Independent Contractor Meat Butcher Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Who We Are:

Food is the foundation of good health. Forty Acres Fresh Market (FAFM) is an independent, Black woman-owned grocery business offering high-quality, fresh food to people across Chicagoland. We are working to restore healthy food access so that people across Chicago neighborhoods can have a worthwhile grocery experience regardless of zip code.

Forty Acres Fresh Market has opened its first brick and mortar store in Chicago's Austin neighborhood in 2025 and is currently looking for likeminded individuals to join our team.

Who You Are:

​Do you want to be part of building a business that is a catalyst for community change? Do you believe that everyone should be able to access affordable fresh food in their neighborhood? Are you interested in rebuilding neighborhoods that have endured years of divestment? If so then this is the company for you. We are seeking an experienced, detail and results oriented Butcher who is eager to play a significant part in launching a new store. This individual must be well trained in using a bandsaw, meat grinder, sharp knives, slicers, and all other tools and techniques for preparing fresh cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and a variety of seafood.

The Job:

​Are you a dedicated meat and seafood specialist looking for growth with your creative culinary skills and to make your mark on Chicago’s food scene? Forty Acres Fresh Market (FAFM) is hiring butchers for our Austin neighborhood grocery store. We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with a strong work ethic and a passion for cutting fresh meat who is dedicated to food safety and customer service. This detailed oriented person will join a dynamic team to help ensure the highest standards of product quality, while providing best in class customer service. The butcher’s responsibilities include portioning, trimming, and displaying fresh meats according to the established training and planograms, ensuring proper food handling for safety regulations, and maintaining a clean and organized cut room and retail area. Maintaining exceptional food quality and safety will be essential to ensure proper presentation of the butcher shop, which will work with both sub-primal boxed meats and whole animals. This onsite position is an exciting opportunity within the grocery industry to be part of building a best in class butcher shop. As a FAFM team member, the butcher will exemplify Forty Acres’ Values of Quality, Sustainability, Community Engagement, and Integrity.

Applicants must be 18 years of age, minimum.

Duties include but are not limited to:​

• Uses knife skills to clean and portion steaks, chops, roasts, fillets, etc.
• Cut whole hogs, lamb, and poultry according to store standards and training
• Maintains a clean, eye-catching display for meat, poultry, and seafood
• Operates meat-processing equipment
• Prepares, saws, mixes, tenderizes, ties, weighs and packages meat products
• Sausage, burger, and other value added production
• Maintains proper safety practices and care while using all the cutting accessories available in the meat department including meat grinder and bandsaw
• Checks product date codes to validate proper rotation, stocks shelves, displays and refrigerated/frozen cases
• Checks product quality daily and reports any spoilages to manager
• Cleans and maintains sanitation standards in all areas of the department and related equipment
• Offers friendly, knowledgeable, efficient and courteous assistance to customers by providing them with current store and product information as well as cooking tips on all cuts of meat offered
• Takes customers orders and prepare items for display by cutting, packaging, and labeling products
• Assist management in ordering proteins from various suppliers and assist in monthly inventory and help in the receiving process
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements​

• 2+ years of butchery experience
• Experience working with bandsaws and meat grinders
• Proficiency in computer and math skills for accurate inventory management, pricing, and ordering.
• Possess a current City of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate or able to obtain upon employment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in cutting whole animals.
• Culinary experience including cooking and food preparation
• Experience with scales and registers
• Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus

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Other Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Must be capable of providing and modeling exceptional customer service.
• Must have excellent communication skills in order to communicate effectively with customers, store leadership, and fellow-team members.
• Must be detail oriented, self-motivated, and able to work independently or in groups.

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Work Environment/ Physical Demands

• Must have the physical ability to stand for extended periods of time, bend, climb, balance, stoop to grasp objects, kneel, crouch, crawl, frequently push/pull up to 100 lbs., frequently lift and/or move loads up to 50 lbs., and occasionally lift 60 lbs.
• Ability to enter the coolers and freezers thereby being subjected to and withstanding frequent temperature changes for extended periods of time.
• Occasional high stress when dealing with systems/customers/staff.
• Able to work a flexible schedule with various shifts, including weekends and holidays, as determined by the store/business needs and as required to ensure adequate store staffing.
• Must have reliable source of transportation.
• The ability to be reached during/after work hours.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

Job Type: Full-time

This position is Chicago-based

Salary: $23 per hour

Benefits:​

• Healthcare Reimbursement Plan
• Up to 40 hours paid sick time annually
• Up to 80 hours paid vacation time annually
• 10% in-store employee discount (excludes alcohol and Mabel’s Meals)​​​

Forty Acres Fresh Market is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.