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Emu Oil: Fat is Good
Fifteen years ago, Ann Breen was an avid equestrian suffering from terrible back pain. She was researching natural pain relief options when she learned about the oil made from emu fat. She tried it, it worked, “and next thing her husband surprised her with a pair of emus for a birthday gift.”
That’s how Neshobe Farms in Brandon was born, and today, with roughly 100 emus, it’s one of a handful of Vermont farms raising emu for oil (and meat). So explains Barbara Stewart, the business manager for Vermont Prime Emu Producers, a consortium of emu farms selling their health and skin care products under one name.
In addition to the farm run by Ann and her husband, Peter, there’s Riverside Emus in Newbury, owned by Bud and Bunny Scott and their son, Larry, and his wife, Peggy Hewes. Two other emu farms were part of the consortium until recently, when their owners retired.
Emus—flightless birds related to the ostrich, but smaller—are native to Australia, where oil from the bird has been made for hundreds of years. But they’ve only been raised in the U.S. for a couple of decades. “They were a big rage 15 to 20 years ago,” Barbara explains. “Emu meat was going to be the next big thing.”
Indeed, the meat is lean and dark red, tasting like beef. But although Vermont Prime Emu Producers does sell meat, it’s with pure emu oil that the business has found its niche. Emus have a thick layer of fat on their back, separate from their meat (which is why the meat is so lean)—in fact, a bird usually carries 35 lbs. of meat and 20 lbs. of fat. So it makes economic sense to use the fat in some way.
When the fat is rendered, it offers anti-inflammatory benefits to people suffering from muscle or joint pain. The oil penetrates deeply into the skin without feeling greasy and without causing chemical side effects, Barbara notes. Emu oil is also highly moisturizing and can be used on burns, cuts, and wounds.
In addition to pure emu oil, Vermont Prime Emu Producers manufactures shampoo, bath salts, and soaps, as well as a moisturizer with added calendula and chamomile, and lip balms made with olive and almond oils. The products are made by “co-packers”—manufacturers already making a certain product who agree to manufacture the same product using Vermont Prime Emu Producers’ ingredients.
As for the emus? “I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re friendly, but they’re docile,” Barbara says. “Ostrich are known to spit, but the emu are not aggressive. They’re also very curious creatures.”
A New England Coalition of Emu Farms was recently formed to unite regional producers of emu products. And Barbara says that Vermont Prime Emu Producers is always looking for more emu farms to join their fold.
—Caroline Abels
More info: vtemu.com