Our Story

Castle Estate is located in Camperdown, South-West Victoria. Situated on the banks of Lake Purrumbete, the estate consists of 905 acres of some of the country’s most fertile agricultural land. We come from seven generations of the Castle family who have been farming on this land since 1851. Ethical, natural and sustainable farming is in our blood. We advocate humane farming practices with no intervention, no antibiotics and no lot feeding. Our animals live as nature intended and this is key because not only do we respect the animals, we believe that the better they live, the better the taste.

We have our very own on site abattoir on our property in 2014, to help ensure we have complete control of the supply chain from paddock to plate. Where we uphold the most humane practices to support the animals through transition and guarantee the best tasting meat is delivered. Each and every animal can be traced from farm to plate, giving the customer a piece of mind.Here at Castle Estate we specialise in cattle farming but understand that there is more to meat than just Beef. So we work with other local farms who specialise in lamb, chicken and pork who uphold the same humane farming, no intervention and pasture fed practices, we offer production services to other farmers and we process the widest range of species of any abattoir in Australia. Our Providore shop proudly offers, in addition to our Castle Estate meats, a range of artisan food and beverage products from within our local community that we truly love and know you will enjoy.

We believe that the better they live the better they taste

We hand rear and lovingly farm our animals providing 1000 acres of land where they are free to roam the paddocks, grass grazing in the fresh air and open spaces, just as nature intended. It is extremely important to us that our animals experience the best quality of life possible at Castle Estate.

The paddocks provide the most nutritionally balanced diet for farm animals which is essential for them to maintain optimal health. So it makes sense that a healthy animal will provide not only great tasting meat but meat with nutritional value that can bolster the health of the person consuming it.

We are passionate about our ethical farming practices and respect the animals who provide us the food that sustains us and brings us joy. It goes full circle. Ultimately we believe that the better our animals live, the better able we are to deliver paddock-to-plate freshness that tastes second to none.

We go against the grain

For the zealous gastronome or experimental foodie, this presents a wonderful opportunity to become more creative in the kitchen than ever before. The Castle family encourages consumers to expand their cooking repertoire and experiment with new cuts of meat.

The traditional values of reducing waste have never been more relevant than now. When the Castle Estate (butcher and abattoir) prepares an animal as a source of food, they operate under the firm belief system that the whole animal must be utilised to minimise waste and avert frivolous farming.

Sustainability & Respectful Farming Practices

We’re passionate about traditional, sustainable farming practices and the benefits respectful animal husbandry delivers to consumers.

We’re firm believers in the ethos of conscious farming for the conscious consumer. The life quality of the animals we hand-rear and lovingly farm is extremely important to us. It’s through this passion and ethical farming that we can deliver paddock-to-plate freshness and fairness that you will feel confident in (and very indulged by).

Featured Products

Meet The Family

We are sixth generation farmers from the Castle Clan and are joined by a talented bunch of people.

Max has been farming this land since he started milking the cows as a 13 year old. Max has spent all his life on the farm and is committed to traditional farming practices and is responsible for the production of Castle Estates free range pasture fed beef.

Max Castle

Son of Max and Steven is the managing director at Castle Estate. Steven head of operations at the Abattoir and oversees the daily operations of Castle Estate in partnership with his wife Rachel. Steve is passionate about the transparency of the supply chain and the ability of farmers to control the destination of their product and its value.

Steven Castle

Together with her husband Steven , Rachel runs the day to day operations at Castle Estate with a particular focus on the service element of Castle Estate. Rachel is passionate about quality and customer service and is committed to providing customers with the highest level of service.

Rachel Castle

Daughter of Max, Tanya has a passion for the best available produce for her family and Castle Estate customers, with an active role in the Castle Estate Providore.

Tanya Ghosn

The better they live. The better they taste.

The way lot feeding should be... ...empty.

FAQs

Where does Castle Estate produce come from?

Our produce is breed and raised on our properties around the shores of Lake Purrumbete, located in the heart of the lakes and crater region of South West Victoria. This area is a thriving farming area, particularly for beef and lamb, located only 10 minutes from Camperdown. Pork and chicken products are sourced from like minded producers in from various regions of Victoria.

Are your products carbon neutral?

Our direction is consistent with Meat & Livestock Australia (mla.com.au/cn30), this link provides everything that you need to know about the industries target to be carbon neutral by 2030. Castle Estate fully supports this direction through it’s sustainable farming practices, and will continue to work as an operation towards this collective industry target by 2030.

How can I be assured of Castle Estate’s quality control standards?

Castle Estate only employs the highest quality staff as part of it’s family operation. Our team consists of 4 highly qualified Butchers with a combined experience of over 75 years in the industry. Packing and administration staff provide attention to detail and a service focussed on ensuring that the highest levels of presentation and product are achieved at all times. A full time Quality Assurance Manager oversees all product quality and procedural systems. Quarterly 3rd party audits are completed by SGS under the Victorian Meat Industry standards.

Are you Halal accredited?

We are often asked if the Castle Estate operation is Halal accredited. Castle Estate processes a wide variety of species, including Pork, therefore no animals are processed under Halal accreditation.

How do I prepare to bring an animal to the Castle Estate operation?

Animals are not to be delivered to our site without a booking. You must ring the office between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00pm Monday to Friday to arrange a booking.
All animals are to be delivered to Koallah Farm between 7:00am and 3:00pm on the day prior to the scheduled day of slaughter. Animals will not be received outside of these times without prior arrangement.
All Cattle must be accompanied with a National Vendor Declaration (NVD) form and NLIS ear tag.
National Vendor Declaration (NVD) forms can be emailed to info@castleestate.com.au but will need to ensure this is done prior to delivery of the animal.
We will not accept delivery of your animal if you have not provided your paperwork and your animal is not fitted with an NLIS ear tag.
Further information about Cattle, Sheep, Goat or Pig National Vendor Declarations and NLIS ear tags can be obtained at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/national-livestock-identification-system

How long are products aged or hung for?

All product is hung for a minimum of 5 days and up to 10 days dependant on available processing and packing capacity, we believe this allows a reasonable time for the product to form in a way that is most conducive to the highest quality product.

Do you offer a service for smoking products?

Yes, we have recently installed a brand new Smoke House at Castle Estate, which we use to create unique smoking combinations for our own product through the Providore, as well as produce for you a high quality service for your own pork products such as ham or bacon as part of service processing.

What is game meat field harvester & game meat processing facility?

Castle Estate procure Venison and Rabbits from registered game meat field harvesters. These field harvesters operate harvest vehicles in some of the most remote regions of Victoria, they return product to field depots, where this sustainably hunted and natural product (often a pest to natural wildlife) is collected by Castle Estate and returned to our PrimeSafe accredited game meat processing facility. This product is then converted into high quality product for human consumption.

How are products packaged & labelled?

All beef cuts (excluding bones and sausages) are provided in vacuum packaging to maintain freshness, improve protection when freezing and maintain the quality any defrosted product. All meat is labelled with product name, pack date and weight, and placed in cardboard carry boxes for collection.
If as part of your business operation you wish to resell your product, Castle Estate can label product with your own logo/details, order picking and compilation is also provided to a number of 3rd party customers. This needs to be pre-arranged directly with the Castle Estate team prior to your animal delivery.

How will I receive my delivery?

Delivery of your Castle Estate order – all Castle Estate orders can be delivered weekly Australia wide, if delivery charges apply these will be shown at the time of order confirmation.
Delivery of your own product – we have arrangements with local distribution partners, if you wish for your product to be returned to you after processing we can schedule delivery. Delivery Fees will apply and be charged to your invoice prior to delivery. Please obtain an estimated quote from our office staff when arranging a booking.
Pick up from our facility – Castle Estate will communicate when your products are scheduled for boning and packing so that you can plan for your collection the following day. Collection of your products is to be between 10.00am-2.00pm, Monday to Friday. Please make sure that your collection date has been confirmed with our team before your arrival.

When and how can I pay for my service or product?

All product is to be paid for at the time of pick up (cash, credit card) or prior to collection via EFT. On-line orders are paid for via the Shopping Cart process within the Providore.