A Family History

Charles, and his brother John Leadbetter, were butchers on the estate of the Earl of Ferres, in Stowe by-Chartley, Staffordshire, England.  In 1905, after the estate had gone bankrupt as a result of new taxation, Charles followed his brother-in-law, James Taylor, a boat builder, to Toronto seeking a better life. His wife Florence and children Annie, Hilda, Jack and Harry and his brother John, followed the next year.

They settled in Toronto, but dreamed of owning their own farm. After working the land for some years, in 1922 they went back into the family trade with the establishment of Leadbetter’s Butcher Store on Main Street, Markham, Ontario. The business thrived in the family name until 1998.

In 1974, Bill Leadbetter (son of Jack), moved his family to Washago, Ontario, and opened Leadbetter’s Meat Market.  In 1981, Bill set up a new location, Longford Meats Ltd. and grew it successfully until his son, Philip Leadbetter, took over in 1990.

Philip, with his wife Pat, gradually expanded the Longford location to include a processing and distribution plant. In 2001 the retail and wholesale parts of the business were separated. With a new partner, Will Carson, a larger production facility was built at 4 Brammer Drive, in Orillia, Ontario. The Longford location was eventually sold to private interests.

In 1983, Bill came up with the idea of marinating a less costly cut of beef for the BBQ. These steaks were excellent value, consistently tender and flavourable They became known as “Cowboy Steaks”. In 1997 the name was trademarked.  The popularity of Cowboy Steaks continues to grow.