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Naturally Raised Meats


Some of Alberta’s best locally raised grass-fed & barn raised meats
are now at the Italian Centre.


Antibiotic, hormone and chemical free. You’ll find these clean, healthy, lean cuts in a designated cooler at each store. Exclusive to the Italian Centre Shop, we are proud to feature grass-fed Piedmontese beef, as well as locally-raised lamb, pork, bison, milk-fed veal, elk & lamb. We also stock antibiotic and hormone free chickens from local Hutterite farms.


Our Beef & Pork sausages are gluten, lactose, sugar and filler-free. Meat and spices. That’s it. Packaged by our friends at Messinger Meats in Red Deer, this range features humanely raised animals and some of the most tender, protein-rich meat around. Grass- fed animals are raised in the open air and eat what nature intended. Grass.







Grass-Fed Piedmontese Beef


is exclusive to the Italian Centre, raised at Peony Farms, Lacombe. The beef comes from special cows first introduced to Alberta in the early 70’s from Italy. Cooked gently, this meat is soft enough to be cut with a fork and needs 30% less cooking time than ordinary beef.  Tender, delicious, you will be amazed. We guarantee.  Piedmontese cows have a unique gene, compared to regular beef which needs fat for flavour:


  • Anti-biotic and hormone free. Grass Fed.
  • A higher lean-to-fat ratio, (less marbling needed to stay tender).
  • Unique gene makes meat tender & flavourful without need for fatty marbling or aging.
  • Even lesser cuts are tender & juicy.
  • 30% less saturated fat, calories & cholesterol.
  • Higher percentage of good for you Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.
  • 1/3 less cooking time due to tenderness.
  • Fed in winter, (fuel for the cold), with farm-grown cereal grain for perfect quality & age.
  • Cows raised by Peter & Emma DenOudsten, Peony Farm, Lacombe
  • Find Recipes here.












Our beef, lamb, bison, pork and elk farmers follow sustainable farming practices and

raise their animals naturally on the land, without chemicals.



  • Barn-Raised Pork

    • Alberta has some of the best pork in the world and our award-winning hogs are barn raised by the Zuidhof family in Blackfalds. Chemical & antibiotic free, the animals are free to roam around on the farm & in sheltered pens. Find tasty pork recipes here. This pork won”The Grand Champion” at the 2014 Alberta Pork Congress.

  • Bison

    • Is one of the leanest meats of all, about 33% less fatty than regular beef. Our bison is raised outside on the ranch and totally chemical free. Bison is easily substituted in recipes calling for beef – stews, steaks, roasts, ground…but because it’s leaner, it needs to be cooked about a third less time. Bison has less calories than any other meat and a very high protein ratio.

  • Milk-Fed Veal

    • Our veal is raised on the family run farm by Cornel & Cremona Primrose in Central Alberta. Their two young daughters are already in training. The male, bull calves are free to roam and fed on their mother’s milk which means the meat is a light pink in colour and has a light soft texture.

  • Alberta Raised Lamb

    • Chemical, anti-biotic and hormone free our lamb are grass-fed and raised naturally on farms across the province. We stock whole leg, shanks, chops & ground lamb.

  • Elk

    • Our Elk is raised by the Stewart family in Ponoka. Elk eat grass, bark and 11 kg of vegetation per day. Meat tastes like a cross between beef & venison. It’s high in protein & low in fat & cholesterol. Elk is also a good source of iron, phosphorus and zinc. Wonderful in slow-cooker recipes: Cover in olive oil before frying to seal.



*Read more about Messinger Meats and Piedmontese Beef  in Culinaire Magazine