Family-run Salinas butcher shop opens new location in Paso Robles
After five years in Salinas, Lindsay and Ellis Almond decided to expand their family-owned butcher shop to San Luis Obispo County by opening a new retail location in Paso Robles.
Zio Brand Meats and Sausages held its grand opening in December, and local buzz has kept them busy since the day the doors opened, Lindsay Almond told The Tribune.
“We basically opened the doors Nov. 12, and that was the day after we got our business license,” Almond said. “People came, and it was crazy. The word-of-mouth was incredible.”
The Zio Brand location in Paso Robles is a retail shop where the meat that is processed in Salinas is sold. The family-owned butcher shop specializes in house-made sausages, wet-aged beef in various cuts, and chicken.
Products also include cured meats that could go on a charcuterie board, such as salami, jerky and other products.
Every product sold in the Paso Robles location is brought in from Salinas the same day, Almond said.
“Everything is fresh,” Almond said. “By that I mean we don’t use any preservatives, nitrates, nitrites and we don’t freeze,” she said. “We don’t even have a freezer.”
Help from family friend enabled SLO County butcher shop expansion
When the Almonds’ family friend John Sartori retired in Paso Robles, he told the couple that he was interested in opening a new retail location so their products could be sold here.
The conversation about opening a second shop run by Sartori started out as nonchalant comments until the trio realized it was something they could pull off, Almond said.
Sartori joined the family-run business as an investor and partner, Almond said.
Because the Almonds can’t be in two places at once, Sartori has taken on the task of managing operations at the Paso Robles location while the Almonds run things in Salinas and visit the North SLO County location when their schedule allows.
“He was a big reason why we felt we could do it,” she said.
.jpg "HUD_2963 (1).jpg")
Family-owned SLO County butcher shop has SLO County roots
The Almonds are both alums of Cal Poly and have a house by the lake in Paso Robles.
“We are big fans of the whole county,” she said.
“Zio” means uncle in Italian, and the “Zio” in the business name is there to pay homage to Ellis Almond’s uncle, Lester Franscioni, a well-known butcher in the Salinas Valley who taught him how to butcher meat at a young age.
“Lester Franscioni had a little following for his preserved meats like salamis and sausages and things like that,” Almond said. “So my husband learned the recipes from him and the skill of tying sausages.”
The combination of Lindsay Almond’s specialty in meat science coupled with Ellis Almond’s practical butchering skills made opening a butcher shop a natural fit.
While at Cal Poly, Lindsay Almond focused on the animal nutrition aspect of meat science.
“I played with feed rations and if you’re feeding certain supplements or proteins, what does that do to the actual, final product, which is yes, the steak, meat, whatever it may be,” Almond said. “That’s exactly what our business is doing a lot of.”
SLO County butcher shop focuses on local meat products
Zio Brands stands apart from other butcher shops because of its fresh, never-frozen products as well as a focus on sourcing from local suppliers.
The butcher shop already has an abundant supply of grass-fed beef from local producers but the owners want to transition to sourcing entirely local, Lindsey Almond said, acknowledging that it isn’t going to happen overnight.
Prices fluctuate on the back-end for the business depending on the market, but the owners try to keep a fair price on their products.
“We try to be extremely fair and offer a lower price point than most of our competitors,” she said.
Sausages range from $8 to $10 per pound, while boneless skinless chicken breast costs about $2.50 per pound, she said.
The Paso Robles location also sells local spices and barbecue sauce produced by other small businesses in the area.
Zio Brand Meats and Sausage is at 2425 Golden Hill Road, suite 105, in Paso Robles. The shop’s hours are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday to Friday and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Orders can be called in at 831-455-8801 or emailed at info@ziobrand.com.
This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
