Our Company

About Us

Australia’s Favourite Duck

Luv-a-Duck is a proud Australian and family owned business since 1968.

From humble beginnings, Luv-a-Duck has grown to become Australia’s leading Duck producer, a vertically integrated agribusiness with over 200 employees and a reputation for innovation and quality. Our journey started with a simple love of flavour and family, in Arthur Shoppee's backyard in the 1960's. Today, that same love makes us the duck of choice for homes and restaurants across Australia.

In the Beginning

In 1958, when 20 year old Art Shoppee moved to Nhill in the heart of the Victorian Wimmera to take over a dry cleaning business, he had no idea that destiny was calling. Some years later, after a very successful trial raising 20 ducklings in his back shed and selling them to restaurants in Adelaide, Art realised there was a market for these feathered delicacies and conceived the idea of a major duck breeding business.

A Risky Business

Initial results, after moving his expanding venture to a nearby farm, were not promising. The ducks were raised in open pens, exposed to heat, rain, crows and foxes. This almost led to ruin until the first protective sheds were introduced. Back in these early days processing was done manually and gradually automation was incorporated.

Don't Quit

A string of disasters left Art wondering if it was worth continuing. Fire destroyed the processing plant on two separate occasions and then another fire killed 8,000 ducklings. However, Art’s determination to succeed and do things well, along with a poem handed to him by his father entitled "Don't Quit", allowed him to rebuild and move forward.

Today’s Luv-a-Duck

Today we have a world class facility on our 200 hectare farm, surrounded by thousands of hectares of golden grain fields, where Luv-a-Duck ducks convert into magnificent meals.

Our ducks are a special breed, featuring a young, tender, meaty duck with a high breast meat thickness. Our processing plant is equipped with state-of-the-art processing equipment and is accredited for export.

We are Australia’s leading producer of duck products with our own sales and distribution centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and distributors in all other cities. We export Australia’s Favourite Duck to Asia, South East Asia, the Pacific Islands and to the Middle East.

We take pride in being a world leader in the industry, continually setting the standard for quality and innovation. Our responsibility to the natural environment and our community is the driving force behind everything we do. It is our mission to provide our customers with high-quality duck products through a sustainable business that evolves according to demands and trends by customers.

Company Profile

The Company

Family owned and managed, Australian company
Established in the 1960s
Stable and experienced senior management team
Fully integrated operation, including Egg Production, Breeding, Hatching, Growing, Processing, Marketing, Selling and Distribution divisions

Location

Luv-a-Duck farms are located in the sunny and spacious Wimmera wheatlands in Western Victoria, halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide
The main farm is on 200 hectares and surrounded by thousands of hectares of grain fields
Isolation enables the enforcement of strict quarantine procedures to prevent disease
Mild climate
Unlike European and American farms, where due to extreme weather climates ducks are raised in heavily insulated barns, Luv-a-Duck ducks enjoy clean, light and airy, open sided, sheltered enclosures
Luv-a-Duck products are sold and distributed throughout Australia
Luv-a-Duck exports to South East Asia, Pacific Islands and the Middle East

Statistics

Largest fully integrated duck operation in the Southern hemisphere
Employs over 200 people
Accommodates over 400,000 ducks on 6 specialised sites
Produces up to 105,000 ducks a week

State of the Art

Luv-a-Duck is a world leader in the industry
Ducks are selected in an advanced quarantine breeding division
Incubated and hatched in the latest automated units
Grown on clean, spacious, open range, protected by airy, dry, shaded enclosures
Processed in a fully automated, state-of-the-art processing plant and further processed in a modern commercial kitchen
Marketed, sold and distributed with the aid of highly computerised delivery systems
One of the founding members and instrumental in the foundation of the Australian Duck Meat Association (ADMA) over 20 years ago, which led to the development of the Farm Biosecurity Manual for the Duck Meat Industry.

The Luv-a-Duck Breed

Unique white Pekin type breeds developed from local and imported strains
Fed on the best quality grains grown in the sunny Wimmera wheatlands of Western Victoria
Grown under the watchful eye of specialists in husbandry, nutrition and veterinary care
Processed at approximately 6 weeks of age
Producing a fully flavoured, tender, lean, meaty duck

Market Segments

Foodservice
Asian Foodservice
Retail Meat Departments
Airlines
Contract Packing
Export

Each of these segments is specialised and has individual requirements for both the finished products and customer requirements.

Luv-a-Duck’s Point of Difference

Our duck products are consistently tender, meaty, high quality and hygienically processed and packed
We offer a wide variety of innovative value added portion control duck products
Ducks are killed Halal according to the Islamic Rite for our many Muslim customers
Produced in an ethical and environmentally sustainable manner in the world’s cleanest environment

Meeting And Exceeding Standards

21st Century Duck

Luv-a-Duck is working with the booming hospitality industry, improving quality, crafting new dishes and researching more convenient ways to present duckling in a world which has less and less time for "slow" food
The company’s own chef is closely involved in the development of new duck products as well as being available for assistance and advice about cooking and presenting duck

Accreditation

Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) Export licence No. 178
AQIS Meat Safety Quality Assurance (MSQA) No. 530
Victorian Meat Authority No. A31
HACCP based Food Safety System
Halal Certification of all products as directed by the Islamic Co-ordinating Council of Victoria (ICCV)
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore approval

Awards

2017 Family Business Awards

Hall of Fame

Luv-a-Duck was inducted into the Family Business Australia VIC Hall of Frame 2017, in recognition of our contribution to the success of Australia’s economy, community and culture.