Limestone Coast producers Mark and Kate Wheal are celebrating after their burgeoning pork label, Beachport Berkshires, won a silver medal in the branded pork category at the 2018 Australian Food Awards.
Beachport Berkshire’s certified free range pork entry won three out of five judging categories, narrowly missing out on gold by a few points in the fine food awards conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Vic.
“We have been farming free range pigs for seven years but only launched our pork brand in January so we could sell our product directly to consumers and make it available locally,” Mrs Wheal said.
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“We decided to enter the awards to benchmark our pork against other brands.
“To win silver was a wonderful surprise but it does match the very positive feedback we’ve had from people who have eaten our pork and its given us a huge confidence boost going forward to further market our product.”
Mrs Wheal said they were “lucky enough” to have Beachport Berkshires stocked in a number of local butchers and retail outlets and it was also on the menu at the Caledonian Inn in Robe.
“We’re now hoping to see our award-winning pork on the menu of more Limestone Coast restaurants and cafes so people can know they are eating high-quality local product,” she said.
The award-winning pork products are available from Collins Court Butchers, Mount Gambier, Meeks Butchers in Penola, The Shearers Cook Café and The Central Hub Market, both in Millicent, or can be ordered direct through Beachport Berkshires website.
Najobe Beef, Strathalbyn, also claimed a silver medal in the branded lamb category of the Australian Food Awards with their Zara Grace lamb.
