The Butcher & Grocer sells varieties of meat that are 100 percent pastured and free of antibiotics and growth hormones. Photos courtesy of The Butcher & Grocer
In 2014, Tony Tanner’s close friend Rob Young was diagnosed with cancer. The two were talking one day and could not help but wonder, how did this happen to a man who on paper was perfectly healthy?
Tanner realized it all comes down to food: what we eat and where it comes from.
Young passed away later that year, and Tanner became intrigued by the quality of food we eat. He began searching for properly raised and processed meat, but had little luck outside of farmers’ markets. He began developing the idea of opening his own butcher shop, one that would sell the best quality meats and products.
The idea started to become a reality the following year. When developing a Pig Butchery Club in 2015, Tanner met butcher Tim Struble. As it turned out, Struble had the same idea as Tanner. With Tanner’s business sense and Struble’s experience as a butcher, the two decided to become business partners. A year and half later, they have their own shop.
The two now run The Butcher & Grocer, a new shop dedicated to selling high-quality meats along with cheeses and grocery produce. The meat is 100 percent pastured and is free of antibiotic and growth hormones.
All of their suppliers are local Ohio farms, which they believe is important for supporting the local economy. The two see no reason to ever go outside of Ohio.
“Our beef travels 100 miles to get to us,” says Tanner. “Why would we want it to come 300 miles?”
The shop has developed a close relationship with the farms. All full-time staff members have also visited all the farms in person, learning about the product. Tanner says locating the right farms was the most difficult challenge during development, saying it took longer than construction.
Tanner gives particular credit to Lynn Semingson of Symmes Creek Ranch in Gallia County for helping. Semingson helped Tanner and Struble locate many of the farms they use, in addition to supplying their beef.
The shop also purchases the whole animal, refusing to receive animals from a box or bag. Struble says whole animal butchery allows for better flavor and texture. It is also more cost efficient and allows for less common cuts of the meat.
“Using boxed beef, you’re losing everything else,” Struble says. “A cow isn’t comprised of just two muscles. You have to use everything.”
Struble is a butcher with a unique origin story. His father was a vegetarian and told Struble that, if he was going to eat meat, he should know where it comes from. Struble began learning about meats and began working as a butcher at age 16.
Struble says their philosophy makes the place accessible for everyone.
“I think that this is the only place that a vegetarian or vegan would ever feel comfortable buying meat,” he says.
The two say the response from the Grandview Heights community has been great, with some people having returned every day since they opened. They say they have been overwhelmed with positivity. The two are happy about running a shop on First Avenue, saying it’s exciting to grow and develop with the area.
For now, Tanner says the shop is just trying to keep up the momentum, letting the product speak for itself.
“The return of the neighborhood butcher shop is necessary for the safety of our food,” Struble says. “It’s necessary for the economy, it’s necessary for the health of the community.”
Lindsey Capritta is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
