LET’S TALK BUSINESS - The awards keep coming!

This month we asked Andrea Beard, from AJ’s Country Meats in Palmwoods, to share what life is like for a local, award-winning, hugely popular butcher’s shop.

By Victoria McGuin

If you haven’t visited AJ’s Country Meats in Palmwoods, I highly recommend you do. Their award-winning kabanas, or their regular ‘Whacky Sausages’ are reason enough! My personal favourite breakfast ‘whacky’ sausage is Vegemite and Cheese, followed by

Bacon, Waffle and Maple Syrup, but they constantly experiment with new combinations. 

Justin and Andrea Beard were both born and raised in the country, in a small town out west called Wandoan.

“I grew up on a cattle property, the eldest of five children, while Justin was the youngest in his family, with an older sister,” shared Andrea.

“We both attended the same school, and although I knew Justin growing up, it wasn’t until after we’d finished school that our paths crossed again. We’ve been inseparable ever since!”

Justin’s passion for butchering started at a young age, having grown up surrounded by generations of butchers and their knowledge of the trade. Combined with Andrea’s upbringing on a cattle property, they shared a genuine passion for quality meat, traditional butchering and everything that comes with it.

That passion eventually led to them opening their own butcher shop in Taroom in 2018. 

“We wanted to create something special — a place where quality mattered, traditional skills were valued, customers felt welcome and we could take pride in everything we produced,” said Andrea.

But there’s another part to their story.

“For years, our favourite place to escape to on holidays was the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. We spent many holidays at beautiful places like Secrets on the Lake and

Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat. We absolutely fell in love with the area, its natural beauty, the rainforest and the peaceful lifestyle.

“We would often dream about how wonderful it would be to live somewhere so beautiful one day. But at the time, it was just that — a dream. Well, they say be careful what you wish for!” Andrea said with a big smile.

“After six years of pouring our hearts and souls into our butcher shop in Taroom, we’d grown and expanded the business to what we felt was its full potential. In 2023, we were awarded Queensland Butcher Shop of the Year, along with 13 awards at the Australian Charcuterie Excellence Awards. Those achievements gave us the confidence to dream even bigger.

“And then, almost as though it was meant to be, we discovered that the butcher shop in Palmwoods was for sale. Of all the places it could have been, it was right in the heart of the Hinterland we’d fallen in love with all those years ago.”

They took the leap, packed up their lives and their passion, and brought AJ’s Country Meats to Palmwoods.

“What we’ve found here is so much more than we ever imagined,” Andrea admitted, “a beautiful community that has welcomed us with open arms, supported our passion and made us feel right at home.

“We’ve focused on building a wonderful team of friendly, welcoming ladies who work alongside me out the front, looking after our customers. This allows Justin and the butchers to concentrate on what they do best out the back — cutting quality meat, making sausages, producing our award-winning smallgoods and keeping up with demand.

“We’ve learnt that having the right people in the right roles makes an enormous difference, and we’re incredibly grateful for the team we have.”

“Each day, by 6.30am, we are at the shop, ready to get stuck into it! Knives to sharpen, meat to cut, steaks to slice and display cabinets to fill with all the favourites — kebabs, burgers, wing pops, sausages and everything in between.Then the doors open, and we’re off!

“Because we make everything ourselves, right here in-store, from our burgers, sausages and kebabs to our award-winning smallgoods, all handcrafted from scratch, it’s a never-ending cycle of production. 

“Throughout the day, we’re juggling customer orders, serving, preparing meat and keeping those display cabinets looking full and inviting. And just when you think you’re getting ahead, another rush of customers comes through the door!

“Before we know it, it’s time to clean, pack everything away and close the doors at 5.30pm. If all goes to plan, we’re heading home around 6pm.”

Andrea shared one of her fondest memories since moving to Palmwoods.

“Last year we decided to have a bit of fun with our customers — guess the exact weight of the Christmas ham and you win it!

“Our whole team got involved, and we had an absolute ball watching, encouraging and cheering on customers as they tried their luck. Then came that magical moment when a customer actually guessed the exact weight!

“Well, you should have heard us! The whole shop erupted in cheers, clapping and excitement. You would have thought we’d all won the lottery! But what made it truly special was the look on our winning customer’s face. That smile was unforgettable!”

Andrea and Justin believe life is too short not to enjoy it. 

“There will always be challenges, setbacks and people who might try to dull your sparkle, but you have to believe in yourself, stay positive and keep shining.

“And when things get tough, sometimes the best thing you can do is have a good laugh, dust yourself off and keep going! 

“Life’s too short not to sparkle and laugh along the way!”

AJ’s Country Meats, 2/4 Margaret St, Palmwoods 4555 / Phone: 5445 9006 / Website: ajscountrymeats.com