Neighbourhood butcher shop

Local households, plus cafes, restaurants and caterers who want regular supply and custom cuts.

Margin on meat sold by weight, higher margins on value-added items like sausages, marinades and ready-to-cook packs, and regular wholesale orders from local food businesses.

• Butchery or meat-cutting skills (trade training is common)
• Food safety and hygiene
• Customer service and product knowledge
• Stock control and buying

• State meat and food licensing (for example, check your state's meat or food authority) and local council food business registration
• Strict premises, refrigeration, hygiene and labelling requirements, so check before signing a lease
• Public liability and product liability insurance, plus workers compensation once you hire
• Tight margins, wastage and the cost of fitting out and running refrigeration
• Qualified butchers can be hard to find if you cannot cut the meat yourself

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $60,000 to $250,000, depending on the premises, fit-out and refrigeration, which can be costly to install and run. Get quotes for your own site and equipment before committing to a lease.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $30,000 to $120,000, depending on your location, product range and customer base. Margins can be tight and wastage can add up, so these figures are estimates, not profit.

Check your state's meat or food authority licensing and local council food business registration. Also check premises, refrigeration, hygiene and labelling requirements before signing a lease, plus public liability, product liability and workers compensation insurance once you hire.