Beef hobby turns business

Leanne and her husband Ashley run a property at Paris Creek in the Adelaide Hills.

The couple moved to the area in 2009, after falling in love with the picturesque property situated at the top of a hill and on a clear day has views as far as Lake Alexandrina.

"The property already had cattle on it when we bought it, and it was a selling point for me because I've always loved and wanted to run cattle," Leanne said.

"We started out with 12 cows with calves at foot. We started out just wanting to be self-sufficient and we decided to do that by getting our cattle processed locally."

The Vears started by processing cattle for their own use, as well as giving some to their parents and offering them to family and friends.

"We decided it was so delicious and the flavour was so amazing that I'd offer some at my work," Leanne said.

"I put out a flyer in February 2010 that said 'Paris Creek Beef - sides of beef for sale'."

The feedback was so strong, Leanne decided to venture into online sales, setting up the website www.pariscreekbeef.com.au. The internet business started in late 2010.

Paris Creek Beef is dedicated to supplying premium quality 100 per cent grass-fed yearling beef.

Leanne says the cattle have never been given antibiotics, growth hormones or genetically modified feed. The meat is only processed once Paris Creek Beef receives an order, to ensure freshness.

Beef is processed by a local, licensed accredited butcher, dry aged for between 15 and 20 days and cut to customers' specifications.

Sales are purely through the internet and word of mouth, mainly to Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills region.

Murray Grey and Angus are the main breeds the business focused on. Another farmer who supplies the business uses Simmentals.

The Vears use a number of methods to get the most out of their property and cattle including rotational grazing.

They are fortunate their property has a spring-fed dam that never runs dry and that they are based in a high-rainfall area.

* Full report in Stock Journal, July 31, 2014 issue.