Australia's goat industry is enjoying a renaissance, but the lean red meat remains barely visible on dinner tables across Australia.
Only 9 per cent of goat meat produced in Australia is consumed here, while exports are booming.
Queensland goat producers Keeleigh and Brian Allport are on a mission to turn around sluggish consumer awareness.
The couple purchased their first mob of goats in 2018 to help clear unproductive land on their property at Moonie on the Western Downs.
Within three years they had started their own brand and pivoted their business to focus on goat production for the domestic market.
"We always wanted to do something in the beef industry," Mrs Allport said.
"But we felt it was overly saturated and that's where we had this opportunity with goats and we thought, 'let's give it a go and see where it takes us'."
The couple started off by sending 30 goats a week to a processor in the Brisbane Valley, which supplies butchers and small supermarkets with their goat meat.
Within four years, business had increased 16-fold and by this October, the Allports will be sending 500 head a week.
They have almost completely vertically integrated the business from their own cold chain, stock crates and cold trucks to run a paddock-to-plate operation.
"We found that if we had control over the complete supply chain, that would put us in a better position to leverage those value-add opportunities," Mrs Allport said.
"Every decision we make, every cog in our wheel needs to be something closer to the processor and the consumer.
Why choose goat meat?
In years gone by, goat meat was a more regular staple in the Australian diet because it was more affordable and accessible, but it has dropped off the radar.
Chef and TV presenter Ed 'Fast Ed' Halmagyi explains there are two key reasons why we rarely see goat meat in supermarkets anymore.
"The beef and lamb industries have done so well in increasing production that we've developed more affection there," Mr Halmagyi said.
"[We've] lost that sensibility of how to cook it and cook it well. So now, it's not so much that they don't like it, but they don't understand it."
He said goat meat was regarded as leaner, healthier and more flavoursome than other red meats like lamb and beef when prepared properly.
"For stewing, curries, casseroles, there is nothing that will compete with it for flavour and texture and tenderness," Mr Halmagyi said.
"It's amazing stuff."
Mr Halmagyi said encouraging more people to eat goat meat could be compared to the chicken and the egg paradox.
"If you don't range it, people won't buy it," he said.
"If you want to see more goat meat out there, go and buy it at your local butcher … that will eventually progress through to supermarkets."
A growing industry
Australia's goat industry is relatively small, despite being the world's largest exporter, with a 27 per cent value share in global exports.
More than 1 million goats were processed across Australia in 2021, up 42 per cent on the year before.
It is a similar story for goat meat production, which grew by 34 per cent in 2021, totalling 20,847 tonnes carcass weight.
The industry's relatively low consumer awareness and access has been a big limiting factor in the growth of the domestic market, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).
Joe Gebbels, program manager for sheep and goat research and development for MLA, said despite the domestic market being a relatively small part of the overall market, it was a big money earner.
"This year it's probably looking at being worth about $20 to $25 million," Mr Gebbels said.
Mr Gebbels said with the good seasons and the fast-breeding nature of goats, the industry would likely see further rapid growth in the coming years.
"We saw about a 35-per-cent growth in numbers between 2020 and 2021 off the back of those improved conditions, particularly in Queensland and New South Wales," he said.
