While the US has always been one of the top consumers of beef, pork, and poultry, its lamb consumption is far lower, especially compared to countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Oceania, where lamb is one of the most-consumed meats. Data from the US Department of Agriculture shows that US per capita consumption of lamb and mutton is just around 1 pound a year. In the US, lamb is often considered a special occasion food, and many Americans admit they fear preparing it at home.
Seeking to change this is Aussie Select of World Select Cuts, a Georgia-based, majority women-owned company. Aussie Select offers the United States’ first widely available pre-cooked charcuterie-style products made from lamb.
According to Aussie Select CEO Jaclyn Glatzer, the US is ready to consume more lamb. Lamb itself has seen increased demand since the pandemic, and when the idea of lamb as a “sandwich option” is presented to consumers, interest is high. Couple this with an increased consumer interest in charcuterie and all-natural, nutritious and sustainable foods, and the opportunity for Aussie Select is big. Glatzer and her business partners hypothesized that they could drive higher incidence of lamb consumption by precooking it and offering it as a deli meat. “People always light up when I present the concept…a ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ moment. And the products only overdeliver on the palate.”
“We chose Australia as our single source of raw product because we know the industry produces the highest-quality lamb in the world. It is also sustainable, with Australian lamb being climate-neutral (and expected to be carbon neutral by 2030). Famously, Australia has more than three sheep per person, so supply is incredibly abundant. The land is uniquely suited for grazing animals, which is the only way to convert grass into protein for human consumption, and Australia has robust animal husbandry regulations,” Glatzer says.
Currently, Aussie Select has three products: lamb pastrami and two flavored lamb hams – tikka masala and agave rosemary. A fourth product, lamb prime rib, will be launched soon. All variants are 100% Halal-certified and available as whole roasts, which can be sliced behind a deli counter or brought home and reheated as a Sunday roast–or sold into foodservice for chef/restaurant use. They are also sold in 4 oz. pre-sliced packs that can be picked up at the deli wall in grocery stores. The products make lamb both accessible and approachable.
Aussie Select's products have received multiple taste and food innovation awards, and are being sold in a growing number of brick-and-mortar groceries and via e-commerce merchants around the US.
In addition to founding World Select Cuts, Glatzer has run a food and beverage marketing agency in Atlanta for 22 years. She has deep ties to Australia, having studied and worked there. She shares, “My daughter’s name is Sydney, and my dog is Taz.”
Working with Glatzer is Australia-based chief product officer Dirk Geleit, a master butcher with extensive knowledge about the lamb meat and the farming industry, and chief financial officer Shirley Bastian, who has 35 years of experience in the meat industry. In the US, Kansas-based corporate consulting chef Michael Slavin, is responsible for creating all of Aussie Select's recipes. He has been a corporate chef for 30 years and is extremely passionate about lamb.
“Post-pandemic, lamb has been growing faster than any other animal protein in the US, with supply chain issues causing shortages in beef, chicken, and pork, and providing many Americans the opportunity to rediscover lamb. But, the fact remains that most people here either remain unfamiliar with it or don’t eat as much of it as they’d like. Aussie Select seeks to make lamb a more common and accessible protein source, and we take away the guesswork by pre-cooking it with great flavors. I want more homes in the US to have access to this wonderful, nutritious, sustainable, and high-quality protein source,” Glatzer says.
Media contact:
Name: Jaclyn Glatzer
Email: [email protected]
