Working with Aspen Waite South West

Sami Glover Sami.Glover@aspen-waite.co.uk

Veyseys has been established in the quiet Devon town of Cullompton for over 130 years after it opened its doors in 1890. After staying a family business until 2009, Roger and John Veysey decided it was time to hand the reins to a new dynamic duo who have brought the shop firmly into the 21st Century and digital age. Their well-built and well stocked website really showcases the top-quality produce available either in person or at the click of a button.

Mike and Phil are now at the helm of this fantastic local business, providing quality meat and accompaniments to the surrounding community, expertly supported by their better halves Maria and Ria respectively.

Many of the residents of Cullompton and the surrounding areas have fond memories of the Veysey family and are just as keen to support the new owners in seeing the business survive through some of the most difficult times it has seen.

Covid-19 Response

Since 1890, Veyseys has not had to ‘close its doors’ to customers – staying open even through World War One and World War Two – but due to government COVID-19 restrictions, this momentous achievement was drawn to a close and the shop had to close its doors to customers. However, nothing was going to keep the team down, and overnight a whole new business structure of 100% home delivery was brought to fruition.

Adaptations to the business had to be made quickly in order to cope with the new demands of not having a ‘shop’ open to the public. Ria recollected how they had up to 250 orders being placed PER DAY for the first two months of lockdown – which meant working 70-80 hour working weeks, hiring new staff and buying a new refrigerated van to mention but a few things. But Veyseys has been the heart and constant of Cullompton High Street, so it was hardly surprising that the public jumped feet first in to help Veyseys survive. From ordering as much as they could, to offering to help deliver orders for them, to baking them goods to say thank-you for providing a service which was saving the lives of many people who were shielding. The residents of Cullompton and surrounding areas really stepped up to save an important part of the town’s history.

Local Suppliers

Veyseys prides itself on using as many local suppliers as it can, sourcing all of its beef, pork, lamb and game within an astounding twenty mile radius of Cullompton. Not only does this aim to reduce their carbon footprint, but it provides invaluable support for local farmers, businesses and creates local jobs. The suppliers they use are proudly displayed both on the board outside of the shop and on their website –providing complete traceability for all their produce. Their ethos can be easily summed up by their catchy little tagline:

“Farm Gate to Plate”

Maybe this is why Veyseys has such a magnetic appeal, not only do customers value quality and taste of Veysey’s products, but the ‘buy local’ ethic behind the business really resonates with them.

Many customers throughout the local towns and villages are noted as saying that they would not buy their meat from anywhere else now – and with this wonderful business offering quality produce and free local delivery, why would you? The pandemic has had the positive effect of introducing a brand new cohort of customers to local businesses such as Veyseys. Those who have only ever used supermarkets and have never ‘bought local’ have had their eyes opened to the quality and availability of local produce.

As an extra bonus – Veyseys can deliver to anywhere in the UK on a next day delivery – so there is no excuse for this exquisite quality meat not to be shared with family and friends throughout the country.

Working with Aspen Waite

Veyseys Butchers have a longstanding history of working with Aspen Waite (SW) LLP (formerly Apsleys) in Tiverton. The Tiverton office have not only looked after the accounts and other business affairs for the butchers since Mike and Phil took it over but also acted for the previous owners. Speaking about the relationship that they have with Aspen Waite, Veseys said:

“For many years Aspen Waite have been such a huge support to Veyseys Butchers, especially over the past year when we have had to use their services much more than ever before. All the staff at Aspen Waite have truly stepped up on many occasions to help with unanswered questions and have gone above and beyond to help our company grow and develop. We can honestly say in all the years we have been dealing with Aspen Waite, we have always found every single staff member an absolute joy to work with. No question is too big or too small.

For people like us with hardly any accounts knowledge or little understanding of all the legalities. Phil, Duncan and the whole team have personally helped us through, in a stepby-step fashion to help make it more understandable and helped us negotiate how to drive our small business forward in a time of crisis. We would highly recommend Aspen Waite. THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR ROCK!!!”

A lot of the local farms and businesses that supply Veyseys are also clients of Aspen Waite (SW) LLP and have been for many years – and Aspen Waite are immensely proud to provide support and assistance to local businesses and local people. You only have to look on the Veyseys website to see how proud they are of their local connections as they have created a page dedicated to the farmers that supply them – the epitome of honest and transparent local working relationships.

Awards

Veyseys Butchers success seems to snowball year on year – and have been either shortlisted or have won the following awards over the last few years:

Taste of the West (South West England) Champion 2020 - WINNER

Retailer of the Year 2020/21 (Food Drink Devon) - WINNER

Shortlisted for Farm Shop & Deli Awards 2021 in partnership with The Grocer - Awaiting Announcement on winner!

Countryside Alliance Awards – South West Finalist 2021 – Awaiting Announcement on winner!

If you want to find out more about Veyseys, then please check out their website and social media accounts: veyseysbutchers_devon veyseysbutchers_devon

Order online: veyseysbutchers.co.uk | Email: info@veyseysbutchers.co.uk | Telephone: 01884 33442