The couple, who married a year ago, bought Leelands from founders Bill and Sue French in December last year to continue putting export-quality southern lamb on the plates of domestic consumers.
Invercargill-based Mr Hamilton is a stock agent for Blue Sky Pastures, travelling all over the lower South Island in his role.
His wife is a rural manager for insurance company FMG and still lives in Waikouaiti where her eight horses are another of her passions.
Consolidating their partnership in one permanent place had not quite happened yet, but Mrs Hamilton quipped it was why the marriage was working so well.
In the winter of 2023, the couple stayed on a 1 million-acre sheep ranch in Nevada, home to Hank Vogler, founder of the Need More Sheep Company who was running 15,000 sheep "literally on a desert".
They also visited several boutique-type meat plants which were catering for the paddock-to-plate story and they became inspired to do something similar back home.
Leelands was established by Mr and Mrs French 12 years ago when the couple, who farm near Invercargill, decided to go to market with their own lamb.
It slowly built up, serving solely the domestic market, including high-end restaurants and supermarkets, and an online business delivering lamb to the door.
Mr Hamilton and Mr French would catch up at the weekly Lorneville stock sale and the young couple approached the Frenchs about their succession plan in the business.
Mr and Mrs French remained their main supplier of lambs which numbered between about 30 and 40 a week, year-round.
The couple said they were keeping Leelands virtually the same as the Frenchs while adding their own "twist" to it, which had included adding some new cuts.
The lambs, which were finished on chicory, were processed in Invercargill after being aged for five days, and could be prepared into cuts to meet the specifications of chefs.
The couple were fascinated to talk to chefs and hear how they used the various cuts.
They also relished the direct feedback every week.
While their meat was not wonky, they had become involved with supplying Wonky Box which was also championing local growers.
The couple saw plenty of potential for growth in the business, particularly online, and expected they would need more suppliers as that happened.
Their involvement in the business covered everything, from running the website to doing the marketing and selling, and they agreed it had been a big learning curve for both.
"I’d been on the farmgate side of it, it’s been a good challenge," Mr Hamilton said.
"And a lot of work," his wife added.
