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It Starts with a Late Night Doughnut Run. Really.

The tiny, one-room butcher shop where Ray Rastelli, Jr. got his start was once a beloved doughnut shop in the small town where Ray grew up. One late night, after playing a music gig, Ray arrived to discover it was shuttered. Ray noticed that the shop neighbored a deli, and soon reenvisioned the space as a butcher shop that would supply the deli and locals with quality meat. Within months, the first “Meat Stop” opened its doors.

A Cut Above.

Ray quickly built a reputation for premium meats, hand-selected for his friends and neighbors. Over the next 15 years, he and his brother Tony expanded to eight shops and rebranded to the family name, Rastelli’s. In each one, they set meticulous standards for superior butchery. Customers could always count on perfect cuts, with none of the fat and gristle left behind by most grocery stores.

Growth on a Human Scale.

Over the ensuing decades, we expanded to become more than just a butcher shop. We’ve built a premium network of sourcing partners. We’ve incorporated seafood into our product portfolio. Around the globe, we’ve fed our troops in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. We’ve become pioneers in food safety and distribution. But with every step of growth, we’ve taken pains to ensure we’re still the same family business we were when Ray opened the Meat Stop more than forty years ago.