Company Info
Company History
Macro
Meats - Gourmet Game was established in 1987. Our vision: to
develop kangaroo meat not only as another meat for human consumption
[which was used only for pet food at that time], but to promote kangaroo meat's healthy and 100% natural features.
Company director and founder
Ray Borda is the Managing Director and founder of Macro Meats. He has been involved in the meat industry for over 28
years. Former president of the Kangaroo Industry of South Australia and South Australian Delegate
on the national board, Ray specialises in Sales, Research and Development of current and new products. His theory
is to continuously improve on existing products, whilst developing new lines for the future.
Ray's
main focus is making Kangaroo meat more readily available to the public
by way of distribution into every supermarket in Australia.
Education about kangaroo meat in Australia
Although there
was not much nutritional information about kangaroo meat available in
1987, we believed that kangaroo meat may in fact be superior to other
domestic meats being consumed. Since then, Government Food
Laboratories have tested and documented a complete analysis on kangaroo
meat.
Initially
there was public resistance towards eating kangaroo meat. We attributed
this to the fact that we were developing a product that was possibly
never considered as a food for human consumption. At that time the
Government had no Regulations developed for the hygienic processing of
kangaroo meat in Australia. We continually found ourselves in a
position where we had to educate the public about the Kangaroo
Management Program ( and how the Government implements it ) and the
Regulations ( being developed at that time ) before we could even start
to promote kangaroo meat. Consumer confidence did not come easily.
Macro Meats worked very closely with the Government for many years to
assist and guide in the development of Regulations for the Kangaroo
Industry.We recognized that in order to survive let alone progress it
was essential to have Government controls in place to gain full
acceptance by consumers.
In
1989 we published a booklet which was freely distributed to the public,
butchers, supermarkets, the media and even Government Departments.This
booklet contained FAQ's about kangaroo meat, the Kangaroo Management
Program and recipes. However, in 1989 the only recipes available were
mainly for kangaroo tail soup and not much more, so we approached the
many Hotels and Restaurants that we supplied and the chefs graciously
donated their recipes. We felt that this gave the readers more
confidence with kangaroo meat, seeing that these well-known places were
using it themselves. The booklet was reprinted in 1996 and has most
recently been updated and reprinted again in 2007 and is available
through Macro Meats - Gourmet Game direct - please email us for your free copy.
With
persistence, perseverance and a lot of hard work we pioneered a huge
change in consumer perceptions towards the benefits of eating kangaroo
meat. More importantly, we believe the low fat, low cholesterol and
nutritional composition of kangaroo meat compared to other meats,
together with the taste and tenderness, have contributed to its
increasing popularity.
Over the years we have introduced,
developed and tested numerous kangaroo meat primal cuts and value added
products as well as various methods of packaging. Some have been
successful and some not so; most are still used today. During this
period we also exhibited at numerous Trade Shows, around Australia and overseas, cooking and promoting kangaroo
meat to raise the awareness of the kangaroo industry. We have also been
involved in many Australian and International media programs for the
same reasons.
We
still maintain an active commitment in the responsible development of
the Kangaroo Industry in Australia.We work closely with Government
Departments to ensure the Regulations in kangaroo harvesting and
processing deliver the highest standard and the "worlds best practice"
principals in animal welfare, conservation management, environmental
issues and meat safety.
Exporting our meat
Since 1987 Macro Meats have grown to
become Australia's largest supplier of kangaroo meat to the food
service industry and is a recognized leader in its field. In 2008,
Macro Meats full range of Retail Ready products are a familiar item in
all major supermarket chains in all States of Australia, as well as
being on menus in hotels, restaurants and cafes. We also export to many
countries around the world.