Sidonia Hills stays local

Sixth generation farmer and farm manager at Sidonia Hills Sam White said this means a holistic management method, both on-farm and at the farmgate.

One of six White siblings, all of who are involved on-farm, Sam and father Frank manage the day-to-day running of Sidonia Hills' 300-head herd of Angus and Charolais cattle.

Sister Danielle takes over once the beef leaves the farm, which includes stocking their produce fridges at Duck Duck Goose & Larder – a Kyneton retail outlet stocking all local fare.

The White family sell an entire carcase, averaging 240kg, at the local store, before sending another one to slaughter, meaning all parts of the animal are utilised.

"It is a nose-to-tail concept, with any meat not sold in the store used in the café section for items such as pies," Danielle said.

Local Kyneton chef and restaurateur Tim Foster of Annie Smithers Bistro also uses Sidonia Hills beef, serving it almost exclusively.

And with each animal being butchered in Kyneton, Sidonia Hills pasture-grazed prime beef has a truly local philosophy.

The idea for Sidonia Hills Natural Beef was first raised in 2009, and after much research into cuts, weight and age, as well as taste-testing with chefs, the brand was launched.

Having previously sold weaners into the store market, Danielle said it was frustrating not knowing where their produce was going.

"Some of our cattle were being purchased for export overseas, but you couldn't buy the meat here locally, which just seemed absurd," she said.

"Selling and buying local has become a priority for many reasons, including a connection to the area and support for the local economy.

"Mass production has been driving consumerism, how do we turn it around to focus on a local, small scale, but still a quality, product.

"While a majority of our stock still go through the saleyards, our goal is for all animals to be sold within 100 kilometres of the farm."

Currently about one beast a fortnight, between 24 and 30 a year, are processed for sale within the Kyneton outlets.

The White family have been on Sidonia Hills for 90 years, and in the region since the late 1800s, and Danielle said customers were starting to trust their knowledge and that the beef was truly local.

"We are aiming for quality rather than quantity, and we need to align with customers before wasting product that doesn't sell," she said.

"It is a very local, nutrient dense, high protein food - not just the prime cuts but all of the animal.

"It looks and tastes like beef used to - that is the comment we get all the time from our customers.

"People want our beef because of our philosophy, as well as the taste."