The Vermont Butcher Shop celebrated the grand opening of its newest store, located at 180 South Main St., Friday, Oct. 13 with a ribbon cutting and open house.
“Healthy, locally raised meats will be our focus,” co-owner Nick DeLauri, a Rutland native, said. “Quality and value are hallmarks of our products, along with a focus on animal wellbeing and health.”
Pictured left to right, Nick DeLauri and JD Sharp open Vermont Butcher Shop in Rutland
The Vermont Butcher Shop, which specializes in grass-fed beef, heritage pork and humanely raised chicken, has a commissary and retail store in Londonderry and a retail shop in Manchester Center. Like the other retail sites, the Rutland store features a variety of house-made sausages, pasture-raised lamb, humanely raised veal and beef, charcuterie, and seasonal specialties. The store also carries specialty crackers, cheeses, salts and spices, and staff are fully trained to give customers detailed information on how to prepare and cook every product.
“We believe that treating animals, the environment and our customers with respect creates a better product and a better experience,” DeLauri said. “Everything we do is focused on providing the best quality possible and real value to Vermonters. That all starts with raising many of the animals ourselves, and working with farmers who share our commitment to the working Vermont landscape, animal health, and quality.
“It continues with education about specific cuts of meat, and how to get the most out of every purchase,” DeLauri said. “The quality of our products and the knowledge of our staff are unparalleled.”
Delauri said a focus on fresh water, high-quality feed, and access to the outdoors produces what he calls “honest meat.” “Raising animals this way is the antithesis of factory farming, and produces a happier animal and a much higher-quality product that tastes better and provides a better value,” DeLauri said.
The new store, on the northwest corner of Route 7 South and Allen Street, has been long vacant, most recently housing a Texaco service station. “It’s a simple design that honors the building’s past while offering a great work space and customer-focused area,” DeLauri said. “It’s designed to welcome customers and display our products in a simple, clean, efficient way.”
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 Well over a year ago. Their discussion led to a broad collaboration involving GMP, city officials, 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 the store.
“The arrival of the Vermont Butcher Shop is a win for cooperation on economic development, and for that corner,” Costello said. “The store is a vast improvement to a key city gateway, and a metaphor for the city at large.”
Lyle Jepson, executive director of REDC, has known DeLauri since he was a student in the culinary arts program at Stafford Technical Center, which Jepson formerly led. “Nick was a leader even in high school, to the point that after he graduated, we hired him as an instructor in our evening courses,” Jepson said. “I’m excited to see him coming full circle and bringing this new business to his hometown.”
