Meet the Team

Jay O’Harae’s journey is one of craft, resilience, and connection to place.

After completing Year 12 in Ballina, Jay stepped into the kitchen at Rae’s on Wategos as was trained under the watchful eye of renowned hotelier Vincent Rae. In one of Byron Bay’s most iconic kitchens, Jay honed the discipline, precision, and creativity that would come to define his career. He continued his culinary progression at Dish, a celebrated two-hatted restaurant in Byron, and later at Bayleaf Café, where he deepened his love for local produce and community-driven hospitality.

Seeking new horizons, Jay moved to Brisbane and started as a barista at Plaza Deli Bistro. Through determination and leadership, he rose to become the Operations Manager of the Insyde Restaurant Group, overseeing multiple venues and refining his business acumen in the hospitality world. In 2012, with the birth of his second child on the horizon, Jay returned home to the Northern Rivers and took on a new trade—training and working as an electrician while staying deeply connected to the land and food culture that shaped him.

That grounding led to a pivotal meeting with Greg Cromwell, a regenerative farming advocate and heritage breed enthusiast. A shared love for Dexter cattle and sustainable practices sparked a conversation over an afternoon beer—and the seeds of a partnership were sown. Together, they purchased Mullumbimby’s long-standing butcher shop, Devine Quality Meats, determined to preserve its legacy while reimagining its future.

Today, Jay is the operational heart of Devine. He brings a chef’s eye to every cut, a farmer’s ethos to every decision, and a passion for ethical sourcing and true provenance. While Greg supports the vision and supply from Cromwell Farms, it’s Jay who steers the shop day-to-day.

Front of house is now led by Jay’s niece, Bronte—the smiling face of the business. Bronte manages customer service, coordinates social media, and ensures that every interaction reflects Devine’s values: honesty, community, and quality without compromise.

Vince Devine has sold top quality, locally sourced meats to the locals and newcomers alike for over 50 years, opening Devine Quality Meats in Mullumbimby over 30 years ago. The new owners Jay and Greg, who are locals and farmers themselves, are excited to continue the legacy that is Devine Quality Meats – Mullum’s Butcher.

We are a retail butcher shop that has proudly served the Mullumbimby community for over 30 years and we pride ourselves on our quality products and customer service.

We source as much local as we can, from sustainably bred animals. Because it’s good to know the farm where your product is coming from, and how they have been treated and fed. And our Northern NSW local cattle are all top quality.

There’s a quote attributed to US philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson that Greg Cromwell likes to live by:

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

With a resume that includes starting a brewery, exporting Blundstone and RM Williams boots to Canada, setting up his own branding and marketing company and co-founding an espresso machine business, the Canadian-born entrepreneur has certainly forged plenty of his own paths.

But of all his ventures, the one that’s given him the greatest sense of purpose and pleasure is Cromwell Farms, a mixed farming enterprise he began with his family in the Byron Bay hinterland more than 20 years ago.

Starting with a few chooks, Cromwell Farms now comprises two properties, a herd of Dexter cattle, heritage breed pigs and chickens, horses, kelpies, plus a citrus orchard, fruit trees and a market garden. Coffee and olives are also in the mix.

“I hadn’t anticipated we’d end up with two farms, 30 head of cattle, 35 pigs, 40 chooks, five dogs and four horses, but it all just kind of kept on growing.”

The vision for the butchery was to “be able to have a constant source and supply for people to try our meat and get it through what I call a ‘regular’ channel, rather than sell animals ad hoc when they’re done,” Mr Cromwell said, “I think the market’s there for food with a real tasty story.”