Founded in November 2018, Brownsville Butcher & Pantry is a diverse marketplace, employing fourteen energetic staff members. The marketplace boasts a broad array of grocery essentials, obscure and eclectic wines, craft beer, fresh seafood, and custom butchering. The cafe offers a wide selection of sandwiches and salads with rotating specials and seasonal offerings, such as curbside cookouts in the summer and Friday pizza nights in the winter. Our mission is to grow our local economy by providing quality, community-sourced foods and services, fostering a sense of community and connection to place through food-related experiences.
The 2020 year has certainly had its challenges, as with most businesses, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For twelve weeks, Butcher & Pantry closed its doors to the public and offered all groceries and prepared meals for curbside pick up only. This enabled Butcher & Pantry to retain all full-time staff and keep its community safe, healthy and well-fed. From one day to the next, the staff had to transition to a completely different business model, with whole new roles and responsibilities, but they handled it with grace. The Brownsville community sustained the business through the crisis, with their grocery orders and words of encouragement. The pandemic incentivized the business to expand into new territory, such as online ordering, new phone systems, and marketing strategies.
As challenging as it may be, COVID-19 has taught Butcher & Pantry the importance of ingenuity, creativity, flexibility and perseverance. It has become more relevant than ever before to implement new ideas and key roles to not only sustain, but also accelerate the business forward.
