Organic Butcher Post-anniversary Reflection

The owner of The Organic Butcher, Don Roden, worked in sales and marketing for an Internet company in Southern California in 2002. 

On the heels of his celebrating 20 years in business as the organic butcher, I wondered how in the world he ended up in Northern Virginia as a butcher. So I had a conversation with him.

“Around the time when the tech bubble burst, everyone was losing their jobs and moving into different fields, I returned to Northern Virginia, where I’m from. It was a pivotal time in my life." Said Don.

Around this time, he began thinking more about his health, including what he ate. Don researched and learned how to source healthful foods and prepare meals at home. He developed a passion for finding a way to share what he learned, both the food and the know-how he’d acquired. That was when he first got the idea of becoming a butcher.

“Up until that time, I never thought I’d ever be a butcher, or wanted to be a butcher. Many people assume that butchery was in my family. I get that question a lot: whether my father or grandfather, or even grandmother was a butcher. They’re always a bit surprised to find that’s not the case.”

Applying his business experience at the beginning of this journey, Don felt he could focus his enthusiasm on his vision of opening many stores, making it profitable to connect people with real food. But after opening the first location in McLean, that vision gave way to maintaining profitability in a small-scale model. 

Starting a business was challenging enough. He didn’t want to spread himself too thin.

“The last thing I wanted to do was over-extend & not offer the highest level of service & product that we can. I didn’t want to just open more shops to make more money. I wanted us to be the best butcher shop we could be and offer the best service. That’s why it took 17 years to decide to open a second one.”

When the first Organic Butcher opened, they processed whole animals rather than buying pre-selected cuts. This created a challenge because each animal only provides a small amount of some highly popular cuts. Once those few cuts were sold, the shop still had to find a use for less-popular parts of the animal.

(A great example of this is the tenderloin. Each cow has only two tenderloins, which means only a few pounds of this prized, tender meat come from an entire animal. Since demand is much higher than the supply one animal can provide, it becomes difficult for whole-animal butchers to keep it in stock while still selling the rest of the cuts.)

“There are a couple skirt steaks and a couple hanger steaks, you only get so many ribeyes, and then hundreds of pounds of ground beef.”

A good butcher finds a balance of offerings: everyday foods along with higher-priced selections, educating customers about what’s available and when. Don has become an expert at educating his patrons and empowering them to utilize and be nourished from the whole animal.

When asked to describe a perfect day at the shop, Don says, “It all starts in the morning. The cases are full, the smoker is fired up, the music is on. You open up your doors, and your customers are smiling, your staff is laughing. There’s a certain amount of organized chaos, but it feels good. It feels like home. You just know when it’s going to be a good day; you can feel it. The energy is electric.”

Bring your own good vibe to Organic Butcher at 6712 Old Dominion Drive in McLean; or the second location at 7925 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. 

You will be deeply nourished.

Susan