Local Business Spotlight: Fitzgerald's Butchers, Fermoy

It's never been more important to shine a light on small businesses in our localities. The hardworking people behind the counters provide our communities with more than just a product or service — they inject life, laughter and conversation into our days, something that other modes of shopping just can't seem to replicate. 

Local Business Spotlight aims to uncover what makes these businesses so special by speaking to those who know them best. This week, we caught up with Barry Fitzgerald to find out what makes Fitzgerald's Butchers tick. 

Yours is a family-owned business established almost 60 years ago. How has your shop and farm evolved during that time?

The business has evolved a lot since it was started in the ’60s from when butcher shops were the only place where you could buy meat to where meat is now sold in every supermarket in the country! 

We had a thriving business in the ’70s & ’80s but the growth of the supermarkets has seen the demise of the traditional butcher shop.

Turning to the wholesale side of the business and growing it was a major factor in keeping the business going in the ’90s & ’00s but the big companies have also targeted that sector to price out the small butchers.

We knew we had to diversify again to stay relevant so we made plans to renovate the shop and reinvent what we do, which we did in 2017, gutting the shop and giving a total refit. In doing so it has totally changed our business back to being a busy shop again. 

What are the main advantages of sourcing meat from your own farm?

The main advantage of having our own abattoir and our own livestock is that we can control exactly what we sell over our counter and how it gets there. 

From breed, condition, hanging time, dry ageing, custom cuts and above all quality of what we sell!

In the last few years, we have seen people become more & more interested in where their food comes from and how it gets there & how they are treated!

We have total control with the fields surrounding the abattoir to the shop being just 3 miles away = almost zero food miles! 

Do you have any special traditions? If so, how do you honour them while embracing modern methods and/or technologies?

We age all our beef, pork & lamb on the bone which increases the flavour and quality of our meat. We hope to showcase this in the future with dry-aged display cabinets in the shop but the key to doing this is controlling both temperature & humidity.

In our game shortcuts is a slippery slope to follow, traditional methods (curing, sausage making, dry-ageing) takes time to achieve the best results.

The only big change in the last 50 years is the development of new & better machinery, with the electric saw being a huge one. 

In your opinion, what is the key to building a successful local business?

A great knowledgeable workforce in our business is vital, knowing your customers and constantly improving/introducing products! Keeping up to date with new trends. Businesses have to change so fast now, online sales have exploded this year, we are hoping to head in that direction soon.

How has Covid-19 affected your business overall?

Covid has changed some businesses forever, we have been one of the more fortunate ones in that almost every butcher in the country has seen an upturn in business over the last year! 

In better times, what’s your favourite Fermoy spot to have a bite, grab a pint, or just sit and watch the world go by?

Fermoy has changed a lot in the last 30/40 years with a lot of places closing and more recently we have the revival of the town with great eateries opened, coffee shops. There is plenty of great pubs in Fermoy to choose from. In the last few years, we have seen a lot of new eateries open from Hannas, Ed’s, The Heron, The Coffee House and a few more.

What are you most looking forward to doing after the pandemic?

Having a pint with friends and getting back to normality.