago that it was unrealistic for us to supply our own farm for the entire year, especially in drought conditions. So, since 2010 we have been sourcing animals from other farmers with the same ethos as ours. We buy direct from farmers wherever possible and use abattoirs both in the north and central part of NSW. This strategy ensures that we can have a firm supply in all seasons and in dry conditions.
2020 was a defining year for many people, and after the break from the drought and a great comeback season, the farm was looking great...we, after much deliberation, decided to sell the farm. My parents were well in desperate need of retirement and a long rest; they had earned it. The drought had hurt them emotionally as well as financially.
So, the farm ‘Blue Hills’ that we grew up on and loved as a family, was sold in November 2020.
Whilst Alison and I wanted to take on the farm, we decided that with our current business situation, the distance, available local labor (or lack of) and our ability to manage the farm from afar, was too great a risk.
With the lockdown and indecision in early 2020, we rationalized and reduced the size of the business-we were very fortunate in timings and didn’t renew our lease at the Mona Vale warehouse. We then reduced our number of farmers' markets and outsourced our deliveries for internet orders.
COVID was hectic to say the least, with that finished and the markets opening again we resumed at only 20 markets a month which made much better sense to our business.
In 2022 we took a sublease on cold room at Mona vale and changed couriers to a higher cost but better service local beaches operator. This gave us the ability to offer next day delivery and future same day delivery to Sydney metro.
In 2025 we expanded again and created a Distribution HQ warehouse at Warriewood on the Northern Beaches. We built cold rooms and offices and now operate all our Farmers Markets and online distribution from there.
In 2026 our goals are
- Double our home delivery orders within our current delivery areas.
- Offer same day delivery to the Northern Beaches and North shore.
- Opening both our warehouses to Click and Collect
- Open weekly retail ‘market days’ from each location each week.
For me this is still a passion that wakes me up every morning. To have the privilege of sourcing product direct from farmers and to be able to produce quality fresh meat and get it into your home as quick as possible with the least amount of inputs drives our team each day. Tanks for your time in reading about how we got here.
Hope to meet you at one of our markets soon!
If you have questions please drop me a line at ben@freerangebutcher.com.au
Ben Clinch
Founder
The Free Range Butcher