A Butcher's Tale

We've long seen an increase in our guests' awareness of the farm-to-fork story. Today, people care about where their meat comes from and how the animals were treated. Inspired by this, Vila Vita introduced a true farm-to-fork philosophy to its butcher shop at the Biergarten in Porches. Its manager and head butcher, Dinis Guia, met with us just after the annual Oktoberfest, a unique event in the Algarve’s winter calendar that brings thousands of clients from around the world together - to discuss the philosophy that sits at the heart of Dinis’ passion for his work.

“We have clients from so many different countries now! When we first started, they were mostly from Germany, now we have English, French, South African - and local Portuguese of course!” Dinis took over at the butcher shop over two years ago, following the retirement of the previous manager. Born and raised in the Algarve, he began his career as a chef, before becoming head butcher for a high-end supermarket.

Dinis specialized in setting up butcher counters in new stores and setting the highest standards of quality. “Since I started here, it's just been growing and growing. I was lucky to begin with strong roots, and from them, we have grown even stronger.”

At Vila Vita he saw an opportunity to give a fresh, new perspective; his background in a commercial setting giving him insights into how to diversify the product range and attract an even more international clientele.

“I wanted to maintain the quality that had been set so high by my predecessor, but also bring in my own influences, adding new products, new ideas. I knew I could use my experience to grow that vision even further. We always had a diamond here, I just wanted to polish it even more.”

This would not be easy though, given a strong reputation the butcher had already built up. “The most important thing was to grow while keeping that high quality we have become famous for.” Dinis points out. “It’s what our clients expect, they want quality. They know that when they come here, that’s what we deliver.”

The butcher shop is part of a complete farm-to-fork philosophy that runs throughout Vila Vita’s restaurants and bars. “All our beef comes from our farm, all our wines from Herdade dos Grous in Alentejo and Quinta do Valbom in Douro.”

“All our sausages, our hams, they are all made right here, from our farm to our table. Everything you see in the shop, in the Biergarten, has been made by us. That's how we ensure the highest quality. “

Dinis went on to describe their role as part of a complete supply chain to the resort. “The tomahawk steaks we serve in the restaurants in Vila Vita Parc, for example, all come from the farm to the butcher and to the chef. We supply almost all the meat for the restaurants ourselves.”

Taking a tour of the factory, where Dinis “makes the miracles happen,” we visit the smoker, the sausage machine, and the hanging rooms. “We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the management and our owners,” he continued, “they recently invested in a complete renovation of our facilities here. New machines, new ideas - that’s how we keep growing.”

“We can do so much more now, but without losing quality. That was my biggest challenge, to control how we expand in the future, to stay true to the standards that were set before me.”

Sustainability is key to the project, not just in terms of minimising waste and plastic, but also in reducing Vila Vita’s carbon footprint in terms of logistics, receiving meat from the farm, before sending it straight to the restaurants in the resort.

“Even more than that,” Dinis says, “we also support local small producers and farms. Clients come here, they see what we are doing, taste the local produce, and it ignites their curiosity in our traditions, in the quality of our farming. Then they want to support them too.”

“The Biergarten helps to inspire them, showing what can be done when you start with quality produce. They try the pork shank, typical from the Alentejo, and they want to try it at home! This is very important to me, because I feel quality goes beyond borders, it’s international.”

Dinis still likes to get out in the shop front whenever he can, believing that feedback from his clients is the key to his continued success. “Poor quality, you may sell to someone one time, but I want our clients to come back again and again. For me, the best feeling is when someone sends a friend, or their family to us. That’s the best feedback you can get!”

“In the shop we want to keep that sense of community. I have staff that have worked here almost 10 years, people know them, and they come here to chat with them, they know our names and we know theirs; they always get a warm welcome here.”

With a passion for what he does, Dinis clearly feels he's in the right place to bring farm-to-fork to the butcher shop. “I don’t know anywhere in the Algarve that has what we have here, we have the farm, the butcher, the resort, and the brand all working in harmony. That’s a unique ecosystem, and we can see the results.”

“Last year I started to sell gammon, this year back bacon, all homemade here, all Portuguese produce - but in an international style. And all with the quality that we are already known for. We are increasing sales, we are growing our clients, we are expanding our range of products. At the moment the only thing that stops me from adding more is the size of my counter!”

“We get clients now from Lisbon, from restaurants that come here to buy our products. Quinta do Lago now even hold their own Oktoberfest - and that's a great compliment!”