Farshad Kazemian
The Ethical Butcher,
London
Between Farshad Kazemian and Glen Burrows, it is a mixture of their career experiences and utilising life skills which led to the launch of The Ethical Butcher.
With Farshad making the most of 15 years’ experience in the meat supply chain and Glen boasting creative talents such as film-making and photography, an idea in 2018 to deliver meat boxes nationwide has led to one of the most viral social media campaigns of last year.
Farshad established the Exquisite Range in 2014, but as a one-person operation and with consumer demand growing, a restructure was needed.
Partnering with Glen, the pair began crowdfunding for The Ethical Butcher and gained the backing of 200 people.
As they developed their business strategy, they launched a social media campaign, creating the term Regenuary.
Launched in January last year as a constructive push-back against Veganuary, the term was picked up globally and farmers and food production businesses all over the world joined the cause in encouraging consumers for the whole of January to source as much of their food as possible from regenerative farming. It is safe to say the term got people thinking and now more than ever, consumers are becoming more conscious about where their food comes from.
The Ethical Butcher is a fully digital business, with no physical shop front. Glen states it is key to have a strong digital presence.
With the success of the campaign, the Facebook page had more than 6,000 followers before they had even sold 1kg of meat. With the official launch in February 2020, the buzz for Regenuary and The Ethical Butcher was still apparent and the company has since grown from strength to strength.
As the business works collaboratively with farmers and pushes the strength of these relationships through its website and social media, it really shows consumers where their meat is coming from and educates consumers on what regenerative farming actually is.
Farshad and Glen’s passion for the cause is admirable and the brand and business look set to grow with their ongoing digital development and heightening consumer relationships.
What the Judges said:
The Ethical Butcher is quite simply a unique concept and brand. Everything from their messaging to their strategy is carefully crafted and their considered use of digital marketing has meant that – in the very short space of time since they launched, they have made waves and made themselves known. The judges were impressed with their core values and how they reconnect people with nature, focusing on the quality food produced in an open and honest way, helping farmers, consumers and the planet. Great use of digital technology to support farmers, sell their products and educate consumers.
On winning, Farshad said:
“We are surprised and honoured to win the award as the main heroes are the farmers.
“We don’t know too much about farming but we are good at telling stories about the great work done by them.
“It is incredible to be here and meet people in person and we have not been able to do that for so long.”