In 1515, John Balson began trading meat at the local market in Bridport, Dorset, England. Since that time, the Balson family has continuously traded and practiced Butchery in the small seaside town, making them England's oldest family business and Europe’s oldest butchers. Today, RJ Balson and Son’s butcher shop can be found in the same location it has been since 1880. The Balsons have managed to survive the influx of supermarkets and fast food, famines, plagues, floods, and two world wars, and they still run a successful family business through it all.
Oldest known photograph of the Balson shop, circa 1880’s
Over the years, Balson's butcher shop has become especially famous for its handmade specialty sausages, having won numerous awards at county and national competitions. In their small shop, they typically have over 20 varieties of sausages at any given time. They use all-natural ingredients and even have exotic blends made out of elk, wild boar, ostrich, and duck.
R.J. Balson’s delivery bike during World War I
Since 2007, the Balson family has made some of their award winning meats available in the USA through their online store and through specialty shops across the country. This year, as part of their St. Patrick’s Day offerings, COSTCO WHOLESALE has teamed up with the Balsons to make their Traditional Irish-Style Banger Sausages available to their club members, for a limited time.
Starting the first week of February while supplies last, “Balson Bangers” will be stocked and sold at every Costco Club location in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions of the U.S. Every Costco Club in the following states are stocking … NY, NJ, MA, PA, VT, NH, CT, RI, DE, MD, Wash D.C., VA, NC, SC, TN, GA, AL, MS, AND FL.
R.J. Balson & Son’s Authentic Irish-Style Bangers will be sold in a 2 lb pack, can be refrigerated for up to 60 days after purchase, and can be frozen for up to 12 months. Due to the structure and volume of COSTCO, these bangers are selling at an incredible price of $7.99 per 2lb pack.
Oliver Balson, President of RJ Balson USA, said, “We are pleased to be able to bring these time-honored recipes to America. We’ve taken every step to preserve the same quality that our Irish and English customers have come to expect from our specialty meats for over 500 years. We are continually working hard to make these products more accessible here in the U.S., and we can’t think of a better way to do so than offer our best-selling item to Costco club members on our 501st year of business. This presents a huge opportunity to show Costco that there is a strong demand for these products, and in the future we hope to bring in other items like back bacon and black pudding. We are grateful for the support we are receiving from the Ex-Pat communities here in the States, and we are humbled to be a part of bringing our traditional items to the U.S.A.”
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