Vegan Butchers Take Over Seafood Shop

After only four months in operation in its current location, vegan company The Very Good Butchers is moving into a larger location in Victoria, BC at the Victoria Public Market in July. The new shop will take the place of shuttered, meat-heavy Cowichan Bay Seafood, and will feature menu items such as burgers, stromboli subs, mac n’ cheese, and nacho-inspired salads. The new space is roughly three times larger than The Butchers’ previous shop and will allow the company to expand its product line to include eight new bean- and grain-based meat alternatives and nut-based cheese items, extend its hot food menu, and offer more seating for weekend brunch. The company was founded by couple James Davison and Tania Friesen, who tell VegNews the move is indicative of the growing demand for vegan options in Victoria. “I think that being in a position to expand after only being open for a few months shows that there is a huge demand for healthy and approachable vegan food in the area,” Friesen says. Last month, the Butchers attended the Meat and Cheese Festival in Victoria and quickly sold out of their Cashew Cream Cheeze. “I think people are absolutely becoming more accepting of the term ‘butcher,’” the company’s marketing director Mitchell Scott said. “It still causes a bit of controversy, but most people like it and think it’s a clever marketing tool. We butcher beans!”