The Family
Two Brothers. One Vision.
They didn’t set out to reinvent an industry just a sheep.
In the high country of Black Springs, New South Wales, Graham and Martin Gilmore, third-generation sheep farmers, faced a confronting reality. Lamb, once an Australian icon, had fallen behind. It was inconsistent, labour-intensive, and often rejected for its strong aroma and unpredictable eating quality.
What if lamb could be better?
Not marginally better but fundamentally reimagined.
No breed existed to solve these problems, so the Gilmores set out to invent one. The catalyst came on a research trip to South America, where they observed haired meat sheep thriving in hot climates without the need for shearing. The insight was simple but revolutionary: what if Australia had a lamb bred for its future, not its past? So they asked a bold question that would change everything.
The Challenge they faced
Traditional lamb breeds presented fundamental problems that couldn't be solved with incremental improvements, they needed complete reimagining.
Inconsistent Quality
Unpredictable eating quality made lamb unreliable for professional kitchens.
Precision breeding for consistent marbling and tenderness
Labour Intensive
Overly dependent on skilled shearers and complex wool management
Hair sheep requiring no shearing or mulesing
Off-Putting Aroma
Strong aroma often led to rejection by consumers and chefs
Elimination of lanolin through wool-free genetics
A Generational Pursuit
What followed was more than a breeding program, it was a generational pursuit.
Working from the ground up, the brothers developed the Australian White: a hardy, fully haired sheep with no wool, no mulesing, and naturally superior yield and temperament. It was a breed designed to thrive in Australian conditions and deliver a cleaner, more consistent eating experience. But the journey didn't end there.
The Discovery
As they refined the Australian White, the Gilmores noticed that certain lines possessed exceptional eating quality, finer marbling, milder flavour, and a delicacy not found in conventional lamb. To understand and enhance this trait, they partnered with food science expert Associate Professor Aduli Malau-Aduli. Through careful selection and refinement, they developed a new standard in lamb.
They called it Margra, a name formed from Martin and Graham.
A living legacy. A lifetime achievement
Martins Legacy
While Martin passed away before seeing Margra reach its full potential, his vision lives on in every lamb. His unwavering belief that lamb could be fundamentally better became the foundation for everything that followed.
Today, Graham continues the work alongside his sons, James and Ross, who now lead the next chapter of the Margra story from their farm in Oberon, NSW.
Their focus remains unchanged: ethical breeding, exceptional eating quality, and innovation from the paddock up.
"Martin and Graham devoted their lives to the art and science of livestock breeding."
The Legacy Lives On.
From a small property in regional New South Wales, they set out to reinvent lamb, not by chance, but by design. Their legacy lives on through Margra: a lamb born of precision, bred without compromise, and raised to thrive in the Australian landscape.
From the paddocks of Oberon to the plates of the world's best restaurants, Margra remains a quiet revolution in motion, one built not on marketing, but on mastery.
Two Brothers. One Vision. A Lamb Like No Other.
"Margra sets the standard by which all lamb should be measured"
Experience the Vision Realized.
Discover how Martin and Graham's revolutionary vision translates into the exceptional lamb that defines culinary excellence today.
Oberon, NSW Australia