Land and sea luxury

Despite the economic situation in Australia being tough, there are always openings for premium end products. Luxury cars keep selling, and it is no different in the meat market. 

It was this background that lead to Michael Ha opening a premium single-source meat, wine and seafood shop. Umitochi, in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Balwyn has a name that reflects the store’s offerings: Umi meaning sea and tochi meaning land in Japanese.

Mr Ha is not a butcher by trade but worked as a fishmonger for about seven years before deciding to open his shop. Because the shop does not break down carcasses, there was no need for skilled butchers, he said.

The shop opened in December 2022 in an active retail strip. Mr Ha admits there is little foot traffic that would have been gained by being in one of the more popular east Melbourne suburban retail strips like Box Hill. Instead, the shop relies on word and mouth plus a presence on the internet.  

Apart from an extensive range of wagyu beef sourced from Mayura Station in South Australia, the shop also sells premium sea food, poultry and wines. Its online store also offers high-end accompaniments such as caviar, truffles, morels from France and anchovies from Spain.

He brings to the shopping basket some items unlikely to be found in other stores. These include items such as cuts of cockerel, monkfish liver and Japanese condiments such as  Nihon Shokuken Steak Sauce.

Mr Ha admits the shop is still building awareness but, as Japanese cuisine becomes more popular, people are seeking out suppliers of specialist products.

“By going for the premium end of the market we are carving out a niche but I admit we are not an essential spend,” he said. “That is why we had to create a point of difference by supplying Mayura Station beef. I hope we can grow organically based on the reputation of the product and our service here in the shop.”

The shop does supply some meat for the restaurant trade but again the key is becoming better known in that trade.

But Mr Ha admits the shop has to balance between spending thousands of dollars on marketing that might not bring in the amount of business to cover the costs.

“Our real marketing point is difference, selling premium products and providing consumers who want a quality product that meets their expectations,” he said.