As beef prices rise, small butcher shops adapt to changing demand

Tolland, Connecticut — Stephen Boyer has owned The Country Butcher in Tolland, Connecticut, for nearly 40 years. He says the holidays are one of their busiest times of the year.

“It’s about 20-25% of our yearly sales that we do during this four to six week portion of the year,” Boyer said.

But this year, those holiday orders may come with a higher price tag, with beef steak up 15% compared to last year, according to the Consumer Price Index. Pork and chicken are up just 1%.

“It’s a supply and demand issue. We’ve also had issues with drought last year,” Boyer said.

Disease is a growing concern, too. The domestic cattle population has dropped to the lowest level since 1973.

As a small business, Boyer can’t compete with the bigger retailers who have more purchasing power.

“The big chains, they’re taking big chunks of that and that does affect us. That’ll affect pricing and availability for us,” Boyer said.

With higher prices, customers are looking for alternatives.

“People have definitely made some change in their buying habits. We have seen our sausage sales spike up probably about 20% more than they were at this point last year. So I think people are looking for alternatives,” Boyer said.

After 36 years in business, Boyer remains optimistic, even when times are tough.

“We’ve seen the ups and downs in beef and pork and poultry and you know, what we always get through it. You just have to give it a little time,” Boyer said.