Elizabeth Pridgeon

All official statistics aside, I hazard a guess that Belize has one of the lowest vegetarian rates per capita of any country.  Staple meals nearly all include meat (chicken, pork or beef) or seafood, which is perhaps why Belize’s butchers are some of the most valued business men in the country.  Campos’ Meat Shop, in Orange Walk, is no exception so the Belize Times headed there this week to see just what it is that makes Campos butchers a ‘cut above the rest’.

Rudy Campos (Sr.) has been serving the community of Orange Walk as a butcher for decades – first in the former public market place on Main Street, and over the past couple of decades, in his own corner shop further down Main Street.  Since he opened the new premises, his two sons, Rudy (Jr.) and Santiago, have joined the enterprise and continue to maintain the quality and service that their father deems so important to secure continued success.

The Campos team purchases the highest quality pork and beef predominantly from Mennonite farmers of Shipyard and Blue Creek.  Unless they acquire the meat ready dressed, the first stage is to visit the farms and select the cattle and pigs for the following day’s trading; they then transport the animals to the San Lorenzo slaughter house where they are bedded in stalls to ‘rest’ for at least 12 hours before slaughter, according to legal requirements.  Early the following morning, the animals are slaughtered humanely, and expertly prepared by professional butchers.  Once the Health Inspector confirms that the animal was in good health and the meat is therefore of prime quality for human consumption, the cuts are sent to the Campos premises on Main Street. 

By 7:00am, the Campos boys are already butchering and dicing the meat into various cuts, including ribs, chops, shoulder steak, sirloin, rump, tenderloin steak, brisket and other joints.  At this time, the doors are opened to the public and as the selections are placed on the display counters, customers can choose their own select cut, or can simply ask for a quantity to be hand-selected by the Campos experts.  The height of the trading peak is from early morning until about 10:00am, as most customers are buying their groceries for the day, although trade remains steady for the rest of the morning until closing time at 2:00pm.  Rudy Campos (Jr.) says that trade ebbs and flows according to the time of day, and another ‘rush’ is often prepared for just before midday as people pile in to buy fresh minced meat, which due to its quick cooking time, often provides a speedy option for lunch.

Campos’ Meat Shop has built up a sterling reputation for itself, and has several weekly standing-orders from customers as far afield as Belize City: several of the city’s Chinese restaurants serve up to 500lbs of Campos’ meat in the average week.  Yet even the small-scale customer is welcomed at Campos’ Meat Shop, and the majority of people who shop there are known on a familiar – and often friendly – basis by the Campos family.  People have grown to respect the quality of meat, and to enjoy the friendly banter offered by Rudy (Sr.) and his two sons.

Campos’ Meat Shop also supplies Orangewalkeños with some of the finest chicharon, salt pork, bacon, ham and sausages in the town. Their beef salami is of the finest quality, and perhaps the most unique product on sale is their longanisa, which uses a traditional family recipe passed down through generations of Campos butchers which blends the selected meat with carefully measured quantities of oregano, vinegar and seasoning.

There is no denying that Campos’ Meat Shop provides something for every occasion, and for almost everyone.  One can only assume it is because of tempting butchers like Rudy Campos and his sons that Belize remains far from becoming a nation of vegetarians!

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