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PeterAalbæk.
Raising the bar in taste and ethics Tucked away in Farre, a small village in central Jutland, lies the small butcher shop where Aalbæk Specialiteter originated. Today, the shop is headed by the third generation of Aalbæk butchers, Peter Aalbæk, who has brought Aalbæk’s salamis and cold cut meats to all of Denmark by staying true to the work ethos of his ancestors: to only do what he does best. By Signe Hansen | Press photos
To run a successful butcher shop in a village of just 100 houses takes something special, something that will, quite literally, make people drive that extra mile. According to Peter Aalbæk, the simple secret is that Aalbæk Specialiteter, which was founded by his granddad in 1920, has always focused on quality and taste. “I think it’s fair to say that we’ve gone our own way. Even though my parents ran this small shop far out in the countryside, they’ve always had a good business and attracted people from far away, and they only managed that because of the quality of their products.” Today, ten sausage makers and butchers work in the butcher shop in Farre, where they produce Aalbæk’s popular range 30 | Issue 96 | January 2017
of liver pâtés, salamis, sausages, dried meats and bacon. The motto, however, is the same as it was when it was just Peter’s parents in the shop: that every product should deliver an out-of-theordinary taste experience. The family’s focus on taste and quality originates in the belief that quality of food and quality of life are two sides of the same coin. Consequently, Aalbæk Specialiteter has also embraced the growing focus on animal welfare and organic produce. “When the organic development started about 30 years ago, I was standing in the shop, 20 years old, and thought: ‘How amazing would it be if we could produce our products in an alternative way, without any preservatives?’ It was very simple, I always just thought that if I make some-
thing that I like, probably someone else will like it too.” Aalbæk is one of the few big butcher brands approved to use the Anbefalet af Dyrenes Beskyttelse logo, the highest animal welfare recognition in Denmark. However, to give their customers the choice, the butcher produces both an organic and a regular range of products. Aalbæk Specialiteter’s products are available in supermarkets all over Denmark and, of course, from the original butcher shop in Farre, where the towering stacks of salamis and dried meats still attract people from near and far. FACTS: Aalbæk Specialiteter was founded in 1920 in central Jutland. In 2015, Aalbæk Specialiteter became part of Atria Danmark.
For more information, please visit: www.aalbaekspecialiteter.dk