route driver

butcher

operations lead

boucher

chef

VG Meats

This is my current experience as a butcher at Olliffe:
 
To be fair the work experience you gain is great, the staff are friendly and have your back for the most part. The big issue comes from the upper management of the company. The owners or whoever is running this company seem disconnected with the current situation  at their butcher shop. 

Currently it is understaffed to the point butchers are jumping in to save the front from the flood of customers, leaving the back of house disorganized and messy even so far as having production come to a full stop just to beat the lunch rush. This leads to the case being completely unattended to, which in turn creates more problems such as not being able to rotate fresh product properly, and missing out on sales because of it. 

The job slowly becomes this massive juggling act of jumping between trying to fill the case and getting production done, all the while serving customers ever last need. This unfortunately can not go on forever especially with the hourly rate and hours given to employees, there is no incentive to push harder than the job already makes you and I'm slowly finding it harder to justify staying with this company if this how it currently operates.

I do enjoy working here as I've met a lot of great people both customer and employees a like. I just wanted to give my fair review to whoever plans to take up any position with this company 

i was misled in my interview by being told that i was gonna be a sales associate, only to be stuck being a sanitation worker with little to no chances to move up to being a retail associate, despite applying and getting hired for the retail position. little to no growth in house, was told how "we are all family here", only to be treated like a replaceable cog in the system. any complaint i would make regarding how i felt would be met with either "just work harder" or "your just entitled and don't know anything about the world". it was hard to want to put in the hard work while i was juggling university and this job because my boss and management constantly let me know just how replaceable i was and how they can find someone better to take my job if i'm not up to their standards. never trained on working the front, was expected to just know how to use all the systems and how to serve customers when i was only allowed to work up front once a month. even when i gave my 2 weeks and bid farewell to everyone, not a single person wished me well. only work here if you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that your gonna work up front, otherwise its best to work elsewhere. 

A typical day as a manager is to do all the receiving, butchery, cooking, restocking shelves, signage and online order filling before opening; alone, no help. Spend the rest of your shift doing inventory, ordering, producing back-ups of faster moving items, while directing staff and serving customers.

I learned to push myself to the limits. I learned to have a lawyer review any job offer before accepting. I learned how to make the most out of a failing business and navigate employers who insist on getting in their own way and mine.

The culture is tainted by the overarching feeling that the company doesn’t care about their employees or their customers or ethical standards and practices.

I worked for VGs for nearly 10 years. I learned a lot In my time there. Meet some of the most amazing and diverse co workers from all different walks of life. I was truly able to grow here. I went from a high school co-op student to head butcher. I was able to hone my skill here. The company has made changes and moved from the small business vibe where everyone knows each other and communicate. Its now a ever growing company. Which all companies need to do to survive but there is little to no appreciation for the small employees and the work that they do. A lot of employees have been leaving and have had enough, putting more stress onto the employees still there. And yet the work load remains the same without any recognition for employees picking up the slack. Clearly it was my time to move on. VGs I wish you all the best. 

Typically the week's tasks are repetitive. VG works with some great farmers and supplies some of the best restaurants in Ontario, so the quality makes it a pleasure to work here.  I have learned nearly everything I know about butchery from VGs.  Because of the growth of the business, the management team is growing, and VG has brought on a great mix of enthusiasm and experience into the management structure.  The workplace can be fast-paced, and for those that want to contribute to organizing, it can be fun.  The hardest part of the day can be working with folks that aren't interested in working in a team, but if they don't fit in, they usually don't stay long.  The best part of working here is being part of getting people great food.

I love this place!  The work can be hard and there is plenty of it but the team is awesome and the days fly by!  Do not come here for a job, come here because you want to work and take pride in your effort.  I get some of the negative comments because depending on which department you work in, your work ethic and who you work for/with, you can have vastly different experiences.  I have nothing but respect for the Owners and Management Team as they were very accommodating to me while I got back in the swing of things!  Again I understand that others have had very different experiences but for me, it has been great!  Thanks VGs, the last 3 years have been great and I look forward to many more.  I say good day!

If you are looking for a easy job, this in not the place for you.  The days are extremely busy and that makes the days go quick.  Management typically does not put up with slackers, which makes it better for everyone else.  Wages could be better.  Enjoyed being part of this team and will go back in a heartbeat if personal situations change.  Family can be seen in the plant daily working along staff.      

If you are a foodie and want to see a different part of the business I would recommend this company.

It’s amazing that you have the owners working along side of you. They are so involved with production to get the high quality products to the stores and you as customers.  They are caring and want to raise their animals the proper way.  Grass fed, pasture raised beef and chicken.  I have learned so much working here.  It’s a fast pace working environment but also satisfy because you feel you have done a good days work.  I plan on continuing my career here. Thanks to everyone at Vg’s to make it a great place to work. 

The company culture at VG Meats is far better than at any other meat plant I have ever visited and worked at. The energy here is very good as there are plenty of hard-working and friendly people working alongside you to create great products; which is really motivating. The workplace can be very busy and challenging at times, however it is nice being able to share VG Meats' products with my family and friends, knowing that I was part of the team that helped make them.

The start times are reasonable. The leads encourage improvements to be made meaning that there is opportunity to fix what bugs you. Love that! The staff is generally trying hard and we all want to succeed. There are exceptions to every rule but mostly good. 
It's sometimes hard to work past usual hours in the times of high volume but it only happens for parts of the year. 
Love to see improvements get implemented. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Route driver 3 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour
Butcher 2 salaries reported	$20.50 per hour
Operations lead 5 salaries reported	$55,000 per year
Boucher 4 salaries reported	$21.75 per hour
Chef 6 salaries reported	$26.42 per hour

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