James Wills had always wanted to be a butcher and had been told about two opportunities, one by a friend, one by his mum.
When he delved deeper, he found they were both talking about an upcoming apprenticeship at the same butcher.
“I always wanted to be a butcher, so I was pretty keen on it and I applied,” he said.
“I was really keen to learn, so it was a good fit.”
James’ boss, Greg Lindener, had always told him he planned to retire about 10 years after taking on the young apprentice.
The opportunity actually came up after only nine years, and James said accepting it was a no-brainer.
“I thought it’d be silly not to,” he said.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet. I’m doing most of the same things I always did, but now I’m also paying the bills as well.”
James said that on his first day, all those years ago, he never imagined one day it would be his butcher shop.
“It’s pretty much business as usual,” he said.
“The shop hasn’t changed. We have a few customers who have been coming here since I started.
“You get to really know them. Some were single people, then they got married, then they had kids, now the whole family comes in.
“It’s great to have a chat with our regulars.”
When James started the apprenticeship, he was living in Yea and commuting.
“I’ve lived in Seymour now for five years,” he said.
And as a local, James knows the value of stocking local produce and looking after customers.
“What sets us aside from the supermarkets is the quality of the meat,” he said.
“We source our hanging stock from Wangaratta.
“Some of our most popular items are the cabanas. The bacon is really popular and people like our steaks.
“The chicken also sells really well. We also have easy oven meals, which do well.”
Taurus Gourmet Meats is located at 62 Station St, Seymour.
It is open 6.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and from 6.30am to 12.30pm on Saturdays.
7°C