What The Ethical Butcher does

The Ethical Butcher is a London-headquartered (Unit 24 Airlinks, Spitfire Way) meat supplier founded in 2021 by Farshad Kazemian (15+ years in the meat industry) and Glen Burrows (ex-vegetarian from advertising), operating with a 1-10 person team. The company sells regeneratively farmed beef, pork, lamb, and poultry to UK households and London hospitality businesses, sourced from named British farms including Great Berwick Organics, Fowlescombe Farm, Egypt House Farm, and Manor Farm Organics. All beef is dry-aged 28+ days, lamb is 100% pasture-fed, and the business holds a distinctive ownership structure in which the majority is owned by its founding partner farms rather than institutional investors. The company became the first and only butcher in Europe to achieve B-Corp certification in May 2023.

The product portfolio spans four core meat categories, a sub-brand range (The Ethical Burgers including a WAGYU SKU at £8.99, Rare & Pasture charcuterie with award-winning frankfurters and pastrami, FarmBox single-farm provenance boxes, and a seasonal BBQ collection), and digital gift cards. Operations run on a Shopify e-commerce platform with proprietary WoolCool insulated packaging (natural waste wool fleece plus frozen gel packs) validated to maintain product temperature for up to 48 hours in transit, delivered via DPD courier. The technology stack is otherwise conventional: no proprietary software, no AI/ML capabilities, and logistics handled through third-party partnerships (Route shipping protection, DPD last mile).

Revenue is generated through two co-primary streams: DTC e-commerce with a £37 minimum order, £5.99 flat delivery (waived above £85), and B2B wholesale to restaurants and caterers with value-added services including marketing collateral, staff training, and farm visits. Capital has been raised exclusively through equity crowdfunding, with reported cumulative raises of nearly £1.8 million as of January 2024, across multiple Crowdcube rounds (notably a 2021 round of ~$1.98M). Distribution covers most of mainland UK with documented postcode exclusions in Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, and Scottish Islands.

Name

The Ethical Butcher

Legal name

The Ethical Butcher

Website

https://ethicalbutcher.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ethical Butcher is a London-based DTC and B2B supplier of regeneratively farmed British meat (beef, pork, lamb, poultry) to UK households and hospitality, operating a Shopify storefront and wholesale division under farmer-majority ownership with B-Corp certification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Meat Retail

NAICS

Meat Retailers (445240), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116)

SIC

Meat Packing Plants (2011), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Butcher Shops & Meat Markets (CRAHAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pork Further Processing (Cured, Smoked, Ham, Bacon) (AFANABAE), Sausage & Ground Pork Manufacturing (Fresh & Cooked) (AFANABAF)

Keywords

• Online butcher services
• Regenerative meat retail
• Ethical meat supply
• Specialty meat delivery
• Premium meat e-commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales of regeneratively farmed meat products through their Shopify e-commerce platform. Customers place orders with minimum £37 spend and pay £5.99 delivery (free over £85).
2. Wholesale/Hospitality Supply: B2B supply of regeneratively farmed meats to restaurants and catering businesses in London's hospitality trade, with supporting services including marketing collateral and staff training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ethical Butcher is an online specialty butcher that sources and sells regeneratively farmed meat (beef, pork, lamb, poultry) from named British partner farms practicing holistic planned grazing. The company serves UK households via a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with scheduled nationwide home delivery using WoolCool insulated packaging, and also supplies London's restaurant and catering trade through a B2B wholesale division offering marketing collateral, staff training, and farm visits.

Product overview

The Ethical Butcher is an online butcher offering regeneratively farmed meat delivered to UK households. The core offering consists of four main meat categories (Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Poultry), each available in multiple cuts and preparations. The product portfolio includes fresh meat cuts, the Ethical Burgers sub-brand, a seasonal BBQ collection, and the Rare & Pasture charcuterie sub-brand featuring premium smoked and cured meats including frankfurters, pastrami, and specialty products from Fowlescombe Farm and Black Foot. Additional offerings include pre-selected meat boxes (Family Mince Box, Steak Box, FarmBox projects) and digital gift cards. For B2B customers, the company provides wholesale supply to the restaurant and catering trade with supporting services including farm visits and staff training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rare & Pasture: Charcuterie brand featuring regeneratively farmed cured meats including frankfurters, pastrami, and specialty products from English Longhorn, Beef Shorthorn, and Iberian pigs.
• FarmBox
• The Ethical Burgers

Products and services

• Regeneratively Farmed Beef

Quantifiable outcome

• Meat can remain fresh in WoolCool packaging for up to 48 hours in transit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great Berwick OrganicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured farm partner supplying regeneratively farmed beef. Part of The Ethical Butcher's network of farms committed to regenerative agriculture practices including holistic land management and rotational grazing.
• Fowlescombe FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured farm partner raising Manx Loaghtan sheep on biodiverse pasture under regenerative practice. Featured in FarmBox projects for exceptional depth of flavour. Produces cattle for charcuterie line.
• Egypt House FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed farm partner featured in The Ethical Butcher's supplier network, practicing regenerative agriculture methods.
• Manor Farm OrganicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic farm partner supplying regeneratively produced meat through The Ethical Butcher platform.
• Rare & PasturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharcuterie collaboration producing exceptional smoked and cured meats from regeneratively farmed beef and outdoor-reared pork. Products include award-winning frankfurters, pastrami, and specialty charcuterie from Black Foot Iberian pigs and English Longhorn/Beef Shorthorn cattle.
• Route ShippingminorOthersShipping protection partnership providing customers peace of mind for delivery. Route covers damaged, stolen, or undelivered orders at no additional charge to customers.
• DPD CourierminorOthersThird-party courier partner for next-day delivery services. Provides 1-hour delivery window notifications on day of delivery.
• WoolCoolminorOthersPackaging supplier providing WoolCool insulated packaging system using natural waste wool fleece liners and frozen gel packs to maintain temperature during transit.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pipers Farm: UK online butcher and farm cooperative selling ethically raised, slow-grown meat direct to consumers and chefs with full farm provenance. Closely comparable D2C + hospitality model, regenerative/organic positioning, and named-farm storytelling.
• Farmison & Co: Online premium British butcher delivering heritage-breed, grass-fed meat direct to UK households with an established chef/customer base. Competes head-to-head on D2C regenerative/ethical meat, mixed meat boxes and provenance messaging.
• Coombe Farm Organic: Somerset-based organic farm and online butcher selling 100% organic beef, lamb, pork and poultry direct to consumers and trade. Comparable certified-organic D2C + wholesale model targeting sustainability-led buyers.
• Turner & George: UK online butcher specialising in rare-breed, free-range and grass-fed meat delivered nationwide. Directly comparable D2C model with premium cuts, gift boxes and chef-grade positioning aimed at foodie consumers.
• Tom Hixson of Smithfield: London heritage butcher offering premium British beef, lamb and game online with chef/restaurant pedigree. Comparable premium D2C positioning, top-end price points, and proximity to the London hospitality trade.

Broad incumbents

• Daylesford Organic: Large UK organic farm shop and online retailer with an extensive meat, dairy and grocery range. A broader incumbent operating in the same premium-organic, sustainability-led consumer space with deeper capital and physical farm-shop presence.
• Ginger Pig: Long-established Yorkshire-based premium butcher with shops across London and a strong online/direct delivery operation. Larger incumbent in the same premium-meat, provenance-led D2C + retail space.
• Donald Russell: Scottish direct-to-consumer mail-order butcher with nationwide delivery and a heritage/quality-led proposition. Broader incumbent in UK premium online meat with similar nationwide delivery subscription model.
• Riverford Organic Farmers: Large UK organic farm box scheme with a meat range sold alongside vegetables and dairy. A broader incumbent in the UK ethical-organic subscription/home-delivery space competing for similar conscious-consumer households.

Emerging players

• Wild Venison / Great Glen Game: Scottish venison and game supplier selling sustainably sourced wild game to UK households and chefs. Adjacent ethical-meat positioning with comparable provenance narrative, smaller scale, and partial overlap on the venison/poultry end of the assortment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ethical_butcher

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Ethical Butcher