Evan James, Arundel Meats - Australian Meat Industry Council

Member Profile – Evan James, Arundel Meats
Evan James
Evan gained his experience as an apprentice in Tweed Heads
then moved on to work on Chevron Island. In 1988 he opened
his first shop at Parkwood. With the move to Arundel Plaza,
Evan installed new counters and TV screens to promote his meat
and other products. It is a small shop with lots of character and
the cabinets are always full and well presented.
Arundel Meats supplies meat trays to various taverns and clubs
and also sponsors sporting clubs, charities and schools on the
Gold Coast. Their great products range from stir-fries, curries, BBQ
meats and roasts, free range eggs and a wide range of sauces as
well as dog meals and chews. They have their own coupon card for
customers as a bonus for buying in the shop and they also deliver!
Arundel Plaza is a one-stop shopping centre for the day-to-day
needs of local residents with a supermarket, 34 speciality
stores and a food mall. Evan James has owned Arundel Meats in
the Plaza for 10 years, having previously had a shop in nearby
Parkwood for 13 years. Arundel is located only 10 minutes drive
from the Gold Coast, Broadwater and Central Southport with easy
access to the Pacific Highway to Brisbane. Arundel Meats was
nominated for best butcher on the Gold Coast in 2001.
The shop often puts on cooking demos and tastings of their products to show their customers how easy it is
to cook up a quick and easy meal. The clientele is made up of 90% locals and 10% tourists and with younger families
moving into the area it’s a wide spread age group.
Three staff works with Evan - Luke, Dave and Athol. At 65 years
young, Athol is celebrating 50 years in the meat industry. He
has worked in the same area all his life with 8 years providing his
expert service and skills to Arundel Meats. Evan’s advice to anyone
wanting to work in the meat industry is “You have to have great
people skills and love working in the meat trade.”
Evan doesn’t always have a great deal of time away from his shop
but likes to spend time with his wife and four children; Hayden,
Madison, Tyler and Trent. He also enjoys fishing and playing golf
when he finds the time. He is lucky to have golf courses in the area
of the highest standard with one each at Parkwood and Arundel
Hills and soon a third at Arundel Tee Trees Estate to experience.
Luke, Evan, Dave & Athol
QLD 7