It's only been a few months since organic lamb business, Coole Acres, based at See Saw Wines, officially launched but its owners say the response has been beyond anything they'd imagined.

Alice Jarett, 28, the daughter of local organic winegrowers Justin and Pip Jarrett, and Brent Old, 32, who grew up on an organic sheep farm at Ivanhoe, are the couple behind the business.

The pair moved back to the Jarrett family vineyard in Orange a few years ago for a lifestyle change and to be closer to family.

Sheep had been used for in the See Saw vineyard for many years as part of the organic farming process, but Brent saw an opportunity to develop it into something bigger.

They started breeding sheep in 2021 and now boast a flock of about 800 breeding ewes.

Alice says the sheep are used in the vineyard to help control weeds during the winter and to reduce the need to run tractors and machinery through the vineyard.

"Because it's an organic system we can't spray under vines, so during that dormant period in the vineyard we put the sheep in there to graze so they're controlling the under vine growth.

"The sheep are able to essentially act as lawnmowers."

The vineyard also provides protection for the flock.

At the start of lambing - which conveniently coincided with the end of the vintage this year - the ewes were moved into the vineyard where they can give birth with as little stress as possible.

"We've been able to put our ewes in a really large parcel of vineyard where they've got a lot of protection and cover," she said.

Their sheep are Black Head Dorpers, a hardy breed that can handle extremes of temperatures and shed their wool so they don't need to be shorn. They are also resistant to worms, which is important in the organic system, as it means they don't have to be drenched.

They're an excellent meat sheep too.

"For the last couple of years we've really been focusing on the genetics we've been using to build up the flock, so they're going to have good intramuscular fat, which is what gives meat the flavour," Alice said.

Their lambs are currently supplied to Feather and Bone butchery in Sydney and Cleaver and Co butchery in Wollongong. Brent and Alice sought them out as they were a good fit with Coole Acres sustainable farming ethos. Both value provenance and have a 'nose-to-tail' approach to butchery that ensures nothing goes to waste.

Brent says most people have been accustomed to only eating a few cuts of lamb, but the other parts of the animal are just as good if they're cooked the right way.

Education is a big focus of the business, he says: "telling people the story of the process of getting food onto their plate, what goes into it, how it's gown and where it's grown."

Alice and Brent's approach appears to be paying off, with demand for their product so great in Sydney and Wollongong that they've had to put plans to sell direct in Orange on hold temporarily until they can guarantee supply.

"It's blown my expectations out of the water," Brent said.

And while their paddock to plate, organic approach to sheep farming comes with its challenges, they say the pay off is worth it.

"It's very rewarding when someone tries (the lamb) it and they tell you it's the best they've had," Brent said.

"You don't get that selling conventionally. You'd park (the sheep) at the abattoir and have no idea where they go or how they're treated what happened to them."

The pair say it's heartening to have received such a good response.

"We love the product and we're excited to see other people are loving it too," Alice said.

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