While supermarket shelves are being stripped bare due to staff shortages and supply chain disruptions, smaller community producers are showing why it pays to shop direct from the source.
Meat in particular has been hard to come by, but butchers in the city are well positioned to cater the demand given they receive produce direct from the paddock.
Big Gun Wholesale Meats’ Laurie Lucas, a butcher of 22 years, said the key for them is their connection to the farmer.
“The farmer owns this shop, so the beef is coming straight to the abattoir and comes here, so we’re are producing it,” he said.
He said major supermarket chains have been setback by a lack of workers due to COVID.
“The boning rooms and facilities producing facilities are experiencing difficulties with worker shortages,” he added.
Being able to get source directly from the farmer helps eliminate supply chain issues locally, Mr Lucas said.
Most of the beef in stores around Queensland comes from down south in NSW and Victoria.
Mr Lucas’s store gets their supplies from their farmer down in Moama, Victoria.
Matthew Barnes from Zac’s Continental Butchery in Regents Park said aside from some minor staffing setback due to COVID, it has been business as usual.
“We haven’t really had trouble getting everything, we’ve still got everything in stock,” he said.
