A Richmond based butchery has made a name for itself amongst the north-west collecting several accolades as a business that is still yet to hit the five year mark.
Keegan Nelson and Lorrae Johnston are the bright sparks behind Moselle Meats. A butcher shop centred on the value of providing quality meats from local paddocks directly to the plates of consumers.
A born and bred Richmond local, Keegan grew up on his family's mixed livestock property Moselle Downs located 25 kilometres east of the town.
A Longreach girl, Lorrae moved to Richmond in 2013 after meeting Keegan on a work secondment with National Australia Bank. The rest, as they say, was history.
The couple said the decision to purchase a butcher shop came following generations of life on the land, which along with the family property, had seen Keegan's parents also venture into the work of processing and delivering whole carcases to clients.
A shop front was the ultimate way forward in the pair's vision to bring the excellence of Moselle Downs lamb and beef to consumers.
Moselle Meats officially opened to the public in April 2018.
"Many hours of discussion went into the creation of Moselle Meats," Lorrae said.
"Given Keegan's strong ties to his family owned station, it seemed fitting to honour this heritage.
"It was also a tribute to the hard work and dedication of his parents in creating the ultimate in eating quality."
Four years on, the butchery offers quality beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, small goods and artisan products to consumers across the north.
The couple said the business was centred on a paddock to plate concept and consumers knowing where their food came from.
"Our unique insight into the entire supply chain allows us to guarantee we are not only delivering excellent quality products, but exceptional animal welfare too," Lorrae said.
"We want our consumers to be confident in where their food comes from and how their food comes to their table.
"We only eat the best. If we wouldn't eat it, we won't sell it."
The pair said all products sold at Moselle Meats were sourced from quality local producers and small businesses; including Moselle Downs own Charbray beef, Merino and Dorper sheep and Boer and Kalahari Red goat.
Keegan's own Charbray herd was also processed in their beef products and averaged 200 head a year of his own cattle.
"I buy so many off mum and dad a year," he said.
"I've got my own cattle, so I process as many of them as I can and there's a few local producers I also buy off.
"Generally, all the cattle comes out of this area."
As for the other meats, Keegan said they processed an average of 40 sheep and 20 goats a week into their butchery with their pork sourced from a local piggery in Charters Towers.
Product aside, Moselle Meats had since picked up numerous business accolades including Northern Outback Business Award recepients two years in a row.
The pair picked up Business of the Year, the Small and Successful category and the Rising Star award in 2020.
In 2021, they went on again to win the Small and Successful category and the People's Choice award.
The butchery also took home first place in the beef and pork categories of the Great Australian Bites sausage competition hosted by the Mount Isa City Council earlier this year.
Moselle Meats had since expanded to a team of six with the business also operating an online ordering platform through their website to consumers based out west to Cloncurry and back.
"You can jump online and order," Keegan said.
"It's essentially our showcase and will you tell you all our products and pricing.
"We'll bring it to your door. It's delivered on a Friday morning."
As for the future? The pair said they'd like to focus more on personalising their service.
"Where we are now is purely because of word of mouth that has grown us the most," Lorrae said.
"We also want to make it more that personal side of things.
"It's about more of a presence now."
Zoe Thomas
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
