For more than 30 years Greg Fitzpatrick of Euromaster Smallgoods and Fine Foods has taken a journey of discovery, travelling all over the world to bring back with him the best that Europe has to offer for discerning charcuterie connoisseurs. Greg’s mastery of smallgoods has allowed him to unlock the secrets of the continental masters to become Australia’s most respected smallgoods craftsman.
1952 was the year Euromaster started its story in a small traditional butcher shop in Liverpool, Sydney, under the helm of Greg’s father, Brian Fitzpatrick. At the impressionable age of 12, Greg began life as a wash-up boy. But it wasn’t until the ’80s with the introduction of smallgoods that Greg soon discovered a passion that to this day has never been extinguished, the love of charcuterie – the art of preparing and assembling cured meats.
Euromaster’s unique German, Austrian and Swiss smallgoods have become regular prize-winning favourites, going on to win numerous industry accolades, including Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards, Sydney Fine Food Awards, Royal Easter Show Awards and multiple National Sausage King Awards.
In 2018 during the AMIC NSW State Finals, Greg was awarded a near-perfect score for his Spanish Chorizo, a distinction that has never been achieved before or since.
These accolades come from years of research and studying under the European sausage masters. Greg was given a rare opportunity to carry over the traditional methods of his father and combined them with modern recipes that today have established him as a master in his own right.
“When I took over dad’s business over 30 years ago, I moved away from retail to focus on niche European goods,” Greg said. “I stand by the strong belief of providing my customers with consistent products and flavours, only using the finest quality ingredients, natural casings and a selection of seasonings. We are now known for our homemade wood smoked cabanossi, chabia, frankfurts, ‘New Orleans’ Andouille Sausages and pork German bratwurst sausages.”
And there is no sign of Greg and his team slowing down.
“During busy periods we can work 17 hour days, six days a week, starting at 2am in the morning and finishing at 7 pm at night,” he said. “I am lucky that I love what I do, and I never stop thinking of ways to develop new recipes and improve on existing ones, it’s one of the secrets of Euromaster’s success. It’s not uncommon that I improve on one or two products a week to help us meet the ever-changing demands of our clients and their customers.”
Euromaster’s reputation sees them serving some of Sydney’s finest food establishments who demand quality traditional smallgoods including gourmet butchers, delicatessens, wholesale food distributors, hotels and restaurants.
“We only use the finest quality ingredients offering a huge range to our wholesale customers who include The Star Casino, David Jones, The Hilton and Opera Kitchen. We also sell direct to the public and have regular customers. But, some relationships have lasted a lifetime, such as supplying hot dogs to Harry’s Café de Wheels for more than 25 years is what I am most proud of.”
Establishing strong relationships with customers is another secret to Euromasters’ success.
“Euromaster operates under a philosophy that goes beyond the standards of quality of service, product and management. We adapt to the needs of our customers by placing ourselves in their shoes, always listening. This allows you to have a strong connection with them and intuitively meet their needs – a philosophy instilled in all of Euromaster’s staff,” Greg says.
Another secret to Euromaster success is providing their six staff members with excellent working conditions, and more importantly, a happy environment. Keeping long-serving staff, who provide customers with consistent quality service, is Euromaster’s highest priority.
“Happy staff mean happy customers but to make sure I do right by my team, I rely on advice from AMIC for all my human resource needs. I know that if I need any help with advice for recruitment, wages, safety and workers compensation that AMIC is just a phone call away. AMIC allows me to confidently understand the parameters I need to run my business within to ensure that I am as effective at the front-of-house as in the back-of-house.
“I am also lucky to have Craig Wright, AMIC Member Relationship Officer. He has supported me for years, guiding me and encouraging me to participate in AMIC’s famous Sausage King and Smallgoods competitions that have allowed me to showcase my mastery in the greatest passion of my life – charcuterie.”
