Butchery still their business

STILL OPEN: They might not be offering the same varied lines of meat they used to, but the doors are still very much open at Farm Meats on the corner of Gladstone Road and Albert Street. Alic Brown (left) took the business over in the 1960s and his son Glenn has been running it for the past 20 years. Picture by Liam Clayton

Change is in the wind for Farm Meat Services in Gladstone Road but while the butchery remains up for sale the proprietors have no plans to close the doors.

Glenn Brown has had the business at the Albert Street corner on the market for the past 12 months.

“Originally it seemed like it was the time to go and leave the business,” he said.

“But a change in circumstances at home persuaded me to keep the business going, albeit without the more specialised meat lines we used to sell.”

Glenn said they were still operating the farm kill side of the operation.

“We also continue to offer a more limited line-up of meat products in the retail side of things.”

Brothers Fred and Jim Forshaw and Fred’s son Brian started Farm Meats at Makaraka.

They moved to the current site in 1934.

Fast forward to the late 1960s, when Glenn’s father Alic bought the business.

“Glenn worked in here as a 17-18- year-old, then took over the running of the place about 20 years ago.”

He bought his father out in 2008.

Alic Brown said he had seen the retail butchery market change dramatically here over the years.

“The price of the meat today, well, it’s so dear if you don’t sell what you have in stock you lose money.

“The supermarkets have much bigger buying power than us.

“It is hard to keep up with them, yet our prices are about the same as theirs.”

There used to more than 24 retail butchery shops in and around Gisborne.

“Now there are only six, including us.”

Glenn said there was someone interested in the land and building, and someone else interested in buying the butchery business.

“But nothing has been finalised as yet.

“If it doesn’t sell I have decided to keep it going in the meantime, and we want our customers to know that.”