Our Story
Every morning, without fail, Daniel, or Dan to the Locals, is up at six. He pulls on his boots, pours a coffee, and walks out into the cool Tasmanian air to check on his quail.
The valley is quiet at that hour. The birds are calm. And for Dan, there's no better way to start the day.
"Nothing beats eyes on the birds," he says. "You can have all the monitoring systems in the world, but there's something about being out there in the morning that tells you everything you need to know."
Dan runs Rannoch Quail from Tasmania's Coal River Valley, where the climate is dry, stable and cool; exactly what quail need to thrive. By the time the rest of the team arrives later in the morning, Dan already understands how the day will unfold. It’s a rhythm built on consistency, care, and experience, something that can’t be rushed or automated.
Our Origins
It began with a simple idea — and a belief that something different could exist.
The farm has been producing premium quail since 1979, when it started as a hobby and quietly grew into one of Australia's most respected specialist producers.
On Tasmania’s Tasman Peninsula, Bruce Wiggins saw something others didn’t. While chicken dominated Australian kitchens, quail was almost unheard of. Yet in Europe, it was prized — a delicate, flavourful bird celebrated by chefs.
He recognised an opportunity: to introduce something new, something refined, something better.
The challenge wasn’t farming quail — it was changing how people thought about it. And more importantly, giving them a reason to care.
lThe turning point came with a realisation: if Australians were unfamiliar with quail, they needed a new way to experience it.
Rather than asking people to understand the product, Bruce set out to reimagine how it could be enjoyed.
From this moment, a new direction emerged — one that would shape the future of Rannoch Quail.
It didn't happen overnight. It happened because someone cared enough to do it properly, and kept doing it that way
The Journey
What followed was years of persistence, experimentation and belief.
Building a market from the ground up meant working closely with chefs, introducing them to a product few had cooked with before. It meant refining the offering, adapting to how people wanted to eat, and finding ways to make quail both accessible and desirable.
There were challenges — changing perceptions, building demand, and establishing consistency — but there were also early supporters. Chefs who recognised the quality. Kitchens that embraced the difference.
Slowly, quail found its place. And with every kitchen that adopted it, the story grew.
The breakthrough came with a simple but powerful shift.
By developing ready-to-eat smoked and butterfly boned quail, Rannoch Quail created an entirely new entry point — one that removed uncertainty and invited people in.
Suddenly, quail was no longer unfamiliar. It was approachable, versatile, and unmistakably delicious.
Chefs embraced it. Diners remembered it.
And from that moment, there was no turning back.
A New Chapter
In 2020, Rannoch Quail entered a new chapter under new ownership, continuing the legacy built over decades.
Now based in the Coal River Valley, the farm remains grounded in the same principles that shaped its beginnings — quality, care and a deep respect for the craft of farming.
With the cleanest air, fresh water and cool conditions, the region provides the ideal environment for raising exceptional birds.
But more importantly, it’s the mindset - doing things properly, every day - that defines this chapter.
With a background in agriculture and a keen interest in modern farming technology, Daniel has built on the strong foundations of the business while introducing new systems to future-proof its operations.
Strict protocols and forward-thinking practices ensure the integrity of Rannoch Quail is protected, while adapting to the evolving standards of modern farming.
"Better conditions produce better birds," Dan says. "And better birds produce better food. It really is that simple."
Closed-Loop System
One of the defining features of Rannoch Quail is its fully integrated, closed-loop farming system.
The thing that makes Rannoch Quail different isn't just the Valley, though the Valley helps enormously. It's the fact that every single bird is hatched, raised and processed on the farm.
Eggs are hand collected daily; carefully incubated for two weeks, then moved across to the hatchery where the chicks arrive onto pre-warmed sawdust bedding, already set up for a good start. Five to six weeks in the barn, growing at their own pace, and then they're ready. From there, the birds are humanely processed, boned or butterfly boned, and packed on site. Nothing leaves the property unaccounted for. And nothing goes to waste either. Waste products are turned into compost, to provide nutrients to the soil.
This eliminates the need for transport off the property, significantly reducing environmental impact and stress on the birds, while allowing complete oversight at every stage.
Animal welfare sits at the centre of every decision. Healthy, well-cared-for birds produce the highest quality product, and it is something the farm takes pride in.
Sustainability & The Land
At Rannoch Quail, nothing is wasted. Organic by-products are carefully composted on the farm and returned to the land as nutrient-rich fertiliser, supporting the surrounding environment and helping to regenerate the soil over time. That same soil then sustains native growth across the property, encouraging a healthier, more resilient landscape and greater biodiversity. This closed-loop approach reflects a simple philosophy; thoughtful, purposeful farming in which everything has a role, and each part quietly feeds and renews the next.
Compost systems are managed with care and attention to balance, ensuring that every scrap of organic material is converted into valuable humus rather than ending up as waste. The fertiliser produced enriches soil structure, increases moisture retention and promotes the activity of beneficial microbes and invertebrates. As soil vitality improves, native plants establish more readily, stabilising slopes, creating habitat for insects and birds, and forming a buffer that protects waterways from erosion and runoff.
Over seasons, the farm’s regenerative cycle strengthens ecosystems both within and beyond property boundaries, demonstrating how deliberate on-farm practices can foster long-term resilience and biodiversity.
As custodians of the land
Looking Forward
In classic Australian fashion, has been pretty unambiguous. "These are bloody good eating, mate." Said one local customer, Award winning, as it turns out. But that one lands differently. It shows that the secret is getting out.
The locals know…the locals know premium. They are Tasmanian, it’s what Tasmanians do. Cool climate quail, raised in Tasmania's Coal River Valley. The kind of place, and the kind of farming, that gets inside the product.
The team at Rannoch Quail wouldn't have it any other way.
From humble beginnings as a hobby farm, Rannoch Quail continues to evolve as a leader in premium poultry.
Small in size and rich in flavour, quail has earned its place on menus and in kitchens across Australia and beyond. From professional chefs to home cooks discovering how quickly a butterfly-boned quail can transform a meal, the appeal continues to grow.
And as the business looks to the future, the focus remains the same:
To produce exceptional quail, honour the legacy of the past, and continue introducing this remarkable bird to new generations.
Because in the end, it’s still about doing things properly — every day — just as it always has been.