Renowned Fannie Bay butcher to be carved off

Fannie Bay Gourmet Meats has been providing quality gourmet meats to the Darwin area for more than 20 years.

The past 10 have been under the care and ownership of Terry and Bronwyn Wilkins.

It is known for its consistent quality of meats and service.

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Now the husband-and-wife team want to pass the mantle on to someone else keen to buy a thriving business.

Renowned for its excellence in meat, the business is only going on the market after Terry underwent 18 months of painful hip surgeries.

As much of a wrench that it is to farewell the business, the probability of more hip surgery has forced Terry’s hand.

“This is a great business and we have many, many wonderful customers,” the couple say.

“We get a lot of people who come here regularly because they know they can get good advice on the meat they want for the occasion.

“They may want a particular cut, or gourmet meat they can’t get in a supermarket or something as simple as barbecue or roasting meat suggestions. We can do whatever the recipe says they need and we can prepare it how they like.

The shop is able to predominantly run itself, as our dedicated staff know what is required to run it on a day-to-day basis

“Local butchers are a niche market. People like to be able to go into their local butcher and get not only quality meat but quality service.

“You do not get that in a large supermarket. You don’t get to talk to a specialist in this field. What is out in the meat cabinets is your only option at a supermarket.

“We have had a great run and this is a super business.”

Terry and Bronwyn says customer service has always been a big part of the Fannie Bay Gourmet Meat’s recipe for success.

“Darwin is still a relatively small town and our clientele thrives on our reliability in quality and service,” they say.

“Our clients come from far and wide because of the shop’s good reputation. We have a lot of new clients simply because of third-party recommendations from happy customers.

“We get people that come in from the rural area and they might come in once a fortnight or once a month.

“We also get a lot of remote community orders. This time of the year is exceptionally good because people have families up for holidays and we have more people in town.

“Being close to the sailing club, we also get a few sailors from yachts buying before sailing off again.

“The shop is able to predominantly run itself, as our dedicated staff know what is required to run it on a day-to-day basis.

“For us, it has also been about training and making sure our staff know how to give the best service. We have a fantastic team of four butchers, two apprentices and about 14 high school students who come in on a roster to clean and serve customers.”

This article from the NT News originally appeared as “Fannie Bay Gourmet Meats on the market”.