10 Years Of Sizzling Sausages

With MBW On The Barbie

What began as a service to the community and a desire to ensure a local shopping centre still had a butcher shop, has become a labour of love for a humble team of passionate staff members who have transformed a closing Butchery into a thriving business over the past 10 years.

One of the longest running businesses at Whitsunday Shopping Centre, MBW On The Barbie, is the brainchild of entrepreneurial meat-specialists, Karen Rix and Don Cameron. Ten years ago, when the couple heard the lease was not to be renewed by the existing tenant butcher and decided to step-in to ensure the continuation of this valuable service.

“We thought – every shopping centre deserves a local butcher!” expressed Karen.

“And the community welcomed us with open arms, everyone was excited to see that we’d continue at the convenient location, and we have had fantastic support ever since.”

Led by the demand for growth, Karen and Don were humbled by the support which encouraged them to expand from the Master Butchers Whitsundays store, which had been operating on Stewart Drive in Cannonvale for five years at the time, to the new premise at Whitsunday Shopping Centre. Determined to differentiate the new store from its big brother, the pair decided to specialise in quality barbeque products while also offering the same meat staples available at the other location.

Inspired by the outdoors lifestyle of the Whitsundays, the ‘On The Barbie’ branding was an instant success, with customers loving the delicious range of barbeque meats and helpful advice from the knowledgeable staff.

“We trained all the staff on adapting oven cooking times to suit hooded barbeques and found that people loved being able to cook their favourite meals outside, they simply needed to know how to do it!”

With a pre-existing reputation for quality meat products from the Stewart Drive Store, replicated seamlessly at On The Barbie, the new store quickly gained popularity and its convenient location made it popular, especially with locals living within walking distance.

Graduating from little sister to team-mate and business equal, MBW On The Barbie has risen in the ranks, rising to become a significant game-player in the local retail sector. This status was reinforced when MBW On The Barbie entered into the Australian Meat Industry Council Awards and came home with a gold award for the Best Sausage in QLD for their classic beef sausage.

Proud to be supplying delicious, high-quality meat for the Whitsunday community, MBW On The Barbie constantly innovates to ensure customers have the best flavours whether they are cooking up a storm in the kitchen or sizzling steaks outdoors on the barbie.

One of the ways they keep ahead of the pack is by offering a range of complementary products such as their marinades and rubs. These tasty additions ensure that nobody gets tired of the same old tastes, in fact they can keep trying different combinations.

In addition, Master Butchers has taken this one step further by opening a ‘Chef’s Kitchen’ at their Stewart Drive location. This new innovation supplies MBW On The Barbie with delicious accompaniments to complete the barbeque experience. Crunchy salads made with the freshest local products are put together by a talented chef who loves pairing the best recipes with the most succulent meats.

For those looking for a breakfast barbeque, MBW On The Barbie also supply their own bacon and local eggs.

Standing strong through the tests of times, MBW On The Barbie has weathered several storms including the shopping centre fire of 2016 and Cyclone Debbie in 2017. On both occasions, their priority was serving the local community and helping those that needed it most. It is this community spirit that has seen them become the highly-embraced, much-loved local business it is today.

As MBW On The Barbie celebrates its 10 year milestone, Karen hopes other local businesses will feel inspired by their resilience and witness first-hand how a small business can succeed in supplying quality produce to the local community.

Must Try Item

The Bonnie & Clyde – moisture infused pork rack which is stuffed with caramelised onion and Gouda cheese with a pistachio crust. Close the hood on the barbeque on a medium heat and it will be ready in about 35 minutes.

‍