How did you get into the goat meat industry?

I worked at River Cottage, helping with veg work, and accidentally ended up in the fields, where I found out about the use of billy goats. Anywhere between fifty to seventy thousand billy goats would go to waste, and I couldn’t wrap my head around why loads of billy and kid goats would go to waste. It should be illegal.

That’s mad. So I guess you took it upon yourself to change that?

Well, call me stupid or arrogant, but I used to be a chef for a long time. I previously worked at Chez Bruce and The Eagle but had to give up the kitchen life because when you get older you can’t work 60 to 70 hours a week and have a successful family life. Because I had this connection with the London restaurant scene, I knew that there was a supplier route through the backdoor kitchens. If I could get the product right and I could get the story right then we would end up having a secondary job while I found something else to do – maybe help solve a waste problem. Little did I know it would completely take over my life.

So you’re the official spokesperson for goats now. What makes goats so unique?

Ha, I guess I am. They’re amazing animals, they make unbelievable cheese, butter and milk, and they’re also really tasty. As animals, they’re feisty and mischievous, and I fell in love with it. I didn’t set out to be that person changing the perception of goats, but I guess I became that person. We just crowdfunded a quarter of a million pounds to build our own butchery and production facility, which means we’re finally able to service our online business and keep up with orders. We’re solving the waste problem and also rebranding goat meat in the UK. We, as a nation, see it as a ‘third-world’ meat and don’t see the value compared to lamb or chicken and often label goat as cheap. Goat meat needs to be appreciated for what it is.

Wow, that’s amazing. So true that goat meat is underrepresented in this country. Where is your new facility based?

Longhope, Gloucester. We’re just off the M4 and M50, so it makes it really easy to access and drop off all over the country, and we’re almost in the middle of the country in terms of deliveries. We work with a lot of dairy farms in Gloucester, Yorkshire, Devon and Lancashire.

Sounds like you've got all bases covered. You seem mad busy, you must have a huge team working nonstop around the clock?

Actually, we only have four employees. Me, my partner in both life and job, [Sushila], who does the finance, and we have two butchers. We're proud to be small and independent.

So how does Cabrito work? Where do you get your goats from? 

We work with farmers to build a national stock book, so we know exactly where all the goats are at any time. Once the goats are no longer economically viable as milkers they come to us, and when the kid goats get to a correct weight we take them at that point because if you leave [them] on the farm for two or three months longer, they’ll eat their way through any profit margin. We pay a good rate to our farmers about 10 to 15 percent of their turnover.

That‘s cool a national goat stock book. Where can people try your goat meat?

From gastropubs in the north of England to high-end Indian restaurants in central London, we’ve done all sorts and there’s no one type of restaurant. Currently, we supply to Temper, St. JOHN, Hoppers, Brigadiers and Fatt Pundit in London. One thing I hadn’t anticipated was restaurants at home through meat boxes and our online store. Now we have both those markets and that’s what we’re focusing on now.

Wow, a lot going on. So tell me, what goes on in your day-to-day you must be knackered.

Honestly, I don’t mind working hard and working long hours. I absolutely love what I do. I manage staff, goat supply around the UK, and I’m in charge of marketing and any other day-to-day management. It’s going to sound really corny and big-headed but we’re a sustainable company with a strong message about waste in British farming and I want to prove how that is a good thing for the UK. The downside of my job is that I probably neglect my partner and kids a little bit.

Finally, why do you get up in the morning? What motivates you?

I don’t want to sound like I’m blowing my own trumpet but having been a chef I can talk about food from a chef’s point of view. I want to solve a bigger problem and I want to make goat meat accessible for everyone in the UK.

See the full catalogue and order Cabrito on REKKI