Many in Berwick will know the Travaglini family name. Father and son Rino and Eddie Travaglini were local butchers for many years, but have now started a new chain of stores set to serve around Melbourne, as well as a variety of restaurants. And as Eddie tells KATHRYN BERMINGHAM, it’s all based around the customer.
“Let’s face it, there’s people out there that are on pretty tight budgets and they want to put a meal on the table for four people for under 20 bucks and that’s do-able, then there’s other people that don’t really care and they just want a good steak.”
WHEN it comes to meat, Eddie Travaglini knows it all.
At 14, he left school to take up a butcher’s apprenticeship, and learnt the ins and outs of the trade at the hands of his father, Rino. It was the start of a long and highly successful partnership for the pair, who would both spend much of their careers operating Tasman Meats in Berwick.
Now, the father-son duo are revolutionising the traditional butcher shop and changing the way locals buy their meat.
Rino retired from Tasman in 2008 and Eddie left about three years ago.
“We got out and decided to start again,” Eddie said.
His new company, Australian Butchers Store (ABS), focuses on providing a wide range of choices to its customers.
“I think people like the choice,” Eddie explained.
“Let’s face it, there’s people out there that are on pretty tight budgets and they want to put a meal on the table for four people for under 20 bucks and that’s do-able, then there’s other people that don’t really care and they just want a good steak.”
Eddie says the stores will measure about 800 square metres, to house the desired range. The first is already open in Dandenong and the second, on the corner of Boronia and Scoresby roads, in Boronia, is due to open its doors on 13 April.
Not only will the range offer customers choices that they’ve never had before, ABS stores will see shoppers in a new environment.
“We’ve got a concept store in mind, that’s going to have a grill,” Eddie said.
“One of the biggest things for now is hygiene, people are looking at that even above price. We’ve gone away from the traditional meat window and if you bring something to us we’ll slice it or mince it right in front of you.”
The Dandenong store currently employs 17 staff, but Eddie says he expects there will eventually be around 100 working in stores that form an arc around Melbourne.
And it’s not all about retail. ABS also supplies to an impressive list of restaurants, and recently put its fourth truck on the road.
“We probably do 150 restaurants and cafes in the CBD right through to Yarra Glen to the peninsula,” he said.
“Because we’re catering to the restaurants we’re offering the same product we offer to restaurants to the public.
“We’ll take on as much as we possibly can.”
The range of meat has been carefully considered, again with the customer in mind.
When sourcing beef, ABS selects well-bred British breeds of cattle, such as Angus and Herefords, which are 100 per cent grass fed in south-east Victoria. It is then hung in a custom-designed, prime safe approved aging chiller.
Similar to its beef, the lamb selected by ABS is all natural pasture fed, and free from artificial additives and hormones. It is sourced from the Goldfields region of Victoria, famous for its fertile land, which helps produce meat that is tender in texture and mild in flavor.
The chicken in ABS stores is free range, RSPCA approve and AGP (antibiotic and growth promotant) free. Chicken is sourced from farms that are committed to animal welfare, for example Hazeldene’s Chicken Farm in Bendigo.
The last of the main four meats, pork, is also sourced locally and certified free-range. It is also free from hormones, chemical residues and growth stimulants, to provide consumers with a top quality product.
In keeping with its customer-focused approach, Eddie says ABS recognises the popularity of free-range meat and may look at stocking organic meat in future.
“We’ll probably, at some stage, have an organic range, it’s just a matter of seeing what the customers want.”
As well as meat, ABS will stock a small range of complementary grocery products.
In business, as in cooking, it’s important to get the recipe right. Eddie says a lifetime of working with his dad has seen them form a great balance.
“Dad does what he wants now,” Eddie laughed.
“He gets out there and mingles with people and oversees things.
“He’s handy to have around.”
And Eddie’s personal favourite? He keeps it simple.
“I cook beef, rib eye,” he said.
“Quick pan fry and 10 minutes in the oven. Brown both sides at about 160.
“Doesn’t get better than that.”
