13 October, 2021

Customers reignite expert butcher’s retail passion

Butcher Todd Treadwell’s butchery career has almost come full circle with his purchase of Well Hung Artisan Butchers in Milford last month.

After spending much of his 30 years in the industry contract boning and working for other butchers, taking ownership of a retail business returns him to a role he first experienced when he owned a butchery in Whangaparaoa in his early 20s.

Looking back, he thinks he was too young to own that first shop. He soon sold out of the business, preferring to work for others.

But after taking on the Executive Butcher role at Well Hung three years ago, the engagement he enjoys with his Milford customers has inspired him to return to butchery ownership.

“Our Milford customers are such lovely people it reignited my passion for owning a retail business again,” he says.

“Having been Well Hung’s Executive Butcher for the past three years, I am excited for the opportunity to now take ownership of the business and to continue delivering quality products and service to our customers.”

It’s a familiar part of the world for Treadwell, who grew up in Forrest Hill.

Well Hung has two stores effectively over the road from each other, one on Kitchener Rd and the other in the Milford Mall, each offering a slightly different focus.

“Our Milford Mall shop is more of a grab-and-go store, whereas our Kitchener Rd premises is our destination store.” says Treadwell.

The grab-and-go store inside the mall offers single cuts of all meat as well as delicious ready-to-eat meals prepared by the Well Hung team.

Everything is sourced from the highest-quality livestock and is entirely gluten free. The only thing not made in-store are the gourmet condiments.

The Kitchener Rd store is where most of the meat preparation happens and where Well Hung’s tempting selection of dry-aged meats is displayed in several chic glass-door fridges.

Treadwell says that keeping things simple is key to the business, offering some new items but focusing tightly on the needs of the customer.

“We like to engage each customer and understand their needs, so sometimes other customers wait to get served. But they will also get the same personalised service from our experienced team.

“Our most popular cut is the bone-in ribeye, but some of our new offerings like the chicken mignon and lamb koftas are also selling really well in our mall store,” he says.

“Our ‘cooked-to-order’ rotisserie options of pork, lamb, and chicken (not to mention our duck-fat roasted potatoes) have also been exceptionally popular – so much so that we purchased a second rotisserie for our Milford Mall store.”

In either store, the customer’s requirements are paramount. “If we don’t have what a customer wants, we will do our best to get it,” says Treadwell.

Well Hung is known for its award-winning sausages, with more than 40 popular recipes it rolls out through the year to set sausage lovers’ mouths watering. Like everything at Well Hung, all the sausages are made from quality ingredients and all are gluten-free.

“We’ve won awards for our sausages and, more importantly, our customers keep coming back for more!” he says.

To help meet the needs of its large and loyal customer base, Well Hung has attracted and retained plenty of great butchery talent with years of experience in the industry.

One butcher, Tracey Sorenson, is like Treadwell a career professional, with 30 years in the trade. Another key staff member, Jamie Beals, is a trained chef who can offer advice on how best to cook each cut at home.

“We are always evolving with what we offer,” says Sorenson. “This is from listening to our customers’ needs and doing our best to add value to their daily lives in a real way.”

Since opening three years ago, Well Hung’s reputation has spread far and wide. Filling a real gap in the market by providing home cooks with access to restaurant-quality, dry-aged meat, with customers ordering cuts from across the North Island.

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