As retailers continue to seek growth through premium innovation, leaning into consumer wants, World Select Cuts, LLC is announcing the expansion of its line of hand-crafted, premium deli meats featuring free-range, pasture-raised Australian lamb: Aussie Select(R) . Now available in a 4-ounce presliced pack in all 3 varieties, the products are ready to eat.

World Select Cuts' artisan butchers draw on centuries of tradition and expert craftsmanship to produce specialty meats that command attention for being decidedly different. They start by sourcing great-tasting Australian lamb that is naturally lean and tender and raised with the greatest of care. In fact, care for animals and the environment is at the heart of the Australian farming industry, and is what makes Aussie lamb so special. American consumers recognize that the provenance of Australian lamb is a marker of quality, extending from the paddock to the plate. With lamb making a strong showing on menus nationwide and becoming a more familiar protein in American homes, it’s an optimal time to source a premium deli meat featuring all-natural Aussie lamb.

Three options

The 4-ounce presliced Aussie Select product line-up offers bold flavors and currently includes

 - Agave Rosemary Lamb Ham: 100% pure agave syrup and fragrant fresh rosemary with subtle notes of nutmeg, fennel and garlic

 - Lamb Pastrami: Seasoned with traditional deli flavors like coarse ground black pepper, coriander and brown sugar, then smoked with hickory and mesquite, yielding a pleasant peppercorn bite with a tender texture

 - Tikka Masala Lamb Ham: Warm toasted flavors of classic Indian Masala spices, balancing cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and nutmegs in a robust rub

Of course, Aussie Select still offers full/whole roasts that can be sliced by the deli or sold as a whole roast to take home.

The nitty gritty

Each product is:

 - Fully cooked

- Available in Ready to Slice whole roasts or Pre-Sliced   

- Free of artificial flavors or colors 

- Halal-certified

Retail readiness

  1. When sampled with consumers, the products fulfilled expectations extremely or very well (86%).
  2. Despite lamb not being part of most consumer meal rotations (27% eat it once a month or more), purchase interest of the concept is quite high, with 89% saying they “probably or definitely would buy” and more than one-third reporting that they "definitely would buy" (39%)

Aussie Select lamb products are well-positioned to help retailers drive sales, answering the demands of modern consumers:

  • As concerns around health and wellness, sustainability and transparency continue to dominate, shoppers are showing interest in deli products that are clean-label and non-GMO. They are drawn to a brand’s farm-to-fork story. Aussie Select delivers, offering pure products born of their pure environment.
  • With the general population skewing younger and more multi-cultural, ethnic cuisine has become a staple, especially among millennials. The bold, trend-forward flavors of Aussie Select products will take taste buds on a global journey.
  • Consumers value variety of experience. Innovative curation of the meat case and in the deli can drive incremental sales. Lamb charcuterie from Aussie Select offer the differentiation that attracts discerning consumers. 
  • Lives are busier and more hectic than ever, and there is no slowing the desire for products that provide maximum convenience without sacrificing taste or quality. Today’s consumers may be time-constrained, but they are still open to experimentation. To date, lamb has been sold fresh or frozen, with research suggesting that these are barriers to home cooks with little time and little preparation confidence. As a ready-to-eat product line, Aussie Select offers flavorful choices.

The Aussie difference

Aussie Select is the only ready-to-eat lamb on the retail market. With a commitment to sustainability, the Aussie Select line tells a compelling story of lamb raised on wide-open pastures, fed naturally and given no artificial additives or hormone growth promotants. Their farmers have been responsibly raising lamb for generations. 

Aussie Select also offers these items in foodservice. As chefs across the country introduce Aussie Select's premium lamb deli products onto their menus—on charcuterie boards, atop flatbreads, in breakfast sandwiches, and more—awareness will go up, and consumers will seek these products out at their grocery stores.

Source: Aussie Select; World Select Cuts