The Lucky Pig has taken home 4 National Gold Medals at the 2026 Australian Meat Excellence Awards, with national recognition across bacon, kabana, kransky and smoked chicken.
These results place The Lucky Pig among the top-performing retail butchers and smallgoods producers in Australia for 2026.
For us, this is more than a nice headline. It is a strong result on a national stage, against some of Australia’s best butchers and smallgoods makers, and it reflects the standard we work to every day in Bentleigh.
Here’s what we took out on the national stage:
- Free-Range Shortcut Bacon – Gold Medal, Short Loin Bacon category
- Jalapeño Kabana – Gold Medal, Kabana category
- Cheese Kransky – Gold Medal, Kransky category
- Free-Range Smoked Chicken Breast – Gold Medal, Chicken / Turkey (Ham) category
What are the Australian Meat Excellence Awards?
The Australian Meat Excellence Awards are hosted by the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) and bring together retail butchers, smallgoods makers and meat industry professionals from across the country. The 2026 awards night in Melbourne celebrated excellence across 45 categories and recognised the craftsmanship, consistency and innovation that continue to drive Australia’s meat industry forward.
That matters because these awards are not about marketing spin. They are judged within recognised product classes and benchmark products against others in the same category. In other words, you are not just entering a product and hoping for the best. You are being measured against serious operators producing at a high standard.
4 national golds for The Lucky Pig
We were proud to see The Lucky Pig listed among the national gold medallists in four different categories. That breadth is important to us. It shows strength across multiple areas of our smallgoods range rather than a one-off result in a single niche line.
Gold Medal – Free-Range Shortcut Bacon
Our Free-Range Shortcut Bacon was awarded national gold in the Short Loin Bacon category. Bacon is one of those products that sounds simple until you try to make it properly and consistently. It needs clean flavour, the right cure balance, strong eating quality and a finish that keeps people coming back for another pack.
This is the kind of product that earns its place in regular weekly shopping, not just on a special occasion. If you want to try it for yourself, you can shop it here: Shortcut Bacon.
Gold Medal – Jalapeño Kabana
Our Jalapeño Kabana picked up national gold in the Kabana category. This is a product that needs balance. The smoke, seasoning, texture and jalapeño heat all need to work together rather than compete. Too heavy in one direction and the whole product falls away.
We love products that still feel traditional at their core while bringing a bit more personality to the cabinet, and this one has become a standout for exactly that reason. You can shop it online here: Jalapeño Kabana.
Gold Medal – Cheese Kransky
Our Cheese Kransky was awarded national gold in the Kransky category. A good kransky has to deliver on bite, smoke, seasoning and overall eating quality, while the cheese needs to complement the sausage instead of overwhelming it.
This product is currently available in store at The Lucky Pig. If you are shopping locally and want to try one of our national gold medal winners, this is absolutely worth asking for at the counter.
Gold Medal – Free-Range Smoked Chicken Breast
Our Free-Range Smoked Chicken Breast earned national gold in the Chicken / Turkey (Ham) category. Smoked chicken is one of those products where there is nowhere to hide. It needs to be juicy, properly smoked, well seasoned and clean on the finish. When it is done well, it is simple, versatile and seriously good eating.
This product has become one of the strongest examples of what we mean when we talk about quality smallgoods made with care and consistency. You can shop it online here: Free-Range Smoked Chicken Breast.
What it takes to win in these categories
Without the judging sheets, we are not going to pretend we know every point-by-point comment yet. When those come through, we will update this page with more detailed judging insight. What we can say now is that products in these categories are judged against expectations built around flavour, balance, texture, appearance, consistency and overall eating quality.
That is why these results mean something. Winning gold is not just about having a good idea. It is about execution. It is about producing something that holds up under scrutiny in a recognised class, alongside strong entries from around Australia.
For us, that reflects the way we approach product development at The Lucky Pig. We care about the little things: ingredient quality, formulation, finish, smoke balance, texture and repeatability. Awards do not replace customer trust, but they are a strong external signal that the work is being done at a high level.
Why this matters to customers
If you are a customer shopping for your family, a result like this gives you confidence that you are buying from a butcher producing at a nationally recognised standard. It means the products in our cabinet are not there by accident. They are built with care, tested by the market and now independently recognised at national level.
If you are trying The Lucky Pig for the first time, these four gold medal products are a very good place to start.
- For breakfast and everyday use: Shortcut Bacon
- For grazing boards, entertaining or gifting: Jalapeño Kabana
- For something hot and satisfying from the cabinet: Cheese Kransky, available in store
- For sandwiches, salads, platters and easy meals: Free-Range Smoked Chicken Breast
Why this matters to chefs, venues and wholesale customers
These results don’t just matter for retail customers.
For chefs, clubs and venues, they signal consistent product quality that performs under pressure, not just in a display cabinet, but on the plate.
The Lucky Pig is continuing to build both retail and wholesale capability, and awards like these reinforce what we want the market to know: we are not just trying to look good online. We are focused on producing quality products that perform where it counts.
Backed by consistency, not a one-off result
This 2026 result builds on the momentum we have been working hard to create over the past few years. If you want to see our previous national award success, you can also read our 2024 results blog here: The Lucky Pig Butchery shines at the 2024 Australian Charcuterie Excellence Awards.
For us, that continuity matters. It shows that the standards behind The Lucky Pig are not random and they are not temporary. We are building a business, range and reputation around doing things properly.
You can also explore our international results at IFFA 2025 here.
We will keep updating this page
As more assets arrive, including judging sheets, plaques, digital award assets and event photography, we will continue updating this page. That will let us add more detail around category performance, product presentation and the full story behind these four national gold medal results.
From National Success to the International Stage
Results like these don’t just stand on their own. Strong national performance is what opens the door to international competition.
Following previous success at Australian level, The Lucky Pig has already stepped onto the global stage at IFFA — one of the world’s leading smallgoods competitions — earning international medals for our products.
As we continue to build on our 2026 results, we’re now looking ahead to future international competition, including IFFA 2028.
Read our IFFA 2025 international results here.
For now, the headline is simple: 4 national gold medals, across 4 standout products, at a national level.
Visit The Lucky Pig in Bentleigh
If you want to try our award-winning range, visit us in store at 452 Centre Road, Bentleigh, or shop online for selected products through our website.
Whether you are shopping for breakfast, entertaining, easy lunches, grazing boards or quality smallgoods made by a team that genuinely cares about the end result, these products represent some of the best of what we do.
Map link:
The Lucky Pig on Google Maps