Community & Business
6 July, 2026
End of an era for Ashtons
After nearly 50 years of delivering top-quality meats to the Pittsworth community and beyond, Rob and Rhonda Ashton have sold Ashton’s Butchery with the new owners taking over operations yesterday.
Ashtons have built their family owned and operated business on hard work and a passion for the local community, which over the years has gained an outstanding reputation for premium meats and friendly service.
New owners, Craig and Bec Beissel, hope to uphold this reputation and plan to keep the iconic shop name “Ashton’s Butchery”.
The couple have acquired the entire Ashton enterprise which includes the butchery shop at Dalby and the commercial abattoir at Millmerran.
The Ashtons attribute the success of their business to loyal customers, dedicated staff and the local community who have continued to support them throughout the years.
“Being a part of the Pittsworth community has been a part of our success,” Mrs Ashton said.
“We have incredible customers who have supported us, and staff have always been very important to us.”
Mr Ashton made special mention of employee Darryl O’Sullivan, who started as an apprentice at Ashtons when he was just 16.
Over 49 years later, Darryl is still a familiar face to many customers who walk through the door at 66 Yandilla Street.
Ashton’s Butchery has achieved great success in the wider meat industry, having won the national Sausage King title three times, the Queensland title six times, and the regional title too many times to count.
In the early 2000s, it was voted as having the “Best Customer Service” in the Queensland Meat Industry.
Another memorable moment was when Ashton’s Butchery featured on Channel 7’s Better Homes and Gardens in 2015.
The segment was part of the Recipe Roadshow concept, which travelled to regional areas to highlight ‘home-grown’ produce and communities.
The cast and crew of the show, including host Joanna Griggs, came to Pittsworth and spent a full day at Ashtons, learning how to make sausages and experiencing the day-to-day operations of a butchery.
Over the decades, more than 30 apprentices have been mentored and trained at Ashton’s Butchery.
With the business now in good hands, Mr Ashton is set to hang up his knives for the last time as he transitions into retirement.
The couple are looking forward to travelling, baby-sitting their grandchildren, and spending more time with family.
For Craig and Bec Beissel, the acquisition of Ashton’s Butchery is a challenge they relish, with a passion for rural communities.
“We are always looking to expand, always looking for growth and opportunity,” Mrs Beissel said.
They breed cattle, sheep and goats at Roma but intend, as Mr Ashton did, to source their meat locally.
Their family owned businesses currently include the Killarney Butchery and the Meat House on Pratten in Warwick.
Initially, the Beissels set their sights on buying the Millmerran abattoir, but the chance to invest in the entire enterprise has enabled them to control every stage of the supply chain.
“It gives us control over animal welfare and control over the quality of the product,” Mrs Beissel said.
“We really want to continue on with what Rob and Rhonda have built and feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to take on the business.
“We are passionate about continuing to deliver premium quality products and exceptional customer service to our communities.
“We want to honour the Ashton name, it’s got great history in the area,” Mrs Beissel said.
The couple said they love to serve small rural communities and intend to move to Pittsworth after the school year is complete.
“I grew up at Millmerran and I used to play netball in Pittsworth,” Mrs Beissel said.
“I spent the first 16 years of my life around this area, so I’m familiar with it.”
All of the staff have retained their positions at Ashton’s Butchery which is over 30 employees.
HISTORY OF ASHTON’S BUTCHERY
The Ashton’s Butchery story began on 4th January 1977 when Mr Ashton purchased the business from his employer Tom Aldridge.
The original butcher shop was located at 68 Yandilla Street beside the current premises.
In 1986, the Ashtons purchased a block of land on Wyangapinni Road at Stoneleigh with a total freehold area of approximately 418 acres.
For close to forty years, “The Butcher’s Block” maintained quality Coolibah, Ironbark and Wilga grazing country and cultivation.
Most of the beef and lamb at the butchery was supplied from this property, and the land became the perfect addition for the gradual expansion of the business.
“We were doing paddock to plate before it was even invented,” Mr Ashton said.
The Butcher’s Block was sold in August 2025.
Ashton’s Butchery moved to its current premises at 66 Yandilla in August 2002, and a number of improvements were made to the building to create the shop it is today.
In 2006, the business expanded to Dalby and a butchery was established in the Shopping World centre.
By this stage, the couple’s sons, Dean and Craig, were both working for the business.
In Pittsworth, the business was continually growing and the storage warehouse behind the shop, which used to be the old IGA, was acquired.
Refurbishments were undertaken, transforming the space into a purpose built premises to include three cold rooms, a walk-in freezer and storage area.
A new smokehouse was purchased from Germany, with an automatic sausage filler that produced 300 sausages per minute.
It seems rather conservative when you consider the shop has produced over 20 million sausages since its inception.
Only in the last four weeks, the Ashtons installed a boning room.
The Millmerran abattoir was purchased in 2018 and refurbishments to the commercial facilities were made.
All these improvements will be a massive asset for the Beissels who will benefit from having ample space to conduct their business.
While one chapter closes for Ashton’s Butchery, the name and reputation will live on, and a new chapter for the Beissels begins.
We hope the Ashtons settle into retirement well and thank them for all the years of service to our community and the wider Darling Downs.
Why not pop into the butchery today and say g’day to the new owners?
