April 5, 2018

Meet Brian Hines and Thom Barbour of The Proper Beast

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Hines and Thom Barbour.

Brian and Thom, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We started in 2014 after years spent in the corporate world. Brian always had a passion for cooking and a transition into the local food scene seemed a perfect fit. After researching what people in the Valley were doing we felt bringing our Arizona raised meats and provisions to farmers markets was the perfect way to get started. Over the course of the four years, our products have garnered a fantastic following and allowed us to branch out on collaborative projects with other producers in the local food scene. In turn, these collaborations support up to 10 families run small businesses with each purchase.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our first day at Phoenix Public Market was a rainy and windy start. The market closed early, we were soaked yet still excited. Since then, we’ve returned each Saturday and have seen strangers become familiar faces. A far cry from the corporate world.

Please tell us about The Proper Beast.
We make all of our sausage using Arizona raised pork from a small family farm, free of hormones, antibiotics or fillers. Additionally, all of the sausage is dairy free and we have several gluten and sugar-free options. We mix all our own spice blends and create in small batches. Our most popular products are our On A Bender™ beer brats using Refuge IPA from Arizona Wilderness Brewery and our Mexican chorizo, an authentic recipe we developed with a cook in Scottsdale. We are very proud to support the local economy by purchasing the majority of our ingredients from other local, family-run businesses.

Pricing:

products range from $5 to $12

Contact Info:

Address: Located in the AZ Food Crafters kitchen (Tuesday-Saturday 8-4) 961 W. Ray Rd.
Chandler, AZ 85225
Phoenix Public Market (Saturdays, year round)
Gilbert Farmers Market (Saturdays, year round)
Ahwatukee Farmers Market (Sundays, year round)
Website: theproperbeast.com
Phone: 480-621-1819
Email: brian@theproperbeast.com
Instagram: instagram.com/theproperbeast
Facebook: facebook.com/theproperbeast
Twitter: twitter.com/theproperbeast
Yelp: yelp.com/biz/the-proper-beast-chandler

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.