Provenir: ethical meat at its best

25th October 2023 | Eativity Local Food Directory

A less stressed animal will always produce better-tasting meat. Sadly, transporting livestock to an abattoir for processing is always going to cause some level of stress, affecting the quality of even the most ethically raised animal. But what if there was another way?

Provenir was created with a vision of producing Australia’s best beef. An online butcher with a very important difference, Provenir is the only licensed mobile on-farm meat processing operation in Australia, delivering the highest welfare meat directly from farm to consumer.

Ethically sourced meat means ensuring that every day in an animal’s life is as important as the first, including the last. Provenir eliminates the need for live transport before processing. Because it processes livestock on-farm, where the animal was raised, animals don’t have to ensure stressful feedlots, saleyards or travel before processing.

“As a farmer, I hated loading my livestock onto a truck and sending them away,” says Chris Balazs, Provenir co-founder. “When I sent my first lot of cattle off to the saleyards, it was a hollow feeling. I’d spent two years raising these animals; I’d worked so hard to get them in top condition only to risk losing it all to a bad trip. I knew there had to be a better way.”

Provenir co-founder Chris Balazs
Provenir co-founder Chris Balazs: “I knew there had to be a better way.”

So how does Provenir work?

Cattle are herd animals, which means they feel safer when they’re together. But this doesn’t mean that they like crowds. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“Cows like to be in herds, but they don’t like to be too close to each other,” Balazs explains. “Crowding them together on the back of a truck increases their stress levels.”

It’s not just about being in close quarters with each other. Removing cattle from their familiar surroundings, in environments where they’re often put together with other strange herds, also causes stress, further degrading the quality of the meat.

“That’s the system for all animal production, with the exception of Provenir,” Balazs says. “We’re the only ones who go to the farm, where animals are in their normal herd structure. They come into the yards that they’ve been in multiple times. From there, they’re walked up the back of the truck by the farmer or farm manager. Then they’re processed in the truck.”

The QR code on every Provenir product tells the story of each cut of meat
The QR code on every Provenir product tells the story of each cut of meat.

Every steak has a story

Provenir is also aware of the importance of reducing the impact of meat production on the environment, and partners with farmers who use regenerative practices.

“We don’t go to feedlots,” Balazs says. “They’re all grass-fed, free-range farms. We believe the flavour is better from grass-fed; it’s better for animals and it’s better for the planet.”

Consumer interest in sustainable and ethical farming practices continues to grow, as does curiosity about where our food comes from. And so Provenir has developed a system that allows customers to access all the information they need about the meat they’re buying.

“Every piece of meat we sell has a QR code which tells the story of that animal,” Balazs explains. “Scan the code and it tells you what part of the animal it comes from and the best way to cook it. We also profile the farm that the meat comes from, the farmer and the practices they use. We’re trying to create a connection between consumer and farmer.”

Provenir rump steak
Provenir offers a range of cuts, from rump steak to minced beef.

Meat like it used to be

Provenir hopes it can genuinely disrupt the meat industry and bring meat quality back to what it was generations ago. Why not try it, and taste the difference for yourself? As well as meat packs, you can also but pies, bone broths and ready meals, all made using Provenir produce with the company’s six-star promise: highest welfare; on-farm-processed; full traceability and true provenance; grass-fed and free range; exceptional eating quality; and no hormones, herd antibiotics or intensive feedlots. It’s a better way to buy meat.

Provenir is just one of the awesome Australian food producers you can find on the new EATIVITY Local Food Directory. The EATIVITY Local Food Directory is on a mission to support the local food movement by connecting consumers with local, sustainable and artisan food producers, growers and farmers right across the country. Are you an Australian food producer who’d like to sign up or find out more information? Just head straight to the directory today or email us at contact@eativitynews.com.