RUTLAND – The Vermont Butcher Shop, the leading proprietor of “honest” meats and victuals from the Green Mountain State and surrounding area, will soon provide the newest ingredient in Rutland’s ongoing revitalization.
Nick DeLauri, co-owner as well as native son of Rutland, said The Vermont Butcher Shop closed on property on the northwest corner of Route 7 and Allen Street last Monday, and hopes to open the new store, the company’s third, by late June. The high-profile site, a former Texaco station, has sat empty for years.
“We are thrilled to become part of the ongoing revitalization in Rutland, while providing simple, healthy food to customers in the greater-Rutland region,” DeLauri said.
The Vermont Butcher Shop, which specializes in grass-fed beef, heritage pork and humanely raised chicken, already has a commissary and retail store in Londonderry and a retail shop in Manchester Center. Like the other retail sites, the Rutland store will also feature a variety of house made sausages, pasture-raised lamb, humanely raised veal, charcuterie, and seasonal specialties.
“Our goal is to help Vermonters live simpler, healthier lives, preserve working farms, our natural, working landscape, and the tradition of hard work, resourcefulness and self-reliance,” DeLauri said. “That’s a central focus of everything we do, from the way we raise animals ourselves, to choosing the farmers we work with to provide the best possible quality and value.”
DeLauri said the Rutland expansion fits well with the company’s principles. “Our ideals include being a part of a community where people trust and rely on each other, and as we began to explore Rutland, our reception illustrated those qualities in spades,” DeLauri said.
Vermont Butcher Shop began considering Rutland after hearing about the effort to recruit Phoenix Books, spearheaded by Green Mountain Power. DeLauri contacted GMP Vice President Steve Costello last fall. Their discussion led to a broad collaboration involving GMP, Mayor Chris Louras and the Rutland Redevelopment Authority, Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, Rutland Economic Development Corp., MKF Properties, Downtown Rutland Partnership, and Castleton University. Several of them offered incentives to Vermont Butcher Shop, while others provided advice and information.
“Everyone worked together, providing creativity, a welcoming environment, support, and local knowledge on everything from zoning to possible sites,” Costello said. “The store will be a vast improvement to a long-tired corner, and represents one more chapter in the ongoing rebirth of the city.”
Mayor Louras, who visited the Manchester store almost immediately after meeting DeLauri for the first time in November, said local residents and visitors are in for a treat.
“The focus on quality feed, animal health and care, and local and regional sourcing is inspiring,” Louras said. “Their products and the company will be first-class additions to Rutland’s retail market, and the location is fantastic. That corner has been a concern for years.”
A complete renovation of the Route 7 property is planned this spring, DeLauri said. In keeping with the effort to make Rutland the Energy City of the Future, the store will feature an air-source heat pump, LED lighting, and other energy efficiency measures.
DeLauri said the store would provide a quality of meat many customers haven’t seen before. “Treating animals humanely, feeding them a natural diet, and providing plenty of fresh air and water is the right thing to do,” Delauri said. “It also produces what we call ‘honest meat,’ a much higher-quality product that tastes better and provides a better value.”
