Help me start a butcher shop!

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

Hello,


I am an aspiring butcher that wants to change the meat industry with innovative ideas and a charity for the homeless and needed some budgetary direction for how much money I could make if I bought bulls at auction, had them processed, and sold in a standard retail butcher shop.


I just had a few questions on a standard 1200lb bull:

- Will I be getting most of the profit from the various steaks only or will the ground beef also yield most of the profits?

- On average, how much per hundred weight for a fully grown steer in a USA auction?

- How much would transporting one steer to a processing plant be per mile on average?

- How much would skin/cut/bag processing be per steer if I slaughtered it myself and left the rest to them?

- How much more would it be to dry age the carcass for one month prior to cut & bag?

- How much is cold storage per pallet?


Thanks!

 

[SonnyE]

You are dreaming big. But have MUCH to learn...
I'd suggest you begin with the regulations.

 

[smokerjim]

As sonny said after you learn all the regulations and get all the permits, if it were me I'm not sure I would be looking to buy on the hoof, I would look into box beef which is already broken down and clean, then you can pick and choose what you carry depending on what sells the best and would be much easier for you to cut yourself not needing transportation , slaughter house etc. You could pick a cheap hand wrapper somewhere to wrap everything yourself, this way you could Cut only what you need daily to fill your case or by order.

 

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

Oh so your saying just buy boxed beef and a manual plastic wrap machine and fill orders that way?

Where is a good source for boxed beef?

Also, I am looking at offering certified Halal Meat as I am Muslim. Do you think the time offer Halal boxed meat?

Thanks!

 

[smokerjim]

That's what I'm saying, I'm not sure where you live but look into meat distribution places, meat packing plants, or if you know any butchers or can talk to one in a supermarket they can probably point you in the right direction basically that's all supermarkets use. As far as halal I have no idea, that may be a little harder to find.

 

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

Excelent.

Now, if I were to go to school to be a Halal butcher (the community college by my house offers a trade program here) and I opened a retail butcher shop (think a Halal carneceria), how much could I make per 1200 lb steer?

I would make most of my money from the actual steaks rather then all the the ground beef I would get right?

Thanks!

 

[smokerjim]

You'll definitely make more on alot more on steaks, probably 8 to 10 dollars more a pound, but unfortunately buying on the hoof you will get alot more burger then steaks.

 

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

I just looked online and they're saying you get 200-250 pounds of steak per 750 pound hanging weight cattle.

Is that right or is it more like 120lbs of steak and the rest of the 350lbs of meat as ground beef?

Source: http://igrow.org/livestock/beef/how-much-meat-can-you-expect-from-a-fed-steer/

Thanks!

 

[flatbroke]

Hello,


I am an aspiring butcher that wants to change the meat industry with innovative ideas and a charity for the homeless and needed some budgetary direction for how much money I could make if I bought bulls at auction, had them processed, and sold in a standard retail butcher shop.


I just had a few questions on a standard 1200lb bull:

- Will I be getting most of the profit from the various steaks only or will the ground beef also yield most of the profits?

- On average, how much per hundred weight for a fully grown steer in a USA auction?

- How much would transporting one steer to a processing plant be per mile on average?

- How much would skin/cut/bag processing be per steer if I slaughtered it myself and left the rest to them?

- How much more would it be to dry age the carcass for one month prior to cut & bag?

- How much is cold storage per pallet?


Thanks!

You might make more off of pork.

 

[pc farmer]

SO you have no experience at all and wanting to do this? RULES and regulations I know nothing about but are very important to know and follow. Thats one thing holding me back from a catering business.

Now, 750 lb hanging weight means that animal weighed around 1500 - 1800 lbs. Average looses 50%, better looses 40%, hide, guts, ect.

You get more then steaks and burger from a animal. Roasts ( all kinds ), steaks (all kinds), burger.

Bulls are cheap but dont taste good. Heifers or steers are better for eating.

 

[smokin peachey]

SO you have no experience at all and wanting to do this? RULES and regulations I know nothing about but are very important to know and follow. Thats one thing holding me back from a catering business.

Now, 750 lb hanging weight means that animal weighed around 1500 - 1800 lbs. Average looses 50%, better looses 40%, hide, guts, ect.

You get more then steaks and burger from a animal. Roasts ( all kinds ), steaks (all kinds), burger.

Bulls are cheap but dont taste good. Heifers or steers are better for eating.

Good advice

 

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

Can't do pork for religious reasons.

I am going to go to school for this.

I am going to open a retail butcher shop and a retail processing plant after I'm done.

If I buy a 750 carcass for $2300 and process it myself do you think I would earn $500 per carcass if I sell each cut retail in my butcher shop?

That is with average retail beef prices at the grocery store please.

 

[flatbroke]

Are you in a 1 horse town or a booming metropolis

 

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

Phoenix, AZ but I can relocate anywhere in the USA and even Canada.

I just need like a 25% return to make sense of this.

Thanks!

 

[Bricklayer2]

It is always refreshing to see someone with passion to try something new. I was self employed as a mason for 26 years and it was good, it raised my family. These are my suggestions:

1)Education, learn the background to the industry, rules and regulations, skills etc. Community College Is a Good start
2)Find a butcher willing to hire you and teach you and develop your skills. 2-4 years, a good meat cutter is a skill/craft
3)Develop a good business plan, do your homework,
4)Go for it, you will never know unless you give it a try

 

[chef jimmyj]

It is always refreshing to see someone with passion to try something new. I was self employed as a mason for 26 years and it was good, it raised my family. These are my suggestions:

1)Education, learn the background to the industry, rules and regulations, skills etc. Community College Is a Good start
2)Find a butcher willing to hire you and teach you and develop your skills. 2-4 years, a good meat cutter is a skill/craft
3)Develop a good business plan, do your homework,
4)Go for it, you will never know unless you give it a try

Great advice. I can understand your enthusiasm. Been there. I am a retired Pro Chef and Culinary Instructor. I graduated #1 in my class and was hired to open and manage the kitchen of a new restaurant. From there, 6 months, I bought into my own restaurant with a partner. I quickly learned that I didn't know S#!T about managing a restaurant or a staff. We went out of business and lost everything in 8 months!
School gets you the basics. You learn primals, subprimals, muscle names and retail cuts. But until you get a year or more of on the job training in a slaughter house / butcher shop, actually cutting meat, maintaining stock, ordering, following sanitation and safety regulations, going through a health inspection and learning all the hundred of tricks of the trade they never show you in school, you will ABSOLUTELY FAIL within your first year. It don't matter how smart or ambitious you are, you have to have Experience before you open a business. Right off the top...What are doing asking how to run a Butcher Shop on a Smoking meat website? Yes there are a few working or retired Butchers here and guys that have started various businesses but we collectively can't offer much. There are all kinds of meat processors forums and organizations where EVERY member is or was doing exactly what you wish to do! You should be asking those with specific expertise.
We are happy to have you here and glad to help where we can but, Young Man, slow down, finish school, work a couple of years actually cutting and selling meat and then start looking at opening your own shop. Good luck...JJ

 

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

Thank you very much to all those that replied.

I just checked and couldn't find any meat processing or butcher shop forums.

I just wanted to know how much money i could make buying on the hoof and processing myself.

There is no real break down of how much you could make from a butcher shop per steer.

Thanks!

 

[InThePittBBQ]

All I do these days is catering, but have owned two small regional butchering and processing locations in the past offering processing for rural folks for beef, hogs, lamb and poultry.

If you really intend to slaughter, process and retail package meat (Halal or otherwise) your going to need a half million dollars or more these days to acquire and build out a bare bones facility that will meet minimum state inspection requirements and with the phase out of R-22 refrigeration and freezer equipment coming in 2020 with a total ban on R-22 importation plan on that end of the business costs skyrocketing going forward.

Plan on hiring 4 full time employee's to handle even a very small operation, you will not be able to meet all the standards of state compliance in a timely manner attempting to run a slaughterhouse with just you and a helper. You will be inspected daily by the state and the return on investment for a small operation will put you right into bankruptcy if you carry any dept load on the business.

That's my nice way of saying there are plenty of well established Halal processors in the states and you don't stand a chance trying to compete with them. The same holds true for Kosher processors, the real money these days is in identifying a market where there is a shortage of retailers and getting into that end of the business

You'll have a learning curve for compliance with storage and handling for a retail meat counter but there's a big demand for one stop shops that offer Halal groceries and meat under the same roof.

You should get in touch with the Islamic Co-Op of America, they supervise and certify wholesale Halal meat processors and they are a good resource for information and training. They can also introduce you to established distribution sources.

 

[Ahmed Alrawashdeh]

I was initially prepared to invest $1 mill in this project but i just wanted to know how much you could earn per steer if you bought at auction and sold retail.

Thanks!

 

[jcbigler]

Creekstone Farms in Arkansas City, Kansas is certified Halal, or at least they were a couple of years ago.

If you are looking to go to school, Texas A&M has an entire meat sciences department where they teach slaughtering and preparation, safety, inspections, and even have a couple of courses in Kosher and Halal. They have at least one Muslim faculty member. Would be worth contacting them to see what kind of programs they offer.