NW Tasmania
Flinders Island, Tasmania
Robbins Island, Tasmania
Sassafras, NW Tasmania
On the 18th August 2018, Flinders Island Meat became "Flinders + Co."
About Us
Flinders + Co. is a food service meat distribution company.
But we’re also a family company with farming roots.
We’re a dedicated team with a bold vision for the future. We’re leaders and listeners, collaborators and innovators, partners and suppliers. We want to do more than simply ‘sell meat’.
We want to help Cultivate a Better Food World.
Origin
Flinders + Co. started life as a boutique lamb brand – “Flinders Island Meat“.
Founded by David Madden in 2010, he took a giant leap of faith by moving to a small island in the middle of Bass Strait.
A Big Change
By 2018, Flinders Island Meat had grown to distribute not just our own lamb, but a portfolio of other outstanding producers to food service customers in Victoria.
A new name, and a new vision was needed.
A Better World
Flinders + Co is that new name. To Cultivate a Better Food World is that new vision.
It was born out of an inherent desire to do good. But also from an awareness that more than ever – consumers care – and are willing to follow brands they believe in.
Four Pillars
Our vision drives every decision we make as a business. And our Four Pillars of ‘Cultivate Better’ define how we hope to help achieve that vision.
Our success is measured by the projects we complete that fit under these Four Pillars.
OUR VISION
Cultivate a Better Food World
We are about more than just meat. We want to ask the hard questions and tackle the big issues. Issues of sustainability, ethics and the environment. Questions of provenance, health and humanity.
This is our creed, and we strive to live it every day.
Featured Project
CARBON NEUTRAL - A WORLD FIRST
On 1st Dec 2018, Flinders + Co became the first meat company in the world, to fully offset all carbon emissions from not only our business, but every kilogram of meat we sell.
This allows our customers to offer our produce as being “Carbon Neutral” on their menus.
Why?
This project forms part of our “Cultivate Better” framework. This framework is designed to deliver on our company mission – to help cultivate a better food world.
We want to show that becoming carbon neutral does not need to be some far off goal in the future – it can be achieved now.
What projects?
There are a number of amazing carbon offset projects we are supporting to help us become carbon neutral.
One of these is the ‘Lifestraw’ Project in Kenya. These water purification units are distributed to some of the poorest families in the country, allowing them access to clean drinking water, without the need to burn fossil fuels to boil it. In doing so, their carbon emissions are greatly reduced.
To find out more, click here.
A vision means nothing without guiding principles and a plan of action. Ours are the Four Pillars.
Click on each pillar for more detail
Sustainable
“To meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of tomorrow”
Sustainability is a term that gets used a lot, but what does it really mean?
To us, it means examining every business activity, from a beef supplier in Gippsland, to the packaging in our factory. From the truck making a delivery, to the paper the invoice is
printed on.
With every activity, we ask – is this sustainable long term?
Click here to view our Sustainable Projects
Environmental
“The preservation, restoration and careful management of our natural environment”
Sustainable practices should also be considered through the prism of the environment.
We want to support those producers who are committed to
minimizing negative impacts to the environment.
We know protecting the natural environment is key to our future – and we know it is something diners are also passionate about.
Click here to view our Environmental Projects
Responsible
“If not us, who? If not now, when?”
We know we are setting ourselves a big challenge. We know we won’t always get it right.
But we believe if we don’t try, we’ll never achieve anything.
Being responsible is about not turning a blind eye. Not leaving it for ‘someone else’. Not ignoring a thorny issue.
It runs from issues on the farm, to the people in the industry, to the consumers in the restaurant.
Relationships
“To provide more than a product – to help people achieve their goals”
Whether it be a supplier, a customer, or a colleague, healthy
relationships are key.
We don’t see ourselves simply as a supplier, dealing in one-way transactions.
We want to partner with like-minded people, and work as a team to help them achieve greater success.
Industry
“To have a positive and lasting impact on the people and state of our industry”
How can we impact some of the issues people in our
industry face?
Training, skills, staff shortages.
Drought, isolation, price swings.
We want to help with issues like these. We might not have the answers, but we want to ask the question – how can we help?
Click here to view our Industry Projects
Community
“To tackle important societal issues we face today”
Life is about more than just meat (sometimes we have to remind ourselves of that!).
We want to help those who are less fortunate than us with a leg up.
We actively partner with a number of organisations that are helping to solve some of the most important issues we face as a society today. We love their work.
Click here to view our Community Projects
Quality
“A never-ending obsession with incredible quality produce”
Strip away all the pretense, the story, the background and the marketing.
The product should always be able to stand on it’s own two feet – and still be exceptional.
We know diners and our customers care about cultivating better.
But the first priority is always that most important of moments – when they take the first bite.
Click here to view our Quality Projects
Provenance
“To see, to know, and to share the story and terroir of our producers”
Provenance is what we built our business on Flinders Island on.
Diners want to know the story of their food. They want to know the name of the farmer, and to hear about what they do.
But there are many false claims made around provenance.
We must ensure we always champion producers with true provenance.
Click here to view our Provenance Projects
Ethics
“To promote and champion those producers who always do the right thing”
Animal welfare is a term that gets used a lot.
We aim to go beyond just scratching the surface, and discover those producers who are leading the way on improving animal welfare standards.
They are the farmers and producers we want to work with – and the ones that consumers want to hear about.
Click here to view our Ethics Projects
Service
“Going above and beyond. What more can we do, how else can we help?”
Service is not just delivery days or response times (though we know those are extremely important).
It’s also about us taking a holistic view of our customer’s businesses.
We want to develop strategies that help value add to their bottom line. It’s about scratching beneath the surface and listening, really listening, then understanding, and delivering.
Click here to view our Service Projects
Innovation
“Continually improving and challenging the status quo. How can we do better?”
Innovation to us means always looking at things afresh.
We want to continually ask ourselves if we are doing the right thing, or simply the wrong thing “righter”.
We need to listen to our customers and suppliers problems very closely to really understand how we can innovate solutions.
Click here to view our Innovation Projects
Truth
“Naked, shameless and absolute. Integrity in everything that we do”
The last, but in many ways the most important.
Truth, transparency and integrity are not just buzz words for us.
They go to the core of our values and our identity. They are the foundation upon which all trust is built.
We commit to speaking our truth, whatever the consequences.
Click here to view our Truth Projects
PRODUCERS WE WORK WITH
Our brand partners are a reflection of ourselves. We have cultivated close relationships with processors, farmers and producers, many for almost a decade. We’re proud to represent them and tell their stories. Here are just a few:
< Producers we work with
Roaring Forties Lamb
Bass Strait is the ferocious stretch of ocean that separates mainland Australia from Tasmania. It is this wild stretch of sea that lends the term “Roaring Forties”.
And within these Roaring Forties are some of the most famous and legendary lamb producing regions in the world.
The cleanest air in the world blows over the pastures here. The lush grass grows year round.
They nourish British and European breed lambs, renowned for the delicate and special flavour of their meat.
This is Lamb Like No Other.
< Producers we work with
Cape Grim Beef
Cape Grim is quintessential Tasmania. Located on the far northwestern tip of the island, it serves as the figurative mast-head for the incredible beef packed under the brand that bears its special name.
A network of dedicated farmers from Tasmania, King and Flinders Island supply British bred cattle grown on some of the best pastures in the world.
This is the pinnacle of grass fed beef, the world over. Cape Grim Beef is graded to a minimum marble score of 2+, and raised in a pristine environment that features the cleanest air in the world.
< Producers we work with
Robbins Island Wagyu
Fourth generation cattle farmers John, Keith, Alex and Chauncey Hammond have been breeding wagyu on Robbins Island since the early 1990’s.
During the iconic seasonal musters, bands of horsemen swim the cattle through saltwater channels at low tide to move them peacefully between grazing areas.
Situated on the north western tip of Tasmania, the island has a temperate climate, clean air and a pristine coastal environment.
It is without doubt one of the truly iconic farming stories – and we are so fortunate to have it right on our front doorstep.
< Producers we work with
Five Founders Grain Fed Beef
Five Founders Beef is Australia’s FIRST completely carbon neutral certified beef.
It’s from the North Australian Pastoral Co (NAPCO). NAPCO was started by five founding farmers in 1877.
Five Founders cattle spend their whole of life in the care of NAP. Born and raised on NAP properties, Five Founders cattle grow up grazing our pristine pastures, managed and protected through 140 years of sustainable farming.
We are always keen to help farmers and farming families launch their own brands and tell their story – and Five Founders has a wonderful family story of true farming pioneers behind it.
< Producers we work with
Nichols Ethical Free Range Chicken
We don’t think we’ve met a more passionate farmer than Rob Nichols.
Rob’s farm is in Sassafras in NW Tasmania. Birds are raised in small flocks, and are free to graze on outdoor pasture and forage for 24 hours per day.
Flock sizes of 1,000 birds vs 50,000 for the big guys.
Mobile sheds that move around the paddocks to keep the chickens in fresh pasture and soil. The birds are free to exhibit their natural behaviours, like foraging for bugs, digging and exploring, in the sunlight.
Rob’s chickens grow more intramuscular fat, and he allows them to grow out more slowly and for longer, their daily exercise building a deep flavour and colour within the flesh.
< Producers we work with
Bass Strait Beef
Bass Strait and its coastlines fall at the latitude where drenching rain, warming sun and saltwater winds combine to create climatic perfection for growing tender grass-fed beef.
The cattle are peacefully raised on natural rye grasses and clover without the need of antibiotics or hormone growth promotants.
The taste – As clean as the winds of Bass Strait.
< Producers we work with
St Bernards Free Range Pork
We searched high and low for the best, most ethical free range pork we could find.
When we visited the St Bernards Free Range Farm in the Riverina, we could tell straight away that these pigs were happy.
They are farmed in a stress free environment, and have the freedom to truffle, play and wallow in the mud, and feed at will.
We could tell that the farmers loved their animals.
In every blind taste test we conducted, we found that St Bernards came up on top.
< Producers we work with
Flinders Select
Flinders Select is our house brand.
We search the country for producers who can offer a sharper price point, but still retain much of the same ethos and values that we believe in.
Producers like Dick and Mavis Hazeldene from Bendigo for our chicken, local processor AMG in Melbourne for our grass fed beef, and TQM in Launceston for our Tasmanian Lamb.
We retain the flexibility to buy from different producers as the seasons change – ensuring you get a consistent product, at a sharp price.
< Producers we work with
Vintage Beef Co.
Inspired by the famous “Galician” beef producers of Northern Spain, Vintage Beef Co. shines a light on the outdated notion that older animals produce poor quality meat.
Graded using MSA standards, the flavour from these 60 month plus animals is truly exceptional. Available in Reserva, Galiciana 3+, and Robbins 4+ grades.
Flinders Island, Tasmania.
Where it all started. The island’s pastures are rich in oceanic minerals that lends our Saltgrass Lamb a special and unique flavour.
Find out more >>Smithton, Tasmania.
The pinnacle of 100% Grass Fed Beef. Hormone Free. Antibiotic Free. GMO Free. A minimum marble score 2+, and flavour to boot.
Find out more >>Robbins Island, Tasmania.
The Hammond family were one of the first to bring wagyu genetics to Australia. Their unique family farm on Robbins Island, and the beef they produce, is a truly iconic farming story.
Find out more >>Central Queensland
Five Founders Beef is Australia’s FIRST completely carbon neutral certified beef.
It’s from the North Australian Pastoral Co (NAPCO), one of Australia’s oldest agricultural companies. Started by, you guessed it, five original founders.
Find out more >>Sassafras, Tasmania.
From the on-site wind turbine, to the mobile sheds for his ethical free-range chooks, Rob Nichols is one of the most passionate farmers you’ll ever meet.
Find out more >>Gippsland, Victoria.
Bass Strait Beef is processed at Moe in Central Gippsland. Hung using the special “natural method” the resulting beef is consistently more tender.
Find out more >>Corowa, NSW and Grampians, VIC
We searched high and low for the best, most ethical free range pork we could find. When we visited the St Bernards Free Range Farm in the Riverina, we knew we had found what we were looking for.
Find out more >>Selected and Seasonal Producers.
Flinders Select is our in-house brand. Designed to hit a sharp price point, but still retain the same values and ethos that can be found across our range of branded products.
Find out more >>Moe, VIC
Inspired by the famous “Galician” beef producers of Northern Spain, Vintage Beef Co. shines a light on the outdated notion that older animals produce poor quality meat.
Find out more >>
“A lot of what Free Range is about is doing the right thing by the pigs. We want the pigs to be happy”
Dave Harrison
Farmer, St Bernards Free Range Pork
“There is no-one else in the meat industry doing what you guys are doing. Not in Australia, and I can’t think of any meat supplier in the world doing this stuff. It’s amazing.”
Michael White
Greenham Tasmania
“Flinders + Co have been our primary meat supplier due to the quality of the produce and their ethics, which mirror our own. They are honourable trend setters, with the best intentions.”
Ollie Hansford
Stokehouse, Melbourne
“There is a great story behind this small family owned company, and a lot of passion for their unique and special products.”
Shannon Bennett
Vue de Monde, Melbourne
Projects
Words aren’t enough. To achieve our vision, we must take action. Within our Four Pillars framework, there are 12 focus areas that we believe we need to work on in order to achieve our goal.
Underlying that framework is a portfolio of real projects that we believe will help us to achieve our vision. Browse through a selection of completed, current, and future projects below.
Completed Projects
Current Projects
Future Projects
Renewable Energy
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Our Capabilities
We have a big vision, but we understand that it’s the little details that really matter. Consistency, reliability, and a “get it done” attitude. We’re here to help make it happen.
PRODUCER VISITS
We’re passionate about sharing the incredible stories of our producers. There’s no better way than getting your boots dirty and hearing it from them first hand.
DRY AGEING
Our state of the art “Meat Cellar” is a special place where only the best pieces of meat are allowed to go.
30 days later they become a stunning dry aged steak.
DEDICATED DELIVERIES
6 days a week delivery to the Melbourne Metro area, and regular regional delivery runs. Order by midnight for next day delivery to most areas.
FLEXIBLE ORDERING
Order how it suits you. Email, Phone, SMS, online platform or carrier pigeon. We’re here to make it easy for you.
STAFF TRAINING
Using the best produce is only one side of the story, communicating it to diners is just as important. We’re here to help you build that compelling narrative.
PORTION CUTTING
You need precision, consistency and certainty.We have the facilities, we have the expertise. We can help with any and all portion cutting requirements.
Contact Us
To touch base with us, please complete the relevant form below. We’d love to hear from you.