The new owners of a small slaughterhouse in Eastern Ontario have not only ensured the continuation of an important service for local farmers, but have also transformed their facility into an informal school for aspiring butchers.
Quinn’s Meats in Stone Mills, Ont., Had been for sale for a few years before being purchased in February 2021 by Kara and Darold Enright, much to the relief of local meat farmers.
Although the couple are not new to meat breeding, taking over a slaughterhouse turned out to still be a steep learning curve, says Kara Enright.
“I have to admit that within the first few months, we just looked at each one and we thought, ‘What have we done?'” She said. “We have certainly questioned our decision several times.”
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The new owners of Quinn’s Meats in Stone Mills, Ont., Are facing a shortage of skilled labor, and have started an informal butcher training program. Co-owner Kara Enright, veteran butcher Dave Kingston and student butcher Annie Garrett spoke to CBC News. 1:27
The previous owner, Brian Quinn, wanted to retire, so he put the slaughterhouse and the adjacent delicatessen up for sale after 45 years of business.
“We thought, ‘Well, someone will take it over,'” Kara said.
As sales dragged on without a deal, many in the local meat-growing community, including Enrights, which runs a small cattle ranch near Tweed, Ont., Became concerned about losing access to a small slaughterhouse offering specialty cuts at a time when the waiting list for many slaughterhouses extend up to a year.
“Our family, as well as other local farms, struggled to get their animals treated,” Kara said.
“There is not much processing capacity and we were worried that if we lose another processor in the area, it will put even more pressure on the other slaughterhouses. So we decided to take a look.”
She says the visit led to the final purchase of the slaughterhouse and the family’s willingness to serve local farmers and residents.
“We decided it was a really good option … We love being in a community that has access to all this local food.”
Crew problems
Unlike much larger meat processing plants, Quinn’s Meats offers tailor-made cuts of animals, made by a staff of four to five butchers, who mostly work by hand at a communal table.
Since there is no assembly line, every meat cutter at Quinn’s is expected to treat a variety of animals from start to finish.
Kara Enright says the workflow was a staffing challenge for the new owners.
“What we did not realize when we first decided to buy the slaughterhouse is that it is actually really difficult to find experienced and skilled labor, and especially butchers,” she said.
So the owners turned to the slaughterhouse’s veteran butcher, Dave Kingston, to pass on the profession’s skills to a newer generation through on-the-job training.
“When you work here, you become a rounded meat cutter,” Kingston said. “You learn all the different cuts.”
Satisfactory career
One of the four student butchers is Annie Garrett, who has worked at Quinn’s for the past 12 years as a meat wrapper.
“I’m too curious. I thought, ‘How do you do that?'” Garrett said. “When Enrights took over and they lacked people with those skills, I was willing to do that.”
Garrett admits it has been a steep learning curve despite all her previous days at the facility.
“Are to see [the butchers], they made it look easy, “she said.” But as soon as you have the knife in your hand, yes, there is definitely a skill there. “
In the end, Garrett says that not only is she happy to still be a part of Quinn’s Meats, she’s also enjoying a new level of satisfaction that her new skills bring her.
“It’s a little fun to know that something I do goes home to someone’s family, and they feed them that.”
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