Gourmet Goat Lady pushes for farmed goat meat grading system

"An absolutely sassy bit of gear she was - ruled the roost," Jo Stewart said.

That was back in 2007, and now Ms Stewart is known as The Gourmet Goat Lady, running 1000 breeding does and a goat meat company that's pushing frontiers in an expanding industry.

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It was Olivia's personality that hooked Ms Stewart on goats - but farming was already in the long-established beef and cropping family, going back to 1908 on her husband Craig Stewart's side.

"Goats are lovely animals, very intelligent. They're just beautiful. They remember you," Ms Stewart said.

"They dead set think they're a dog - they think they should do anything a dog should do."

The Gourmet Goat Lady is based across two farms in Collie where the goats are farmed, and they go to abattoir in Nyngan.

Ms Stewart said goat meat is "very nutritious, very high in protein and low in saturated fat".

"If you're a gym junkie it would be a great thing for you to have," Ms Stewart said.

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"Even with small children, the elderly - you get a lot of nutrition for the quantity of meat you're getting. It's better for you, red meat-wise."

The Gourmet Goat Lady's website states farmed goat meat is easy to cook and tender, juicy and mild in flavour. Depending on the cut, it can be similar to good-quality lamb and beef, and it can be prepared by grilling, rotisserie, broiling, roasting, sauteing, pan-frying, braising and stewing.

Ms Stewart goat the same way she would cook lamb, and even does a goat lasagne.

She said her customers were "people looking for something a bit different nutrition-wise", and the local Nepalese community "really likes" the product.

"And foodies - those looking for something a bit different. Once they try it, they'll get it again and again. You just have to to get them to taste it," Ms Stewart said.

Though quality and consistency issues have plagued the goat meat industry in Australia, the Stewarts aim to provide the same high quality to their customers every time.

"There's a gap in the market for graded goat. It's very hit and miss what you get from abattoirs," Ms Stewart said.

"I want our customers to be happy all the time, and know with confidence that each time they get the goat it's going to be a similar experience eating-wise."

She said she hoped the goat meat industry would grow enough to bring in a grading system to ensure people have confidence buying goat. Once upon a time, lamb wasn't graded, and Ms Stewart uses this as a case for a hopeful future for goat meat.

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"If people have a bad goat experience, quite possibly they might not buy it again," she said.

In the meantime, The Gourmet Goat Lady is forging ahead.

"It's a very underdeveloped industry - it's got a huge potential and is in its infancy in a lot of ways," Ms Stewart said.

"I'd like to see goat meat being a staple on everyone's weekly menu, where it's regarded alongside lamb and beef."

Mr Stewart added: "Goat is the last frontier in the red meat industry."

The Gourmet Goat Lady is hosting a goat meat industry field day on the farm in Collie on March 24. Find out about it on socials.