Cochon Butcher is Expanding to Nashville And Beyond

Brett Anderson reports that Cochon Butcher is expanding to Nashville in 2015, with the Link Group partnering with Nashville's Fresh Hospitality Group which runs Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q chain. The co-owner of Fresh Hospitality Group is Nick Pihakis, who has already teamed up with Donald Link to start the Fatback Pig Project, a USDA-approved slaughterhouse in Eva, Alabama that focuses on raising heritage hogs and improving pork industry practices and standards:

Several years ago, Pihakis and Link started experimenting with breeding heritage pigs and raising them sustainably. They were inspired in part by a desire to provide their businesses with quality meats.

Now they are providing so many quality meats that Link is growing the wholesale business as well, with "Butcher-branded bacon, ham, Cajun sausages and other cured meats" expected to debut at Whole Foods and other like-minded groceries this Fall.

As for Nashville's upcoming Butcher, the New Orleans staff will get it up and running, and Fresh Hospitality will then 'provide the manpower' to operate. Link has previously passed on opportunities to open Butchers in San Francisco, Vegas and Atlanta, apparently because none of his personnel wanted to move from New Orleans to get 'er done, which likely also hindered the now-shuttered Lafayette location. However, Fresh Hospitality has sent management to town to learn the business, and Link does sound like there's potential to expand to "points beyond" as well.

· New Orleans' Cochon Butcher is expanding to Nashville, grocery stores [NOLA.com]
· All Expansion Coverage [-ENOLA-]