A change at Feather and Bone

MRS FEATHER (AKA LAURA DALRYMPLE) IS LEAVING THE NEST. 

After almost 18 years of co-owning and building this wonderful business, I'll be leaving Feather and Bone at the end of this month. This is my last newsletter. (Cue Adagio for Strings.)

I’m full to overflowing with mixed emotions and all the clichés are tumbling out - life is a journey of change, courage is the power to let go of the familiar, the end is just the beginning, every sunset is a new dawn, and, in the words of our very own ONJ, ‘I don’t know what my path is yet, I’m just walking on it.’   

My Feather and Bone path has taken me through some wild and wonderful country and completely changed the way I look at the world. 18 years of running a small, commercially viable, ‘for purpose’ enterprise (while co-raising three kids) has sometimes stretched me to breaking point but it’s also been a rich, mind-expanding, creative and joyful experience and there aren’t enough adjectives or clichés to describe it all.   

So, while my heart is heavy, it’s also a bit fluttery and excited to be setting off, forging a new path through uncharted territory (see, more clichés).  

Also, I’m confident that I’m leaving you in good hands. Feather and Bone will continue to flourish and feed you, guided by owner, Grant Hilliard, and ably assisted by General Manager, David Stössel, along with our excellent team.

When I look back over the rollicking ride of the last 18 years and all the people I’ve met on the way, I’m struck by how fortunate I’ve been to work with so many outstanding farmers, customers and employees over the years and to have the opportunity to advocate for a healthier food system alongside brilliant activists, journalists and kindred spirits. Some relationships are new, others stretch back as far as 2008 and, as Rob Lennon from Gundooee Organic Wagyu said recently, ‘we’ve grown up together’.  

When I joined the fledgeling Feather and Bone, it was just me and Grant doing everything, literally. Back then, we were the only Australian butchery exclusively working with whole animals and heritage breeds sourced directly from sustainably-managed farms. We were offering chefs and retail customers a rare alternative to the boxed, commodity meat available at supermarkets and most butchers. Not ‘quality meat’ but 'meat with qualities’; nutritionally-dense, and with guaranteed provenance.    

Apart from sourcing and selling the most nutritious and delicious meat, we wanted to arm our customers with substantiated facts that cut through the greenwashing, allowing them to make informed purchasing decisions in support of the production systems that align with their values. 

So, over the years I’ve written hundreds of these newsletters, blogs, articles, posts and a book, The Ethical Omnivore, all designed to engage customers as active agents in building a better food future.
 
I’ve spruiked our gorgeous products, told stories about farmers and customers, ranted about labelling laws and (the lack of) food policy, shared recipes and shamelessly used my own children (the Three Ferals) to explore the challenges of wrangling work/life balance and the importance of nutritious food. I’ve designed and launched four evolutions of our website and, along with the conversations we’ve had with customers every day for the last 18 years, we’ve held open days, farm tours, farmer events and run over a hundred butchery classes. 

The first email newsletters went out to a few dozen chefs and keen, retail customers; now we talk to almost 10,000 newsletter subscribers and over 21,000 Facebook and Instagram followers. 

It’s gratifying to see how these conversations about nutrition, regeneration, biodiversity, farming and community resilience have spread and multiplied and are slowly entering the mainstream. 

Today, we're part of a growing, national and international movement of butchers, eaters, farmers, nutritionists, chefs, scientists and activists busily producing and supporting the production of delicious and nutritious food, regenerating landscapes, fostering biodiversity, re-connecting consumers and producers, advocating for policy change and building strong, local communities. 

I’m proud to have played a small part in helping that happen and excited to see where this goes next. 

Certainly, neither I nor Feather and Bone would be what we are today without the contributions of so many wonderful people in our community. I get to trot off on my next adventure enriched beyond measure by this experience and I'm deeply grateful.   

After March, you'll find me at:
laurajanedalrymple@gmail.com
0409 929 896 

With love and teary, cliché-soaked gratitude,
Laura