The Gen Z founder who turned a small online shop into a premium meat business

The Fat Butcher grew from a pandemic side hustle into a multi-store operation by treating every misstep, loan, and logistical headache as part of the grind.

When people talk about accidental entrepreneurs, Jedd Yuin fits the picture. Before 2020, by his account, he was a “bum” who skated through classes, spent most days gaming, and did not see himself building anything serious. The shift came quietly when a friend suggested he read an advertising book. He picked it up, and something clicked. Marketing stopped feeling abstract and started looking like a world he wanted to be part of.

That spark pushed him into his first venture distributing baking appliances at the height of the home baking frenzy. It made money until the trend dipped and demand declined with it. The collapse came with a lesson he still carries. Selling someone else’s brand is temporary, and building your own gives you a chance at staying in power.

A meat shop born out of inconvenience

Months later, the pandemic locked the city down, and gym routines moved indoors. Yuin and his brother James struggled to find good, consistent meat for their meals. This small annoyance inspired them to have a “why not try it?” moment. They put up a small online shop in Quezon City and called it The Fat Butcher.

Early sales came from Facebook messages, then from Shopee and Lazada. The setup was lean with a small freezer, a tiny warehouse, and every order packed by hand. However, the brothers concentrated on an aspect that many businesses formed during the pandemic overlooked. They treated every platform as a different market.

“Being available everywhere matters,” Yuin told radar Business. Different buyers lived on different apps, so they made sure The Fat Butcher appeared on all of them. That decision defined the brand early and still shapes it today.

Data, discovery and the surprise market

The brothers believed they were targeting customers similar to themselves, specifically gym enthusiasts. The numbers said otherwise. Mothers, the same demographic steering most household purchases, became their strongest and most loyal market. These were parents comfortable with online shopping, willing to pay for better ingredients, and quick to stick with suppliers they trusted.

That insight shaped everything from the product mix to the pricing, visuals, and messaging. Quality, convenience, and family nutrition became the pillars of the brand. It also kept the business disciplined. Instead of spending on ads without direction, they focused on specific groups and aligned promotions with real consumer behavior. The result was a marketing budget that stayed small but effective, helping them grow without outside funding.

When growth stopped being theoretical

By 2023, staying solely online no longer made sense. Entering physical retail required capital, which they did not have, so they took a personal bank loan and opened their first store. The hurdles came one after another, but they tackled them as they came.

The most significant adjustment was logistical. They moved from a small freezer to a walk-in freezer, improved their warehouse flow, and created a drop system for moving products from warehouse to store. 

“During peak seasons like Christmas, my brother and I still join the packing crew to manage the surge,” Yuin said. “These issues are actually positive, but they still require solutions.”

They also expanded their supply chain. The Fat Butcher now sources meat from several countries, with the US for steaks, Brazil for chicken, China for unagi, and Norway for salmon. Supplier choice depends on the product and what delivers the best consistency. They considered going local at one point, especially during the bird flu scare, but quality gaps and restaurant demand pushed them to maintain imports for now.

Standing out without shouting

Yuin credits the brand’s growth to simple but intentional decisions such as same day delivery, ongoing product development, and being present on every major sales channel. The Fat Butcher now offers about 120 products and supplies restaurants, hotels, and select groceries.

The team also uses automation and AI tools to speed up operations and reduce errors. And when a strategy fails, they adjust quickly. The pace is fast, and the business moves with it.

A business that no longer feels accidental

From 2023 to 2024, The Fat Butcher doubled in size. For 2024 to 2025, they expect another two to three times jump. The company now runs three retail stores in Metro Manila and is preparing to expand north to Bulacan and Pampanga and south to Cebu, Visayas, and Mindanao. For the brothers, opening more stores outside Metro Manila strengthens both physical retail and e-commerce, which they see as essential for sustained growth.

Asked whether plant-based or lab-grown meat poses a threat, Yuin views it as part of the natural flow of the market. He said it may take a small share, but plant-based and lab-grown meats are also capturing market shares from larger players. Until breakthroughs change mainstream taste, he believes meat will remain central in Filipino households.

No shortcuts, just consistent grind

Four years after their first online post, The Fat Butcher now operates with a 20-person team and a clearer direction than ever. Yuin, once the gamer who barely passed classes, jokes about the contrast but does not overplay it. What pushed him forward, he said, comes down to a simple principle. When you decide to start, you study the process, you do the work, and you keep going. Eventually, you get there.

For a business built on discipline, insight, and a willingness to adapt, it feels less like wishful thinking and more like a habit they have learned to repeat.

With reports from Kenneth M. del Rosario

 

 

With smart marketing, patient brand-building, and a willingness to learn from early failures, brothers Jedd and James Yuin turned a simple meat-shop idea into a growing omni-channel business serving customers from Facebook moms to restaurant kitchens.

 

 

READ: