A former tech investor and a craft butcher are teaming up to open a new grocery store that will sell meat, dairy, seafood, and produce sourced exclusively from Texas.
Radius Butcher & Grocery, which is taking over a space currently occupied by a butcher shop and restaurant in Austin, Texas, called Salt & Time, is expected to open later this year. Plans call for Radius to offer a tightly curated assortment of local meats, organic produce, grains, eggs, cheeses, and wild-caught Gulf seafood, with a focus on artisanal production and sustainability.
“I had a successful software career, but I’m disillusioned by the increasingly abstract world of software and virtual connection,” said Kevin Fishner, founder, in a statement on the company’s website. “I want to use my business expertise to encourage local, material living, and I believe that starts with a local, nourishing food ecosystem.”
He said he is seeking to create a next-generation grocery store that incorporates the benefits of a local farmers’ market with the convenience of everyday shopping for local, high-quality products. The store will not have “towering center aisles of processed foods” with “endless options in every subcategory,” he said, but instead will focus on the core, seasonal ingredients needed to create meals at home.
Fishner outlined his projections for the financial performance of Radius, based on 1,000 loyal customers buying an average of two meals’ worth of food at the store. Plans call for the store to operate with higher margins than a typical supermarket, with premium product offerings commanding higher pricing. He said the store could generate $5 million in annual revenue, $1.5 million in gross profit, and $250,000 in net income.
If the first store is successful Fishner said he would like to open several other locations in the area and expand into other vertical businesses, such as framing heirloom meats and produce.
Before launching plans for Radius, Fishner was chief of staff at software company HashiCorp and an angel investor and advisor.
Also on board is Joe Saenz, head butcher at Radius and a native of Austin who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He spent nine years working in New York City’s restaurant and gourmet food industry, including stints at A Voce Madison, Marlow & Daughters, Bedford Cheese Shop, and The Meat Hook.
“I’m excited to bring my passion for righteous farming and craft butchery back home and pursue my dream to open a whole-animal butcher shop,” he said.
Fishner said Radius would make some exceptions to its local sourcing rule for select sauces and spices from Austin restaurants and around the world.
He also said Radius planned to source from many of the same purveyors that supplied Salt & Time, including Peaceful Pork, Greener Pastures Chicken, and Farm to Table TX. Other local producers who are expected to be featured in the store include Heritage Seafood, Pure Pastures, and Dos Lunas.
The store will be located in the Blackshear-Prospect Hill neighborhood in East Austin, less than a mile from an H-E-B and a Whole Foods. A handful of local independent grocers also operate nearby.
Austin is the second-fastest-growing metro market in the country after spending 12 years in the No. 1 position, according to Urbanize Austin. The metro population grew 2.1% between 2022 and 2023, adding more than 50,000 new residents.