SW: So, how did this whole butcher shop + mercantile adventure get started?
5QB: 5th Quarter started in 2022 as a store within a store. We began as a small retail butcher counter specializing in whole animal butchery, working exclusively with Vermont farmers.
We expanded into wholesale the following year, and at the end of 2024, we evolved to a full specialty grocery, including cut-to-order cheese and charcuterie offerings, dry goods, spirits, beer, and wine.
SW: Who came up with the name? What’s the idea behind it?
5QB: 5th Quarter comes from the Roman colloquial term for off cuts such as tongue, tail, and tripe.
As the story goes, when an animal was slaughtered and quartered in Rome, it would be divided among the population – the 1st (and best) quarter would feed the nobility, the 2nd quarter went to the church, the 3rd quarter was for the bourgeois and middle classes, and the 4th quarter would feed the army.
The poor and working classes of Rome were left to feed themselves with the odds and ends, which they jokingly called the Quinto Quarto (5th Quarter). We aim to honor their philosophy of whole animal utilization in all that we do.
SW: What’s your favorite/most underrated cut of meat that you wish got more love?
5QB: In my opinion, the Beef Shank is hands down the best braising cut on the animal. It's full of collagen that gives you a luxurious, lip-smacking braising liquid.
Pro Tip: if you get it bone-in, you get the added bonus of bone marrow that renders out during the braise.
SW: The sausages and deli meats y’all make are so creative and beautifully colored. What inspires your team to keep things so fresh?
5QB: Many of us are restaurant refugees. We spent our early career days always thinking about the next dish and seasonal produce.
We try to bring that spirit into our butcher shop and our selection of housemade sausages, and ready-to-eat offerings like ragu bianco or house-made ramen broth. It keeps the butcher case fresh and interesting, the team engaged, and invites customers to come back and see the new ways we’re highlighting the amazing local products available to us from around Vermont.
SW: Since you carry waaay more than meats at the mercantile, how do you decide what stocks the shelves?
5QB: We start from a Vermont mindset – small-batch and high-quality.
We work with makers and producers who are making the best version of their product. And just like our butchery, we think about the whole process and bring in products that allow customers to have a full culinary experience, including unique, hard-to-find, or new-to-them ingredients. We also try to keep seasonal habits in mind.
For example, in the winter, we’re looking for things like local polenta and accoutrements for melty cheese. But when the summer sun starts shining, the butcher shop kicks into full-on hot dog mode, so we’re sure to fill the shelves with sauerkraut, mustard, and all the grilling sides.
SW: It means everything to us to be able to collaborate with and support amazing operations like yours. Tell us a little about why Spicewalla was a must for you.
5QB: As we mentioned, it's all about quality. Since we work hard to source the best local meats available, it’s important to us to combine those top-quality meats with top-quality ingredients.
Whether we're making sausage, charcuterie, or simply sending someone home with a steak to grill, we want to work with partners who hold themselves to as high a standard as we do.
SW: Tell us a little about your co-branded Spicewalla product, and where can folks find it?
5QB: It took us about .02 seconds to decide to go for a Spicewalla steak rub. It's one of the most common requests we get from our customers, and it was essential to us to find one we could stand behind (and that we would use at home!).
This rub is super versatile and works as well on a ribeye as it would on smoked brisket or pork shoulder. For now, it's available through our store, but it will be available online and in holiday gift baskets before the end of the year!
SW: What does community mean to you in central Vermont? What’s the culture like?
5QB: Vermont has always had an incredible culture around food, and our region of Central Vermont has been known for farming since before America was a country.
In more recent times, Vermont has been at the forefront of a lot of food trends - from sustainable agriculture and eating local, to celebrating American artisanal cheese and pioneering the craft beer movement.
This is a place where people care about their food and are happy to travel for it. We regularly get customers who've traveled 45 min to an hour to come shop with us. We're proud to be a gathering place for a vibrant community of people who are looking for good food done right.
SW: What do you want folks to understand about your biz more than anything else?
5QB: We are deeply committed to being part of Vermont’s food culture from right here in the Mad River Valley. We source and showcase the highest quality meat exclusively from Vermont farmers, and accompany that with products from across the state or made in the Vermont spirit of small-batch care, exceptional quality, and sustainability.
Whether living in the area or new to visiting the Valley, we will connect you with flavors that reflect everything that makes Vermont special.
