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A Quedgeley butcher and deli which was forced to close due to rising utility costs and overheads has good news for its customers. Following a conversation with a customer talking about the large customer base and social media following, the owners decided to reopen a smaller and scaled back business to serve their regulars.
The Orchard Deli was operating from the Orchard centre in Quedgeley for seven years. When it was announced the shop would close, customers were said to be extremely disappointed and did not know where they should go to buy their fresh meat produce.
The Orchard Deli owners closed their business three weeks ago, and are pleased to announce the opening of The Orchard Butchery. They will focus on selling and preparing quality meats, and serve a small selection of deli items.
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The Orchard Butchery is owned by Darren Payne, 57, and his wife Julie Payne, 51. They were staggered when customers were bulk buying trays of their shop made faggots and sausages during The Orchard Deli’s final week of trading.
Mr Payne said: “At The Orchard Deli, we were always busy, but the cost of utilities was just phenomenal. We decided to close and pack it in but I had the idea put to me to open on a smaller scale by a customer.
“We have such a large customer following, so Julie and I started looking at what we could do. We have a premises which is smaller where we shall be able to prepare and sell meats, as well as make our pies, sausages and faggots.”
Mr Payne says The Orchard Butchery will sell high quality meats and produce as he did before. However, he hopes with lower overheads he will be able to offer competitive prices.
He said: “We shall be serving high quality meat but at more competitive prices as our overheads will be lower. I am hoping we shall compete with supermarkets in price.”
The Orchard Butchery will open in Unit 47 in the Space Business Centre in Quedgeley near the Royal Mail sorting office. It is hoped the first day of opening will be this Saturday (March 25).
Mr Payne said: “When we announced we were closing, our customers were asking us where they could go. There are not many butchers around as we are a dying breed.
“Our customers travelled from miles away to buy our meats and hams which we make ourselves. On the last week of opening at The Orchard Deli, I had one customer buy 10kg of sausages to keep them going and another bought 10 trays of faggots.
“We shall be still glazing our own meats, and in the summer months, we shall be doing our barbecue packs as well. We really like to be able to see our customers, and if they do not know how to cook a certain meat, we are able to give them cooking tips if they would like.
“I love people coming to the shop. We know our customers and I look forward to seeing new ones when the new business opens.”
Over the coming weeks, The Orchard Butchery will be taking orders by email, Facebook and Instagram. Visit here for more details.
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