Full name: Sam Wass
Role: Meat Head
DOB: “Child of the 70s”
Birthplace: South Tyneside
Twitter Handle: @meat_people
Website: greatbritishmeat.com
Fun Fact: “I once turned down Pop Idol as a concept because I didn’t think karaoke on TV would work.”
So, please tell us how you got to where you are today! You were involved in conference/event organisation, right? How did you get involved with a pair of third generation butchers and what has the journey been like so far? Could you give us a little backstory about what Freeman’s Catering Butchers were doing as well before you came aboard? I read somewhere that they managed to grow during the recession…
My background is in events and place marketing yes, which although very different from food, gave me a very broad grounding. I’ve known my business partners (the Freeman brothers) since we were kids as we’re from the same village so we all grew up together. As a business they’ve grown from a retail butcher into the large operation they are today, which makes the irony of me taking them back to retail, (albeit online), all the more surreal.
We’d chatted about doing something together for years, and when I existed my last business the timing and opportunity to do something was right. We were in the early stages of planning when the Horse Meat Scandal hit, which really accelerated things for us, as we knew quality meat with provenance guaranteed was going to be in high demand.
You describe yourselves as an “alternative to the high-street butcher” – could you elaborate on that a little?
Buying meat has become homogenised as the supermarkets have convinced us that portion sizes should be X grams or Y kilos. Generations above ours used to buy what they needed, from fishmongers, butchers and bakers, but we’ve forgotten how to do this.
We offer a service that provides customers with their exact needs, freshly cut to order. And because we don’t portion things out like the supermarkets, there’s no leftovers (but that might be to do with the great quality of all of our meats too).
Do you do any of the butchery yourself? I read you once say that you’ve “always been a carnivore connoisseur“ – I’ll assume you never went through a ‘veggie phase’?
I’m getting the lads to teach me butchery, and I’ve got some of the basic skills down, but although it’s easy to learn, it takes a lifetime to become a master butcher like the boys on our blocks, so I leave it to the experts.
I’m not anti-vegetarian, and some of my best friends are veggies, and I’ll happily cook for them, but I do have a theory that every vegetarian meal, no matter how good, can always be improved with meat.
You once said that your biggest challenge is “cheap meat that has been imported half-way around the world“ – In your opinion, what is it that makes British meat superior? We have such a great heritage in meat, after all!
The picture perfect British countryside and our not so perfect weather are two major factors, but ultimately it comes down to having farmers who really care about the livestock.
Leading from above, how have you overcome this, and what have you learnt from the experience?
From our point of view, those who want cheap imported meat are welcome to it, but most consumers are more enlightened these days. They are interested in how an animal is farmed, what it has been fed, how it has been looked after – there is a lazy view that all the British consumer is interested in is cost. It’s not true.
At GBMC we deal in quality. Quality service, quality produce and quality delivery – we are a modern business with traditional values. In short, we overcome the cheap import issue by supplying a better, safer and responsibly farmed product.
Consumers want to buy British food, but we’ve also become obsessed with bargain hunting and special offers. We work really hard with our suppliers to be able to offer the cracking special offers that we do quite regularly.
Please tell us a little more about ‘Keeping Up With The Cowdashians’ – who came up with that? Brilliant idea!
I’ve got a genuine hatred of reality TV (see above comment about Pop Idol/X-factor) and I made a throw away comment about Geordie Shore being about as interesting as watching animals on a farm.
When I mentioned this to much cleverer people than me at our creative agency Future&Co they came up with the concept. I should also give a shout out to Creo our PR agency, as they managed to convince the UK (and global) media that it was an actual TV series, and the cows were Like Ooh Moo God – real life celebrities.
What’s your favourite meat, cut and dish?
Whole beef chuck is really under rated. It’s ideal for slow-cooking and pulling, and since we all seem a little obsessed with Pulled Pork at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me if Pulled Beef starts to grow in popularity.
What’s your most ‘unfavourite’ food, and what don’t you like about it?
Chewing Gum – not strictly a food stuff, but a horrible habit nonetheless that society could do without.
What do you find export to be like? Is there any lingering stigma around British meat after foot and mouth and BSE?
We don’t currently export, but it’s in the longer-term development plan. I think the stigma has faded as people recognise the quality of British meat, which is among the safest and most regulated in the world.
It is testament to the quality and determination of our farmers that they have managed to emerge from so many crises stronger than ever, with a product envied throughout the world.
It must also be remembered that these crises were not caused by widespread farming practice. Rather irresponsible acts from a small number of individuals…our farmers have endured a very much undeserved rough ride in recent years and it’s about time they were given the credit they deserve for the quality of their produce.
Where do you see the British’s perception of meat buying going in next 5 years – and the overall British food and drink ‘scene’ in general?
Being optimistic, I hope we continue to turn away from processed foods, and keep developing cooking as an essential life skill and learn to appreciate both the financial and health benefits of cooking from scratch, just like generations above us did.
Being more pessimistic, as consumers we are driving the price of poultry (especially chicken) down and down, and it’s not sustainable. We’ve spent 30 years making the British meat industry safer, but it looks like market forces mean we are not willing to pay for that safety.
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the Great British Meat Co?
We collate the days orders at 6am, and start dicing, slicing and cutting. We’re quite unique for the online butchery model, in that we do our own butchery and marketing (whereas the more common model is to outsource one or the other).
It means we can select our own cuts from the meat we think is aged and matured just right. The remainder of the morning tends to be customer focussed, and then I try and keep afternoons free to work on marketing, and driving the business forward.
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
What is better than having fun while doing something you love? Filming the first episode of Keeping Up with the Cowdashians was a great laugh, but served to hammer home a serious message about the quality of meat we provide and how it is sourced responsibly.
I knew when we were filming it was an amazing idea, and it was great that we were able to shoot it as high quality as we did…it was bloody freezing, but well worth the hypothermia!
Where do you get your ideas?
All over the place, but generally from people who are much smarter than me. The best ideas of my own tend to come when I’m travelling. I’ve pretty much always got a pocket notebook on me and I am constantly jotting down ideas, inspiration or notes.
It’s one of those things that just never shuts off…and if I like something, I act on it.
Who would cook your Death Row meal, and what would you ask for (3 courses, please)?
Simon Hicks (Lord Crewe Arms, Blanchland), is one of the most talented (and under-rated) chefs in the UK, and cooking me a Death Row meal would appeal to his sense of humour.
I’d ask for something along the lines of:
– Escalopes, with black pudding and crispy streaky bacon
– Corned Beef Hash (not the tinned stuff, that’s just wrong!)
– Sticky Toffee Pudding and Custard
One of your biggest influences is Naked Wines, right? Are there any others who’ve really inspired you in your work – food industry or otherwise? Is there anyone that you draw inspiration or strength from? Do you have any specific culinary influences?
Naked Wines pretty much flipped the old wine club model on its head, but when you break it down, it’s still a wine club, it just doesn’t call itself that, which is genius if you ask me. I’m inspired by food producers more than anything, as I like good ingredients served well.
What butchers such as Hannan Meats in Ireland did with their Himalayan Salt chambers for ageing beef is brilliant.
What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?
Much as it sounds tasty, a full day sausage sampling takes its toll. Customer feedback is the most enjoyable thing, it’s why we do what we do.
What advice would you give to aspiring food entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
Find something you love doing or producing, as there is a good chance other people will love it too. It then just becomes a marketing exercise of finding those people. Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.
If you go on to surround yourself with great people who share your passion, then you’re onto a winner.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
Probably still working in events.
If you could get anyone to try any of your products (fictional or real, living or dead) who would you pick and which of the foods would you like them to try? Assume that they go on to be your brand ambassador…
I like to think Winston Churchill would appreciate the subtle flavour of our Flat Iron Steak
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for the business? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
I’d want people to think of us as the day-to-day first choice provider of meat, not just for special occasions that they’re making an extra effort for. I want us to be seen as the better, genuine alternative to supermarket meat.
Where next for you and the business?
Hopefully we continue to grow, working with even more great farmers.
At the moment we’re exploring the idea of a sharable model called CowFunding, where customers will buy a whole cow using a Crowdfunding method, which is odd and lovely in equal measures [Ed: lol]
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If you had to become some kind of vegetable related superhero, which would you become, and what would you superpower be?
Sproutman, flying fuelled farts.
If you were forced to live on one kind of alcohol for the rest of your life (assume that your metabolism becomes specifically adapted to use this as your sole source of calories, so you had to drink this to survive) – which would you pick, and why?
Any German Pils brewed under Reinheitsgebot (German Purity law). Gets you merry but doesn’t give you a hang over.
If the army donated a functioning army tank to The Great British Meat Co. (and paid its fuel/ammo expenses) what would you do with it?
For some reason militant vegans don’t really appreciate the work we’re doing here at Great British Meat Co. so it would be useful for self defence…just in case.