Moama’s Pacdon Park Free Range British Butchery has taken out the top award at the Scottish Business Network Awards.
The butchery is no stranger to the limelight with a few major awards already under their butcher’s belt, now including the ‘Hard Won Victory for Business’.
Pacdon Park Co-owner Jim Arrowsmith said the award recognised their contribution to Scottish culture.
“The Scottish Australian Business Network is a non-profit group of like-minded people that want to support Scottish culture and heritage,” he said.
“There was an award ceremony two weeks ago and we picked up the major award... for contribution to Scottish culture and cuisine which was really good.”
The small butchery operates in an old dairy factory along Perricoota Rd in Moama and creates a range of British smallgoods and niche Scottish products.
Mr Arrowsmith and his business partner Pete Tonge began their journey in 2008 in Bunnaloo.
Mr Tonge said they wanted to start the business after struggling to find the foods they ate back home in the UK.
“We came over as backpackers and realised that you couldn't really buy or get a lot of the stuff from back home or it wasn't quite right and that’s why we started,” he said.
“I think it's just snowballed into what it is today but it’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours, like most people who start a small business.”
In their early days the pair would take part in farmers markets in Melbourne and now, they export all over Australia and beyond.
Their haggis is also Australia’s only world-renowned haggis and has been supplied to the British army and distributed to every state parliament in Australia.
Mr Arrowsmith said their journey as butchers had been a rewarding one.
“I don’t know what we expected when we started our business but it's been a wonderful journey,” he said.
“It’s been awfully interesting and still is. We get phone calls from people in tears when they try our foods because they haven’t eaten it since they emigrated as children so it’s been a really lovely business to be in.”
They now have a team of nine who make and sell 13 products to other businesses, butchers and local customers.