Is Waterloo Region in a butchers' renaissance? Andrew Coppolino says yes

In September, 2017, Tony Lobrutto opened a butcher shop on Weber Street in Waterloo, responding to what he calls customer demand for service and "new food ideas."

"This was a good decision for our business. I wish we'd done it earlier," Lobrutto says of the relatively new store he operates.

With his brothers Sam and Peter, the St. Agatha-based Lobruttos continue what their father started in 1978 with Charles Quality Meats. They have a farm and busy stands at both the Kitchener and St. Jacobs Markets.

Butcher shops are seeing something of a renaissance in cities both large and small. That may seem counterintuitive given the interest in plant-based diets; however, while beef production is down, according to The Western Producer, an agricultural publication in Western Canada, beef consumption is up slightly in Canada over the past couple years. 

Butcher shops in Waterloo Region continue to grow, finding support in a customer base that eschews the convenience of the grocery store for personalized and knowledgeable service, unique cuts and knowing where their food is sourced.

They are, in fact, connecting to the supply chain more closely. 

Add to that the fact that customers in the region can afford better meat, according to Lobrutto, who sells product as far north as Timmins, and "This area has a lot of people willing to pay the extra money for better product. Perhaps more than other places in Ontario."

'Wasn't anything like this in the area'

Size of town doesn't seem to matter: In Listowel, Shawn and Erin McIntosh opened their own store this past December, McIntosh Farms Butcher Shop, selling chicken, beef, pork and lamb from their own farm.

Butcher shops and deli counters doing brisk business include DiPietro's in Cambridge, Stemmler's Meat and Cheese in Heidelberg and Elmira Meats. In Kitchener, Steckle Heritage Farm offers butchery workshops with butcher and instructor Jamie Waldron.

Kitchener's Victoria Street Market has a butchery business that has grown over the past couple of years. It features a unique dry-aging cooler for premium beef cuts.

Operating on Louisa Street in Kitchener for seven months now, ForeQuarter Butcher Shop owner Colby LeMoine saw a gap in the market and, having worked at Bauer Butcher, opened his store. 

"There wasn't anything like this in the area, in this neighbourhood. High quality without being pricey and giving people variety at the same time in their meat needs," LeMoine says.

Butchery is an ancient trade. The original early-Medieval butchers (from the French "bouchiers") only processed and sold goat meat, but butchers today sell a wide range of meats, local honey, locally baked bread, mustards and sauces as well as gluten-free and vegan foods.

'People are returning to butchers'

In business for 20 years, Brady's Meat and Deli has experienced year-to-year growth, according to owner Rob Brady, who trained in butchery in England.

"I think people are returning to butchers, and not just for Easter specialties. They want to know where the meat comes from and how to cook it," he says.

Brady diversifies every year and adds new products that he creates when inspired.

He cuts sirloin "baseball steaks" and makes South African boerewors sausage, a primarily beef sausage. You'd be hard-pressed to find either in a grocery store.

"I can come up with an idea and make it that day," he says. "You can always offer customers something new."

Lobrutto says demand at farmers' markets has continued to grow as well.

"Customers were having to wait and struggle through crowds, and we didn't want to lose them. That was one of the biggest reasons to open the store," Lobrutto says.

In fact, those crowds represent educated consumers who lead the renaissance.

"I've noticed that it used to be a lot more focussed on basics when it comes to meat, but now, there's a demand on different cuts and different marinations. Also, the grocery part of our business is in more demand," says Faaez Al-Hendi of Ammar Halal Meats of Kitchener.

Customers expanding tastes, butchers say

Ammar expanded their small store on Lancaster Avenue several years ago and are considering expanding again. 

From his compact counter inside Vincenzo's in Waterloo, Matt Kendrick, co-owner of the Bauer Butcher, has noticed significant change since they opened nine years ago. 

"Customers do their research and want to try cuts no one would have asked for a few years ago," he says.

But, do butchers walk a tight line along plant-based proteins and vegetarianism? These butchers say it has actually been part of the renaissance and a business opportunity.

"It has opened up a good conversation about the meat we are eating," Kendrick says. "Customers are educated about the meat they want to eat, and they ask questions about farming practices, feed, animal welfare and the environment."