Westford butcher shop with barn out back offers farm-to-plate Wagyu beef

WESTFORD - Jeff Hutchins began raising Japanese cattle at his home here in 2012 as a hobby. In 2021, he turned it into a business by opening a butcher shop called Butcher Barn, directly in front of the barns where his herd is feeding.

"I had to decide where my hobby ends," Hutchins said.

Hutchins's day job for the past 30 years has been as the owner of J. Hutchins Inc., an excavation and paving contractor.

As it turned out, Hutchins's hobby ended when he bought the dairy farm next to his property, where he opened up Butcher Barn.

"That's when it became a need to sell the beef," Hutchins said.

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The beef is called Wagyu, which literally means "Japanese beef." Like Kobe beef from Japan, Wagyu is renowned for its fine fat marbling that lends unparalleled taste and juiciness. It's called Wagyu because the Japanese producers of Kobe beef are highly protective of their renowned brand, Hutchins said.

"If I gave you a New York strip or ribeye cooked in a cast iron pan — put Wagyu in one and Angus in another — with no butter, just salt and pepper, you would swear the Wagyu was cooked in butter," Hutchins said. "It's very juicy, the fat stays in the meat. Very flavorful."

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Business was slow on a recent winter afternoon at the Butcher Barn, but Apprentice Butcher Brian Zinger said they had a busy opening summer last year, selling not only cuts of Wagyu, but also hamburgers and kabobs for the grill. Customers came mostly from surrounding Franklin County, but also from Essex and elsewhere in Chittenden County.

"We had guys who came in this last weekend from Massachusetts because they had come up here skiing," Zinger said.

In addition to Wagyu, Butcher Barn offers what it calls "American Wagyu," a cross with Angus or some other breed, Hutchins said.

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American Wagyu brings down the cost of the meat closer to $50 per pound, according to Zinger. Pure Wagyu is around $90 per pound.

"Wagyu is an expensive product for many different reasons," Hutchins said. "Feed cost is high. We're also bringing in choice Western beef as well as local beef, some of my own Angus and Hereford for lower price points."

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Westford VT Wagyu: Butcher Barn brings fine beef from farm to table