Niman Ranch is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its partnership with McCormack Ranch in Northern California by introducing its first value-added lamb products with gyros and merguez sausage.
Since their collaboration began, Niman Ranch has worked with more than two dozen select family ranchers in California, the Pacific Northwest, Utah and Idaho. As with the company’s beef and pork programs, the animals are Certified Humane and raised sustainably with no hormones or antibiotics by independent family farmers and ranchers.
According to research from the American Lamb Board, gyros are America’s second favorite lamb dish behind lamb chops, while the amount of merguez sausage found on restaurant menus has increased 10 percent in the past year.
The gyros are a blend of Niman Ranch lamb, beef and spices such as seasoned pepper, oregano, marjoram and thyme. The merguez sausage, stuffed in natural lamb casings, has a North African flavor profile with a custom blend of three paprikas, harissa and cumin.
“We’re excited to add these two unique items to Niman Ranch’s outstanding selection of prepared products,” said Cody Hiemke, lamb program manager and lamb rancher. He added that “feedback from everyone who has sampled the gyros and sausage has been exceedingly positive.”
The lamb offerings were designed to be sold from the frozen specialty case. The gyros and merguez are available in select specialty grocers across the country including:
- Plum Market serving Detroit and Miami;
- Dorothy Lane Markets, Buehler’s Fresh Foods and Acme Fresh Markets in Ohio;
- Marczyk Fine Foods in Denver;
- Berkeley Bowl, Cal Mart, North Coast Co-Op, Falletti Foods and Magnani Poultry in Northern California;
- Island Naturals in Hilo, Hawaii; and
- Cartwright’s Market in Medford, Oregon.
About Niman Ranch
Westminster, Colorado-based Niman Ranch is a community of more than 600 independent family farmers and ranchers who raise pork, beef and lamb traditionally, humanely and sustainably. It is the largest farmer and rancher network in North America to be “Certified Humane.”
Read more meat news from The Shelby Report.
