Falkensee's butcher shop is fighting the trend: Where are the young people?

Falkensee's butcher shop is fighting the trend: Where are the young people?

In Falkensee, the traditional Gädecke butcher shop is a real gem that fights against the dominance of supermarkets with passion and craftsmanship. Marc Burkhart, a 34-year-old journeyman cutter, has created a professional home here and plans to complete his master's degree in spring 2026. Originally from Rhineland-Palatinate, he is pursuing his dream of working in the butcher's trade - a passion he shares with his father, who is also a butcher. Burkhart particularly appreciates the creativity that is required when producing new types of sausage and brings fresh ideas to the butcher shop.

The butcher shop is run by Sven Gädecke, 60 years old. As head of the butchers' guild in Havelland, he sees it as a great challenge to find young people in his profession. Every year he looks for at least one trainee as a specialist salesperson in the food trade and as a butcher. But the reality is unfortunately sobering: in recent years he has received hardly any applications, which is why he has even given up taking part in training fairs because interest among young people has declined sharply. Gädecke emphasizes the great importance of the guild for tradition and customer trust.

A look into production

The Gädecke butcher shop produces around 300 types of sausage from four different types of meat. The trend towards high-quality meat is particularly noticeable among younger customers, as evidenced by deliveries from Europe - including beef from France and lamb from Ireland. Every 14 days a delivery from Spain refreshes the range with the popular Butifarra. The team works together on new creations, with two out of ten products developed often making it into the store. Popular items include the tomahawk steaks and the merguez sausages, although the latter item elicits mixed reactions from customers.

Gädecke sees competition from supermarkets not only as a threat, but also as an incentive to continually improve. The signs of a change in consumer behavior are clear: more and more people are attaching importance to the quality and origin of their food. The production of wood-fired products will also play a role in the future - a trend that the butcher shop could easily master thanks to its innovative strength.

The challenges of craftsmanship

Overall, it remains a challenge to maintain the high quality standard while at the same time getting young people interested in the butchery trade. Marc Burkhart is an example of the positive development and shows that even in times of supermarkets there are craft businesses that can flourish. Sven Gädecke emphasizes that inventiveness and creativity are essential in the butchery trade in order to survive in the competition.

Finally, the Gädecke butcher shop does not want to be afraid of a lack of ideas and is already working on long-term succession plans in order to maintain the tradition of the butcher shop in the future. At this important time, it is crucial that both experienced masters and new talent work hand in hand and carry on the value and joy of the traditional butcher's craft.

Find out more about the challenges facing the industry in this exciting article from maz-online.de and be inspired by how a holistic approach to food processing can also be important in other industries such as dentistry. For more information about other innovative trading approaches, visit thecowboystore.com.