Ernesto Valle used to be known as the guy who cuts meat in the middle of nowhere. He opened Lobo Butcher Shop in Guadalupe four and a half years ago when the economy was still hurting from the pandemic.
“For a couple months, I thought I was going to shut down in my first year,” Valle told the Sun one sunny afternoon.
At the time, he said he was the only one in the area selling hand-sliced steaks and homemade sausages.
Craving a rack?
Lobo Butcher Shop is located in Roy’s Liquor and Market at 770 Guadalupe St. in Guadalupe. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. See Facebook or Instagram for weekly specials and combo packs.
The Lobo food trailer is available for catering. Visit for lunch during the week for cooked tri-tip, ribs, chicken, and pulled pork. Call (805) 268-1510 with questions.
The business owner was used to working behind the meat counter for a mom-and-pop shop in Goleta near his native Santa Barbara. A couple of years after he left that work, Valle’s wife noticed he wasn’t as happy.
She told him she could see the change in his attitude because he wasn’t doing what he loved. Finally, she said, “You should just open your own shop already.”
Now, Valle is known as the guy who owns Lobo Butcher Shop. People travel to Guadalupe from across the Central Coast, the owner said, to buy cuts of meat. The business is his passion, reminding him of childhood Sunday barbecues with his dad cooking tri-tip.
A little more than a year ago, Valle and his business partner, Sergio Bustos, bought a food trailer to expand their opportunities. Valle caters private events in the community and regularly pops up at Coastal Bites on Wednesday nights in Santa Maria’s Machado Plaza. The pair is also working on paperwork for San Luis Obispo County health permits to conduct more business up north.
No matter where he goes, interacting with the community is important to the butcher. Valle takes pride in running an old-school style shop. Using machines as little as possible, he and Bustos trim everything by hand.
“We cut the meat right in front of them, take it from the back and put it on a cutting board,” Valle said. “Whatever size they want.”
Many are repeat customers. Coming up on five years, Valle has gotten to know local families in the community. Some feel comfortable sending their kids to pick up an order.
Lobo also supplies youth sports teams, fire houses, and veterans’ groups.
The butcher lives in Orcutt but discovered the empty space while visiting his in-laws, who lived in Guadalupe.
“I really like the small town. Here in Guadalupe, it’s a small town, big heart,” Valle said.
One way he shows support is by keeping costs low. If his prices aren’t lower than Costco’s, he explained, they’re equal.
Raw combo packs are popular among his customers. One recent weekly deal at the end of May listed 3 pounds of short ribs, three sausages, and 10 jalapeño poppers for $50. Another package came with eight tri-tip patties, three sausages, and 10 poppers for $35.
“We try to make barbecue pack deals because that’s usually what people do,” Valle said. “They want a little bit of everything on the grill.”
He still handmakes sausages from pork shoulder, grinding the meat and blending in seasoning. Valle makes around 18 blends of spices, including one named after Guadalupe for his signature jalapeño bratwurst. Then each batch is finished in his linking machine.
Another cut he’s known for is tri-tip ranchera, a less expensive alternative to regular ranchera. The butcher cuts it super thin, and it has the same marbling because it’s choice grade.
“It tastes like ranchera to me, honestly,” Valle said. “I tested it out. I fooled my wife and her family.”
In a normal week, Valle eats tri-tip four or five times, he guessed. People ask if he gets tired of it, but he doesn’t.
He’s in the right place. People love his Santa Maria style tri-tip, too. Lobo Butcher Shop goes through eight to 10 cases every week in the summer. With 16 cuts per case, that’s up to 160 tri-tips a week.
Tri-tip also shows up on the menu for the Lobo burger at the food trailer, which also features hot dogs, chicken, pulled pork, and ribs.
Admittedly a butcher not a chef, Valle puts extra care into his cooking. He’s working on redoing the trailer’s menu, set to debut in June. He’s especially excited for one item.
“It’s going to be called the cheesy tri,” he described. “You put the cheese on the flat top, and you put the bread on top of it. It’s kind of like a grilled cheese, but then you put tri-tip inside.”
The new menu will arrive just before Lobo’s busiest times of the year: Fourth of July. When needed, Valle asks family members to help at the trailer if demand is high.
From the beginning it’s always been a business rooted in family. The name Lobo is inspired by his crew of childhood friends. They call themselves the wolf pack, and no matter how many months have passed, they can still get together and have a good time.
“I know [lobo] means wolf in Spanish, but to me it’s like family. Everybody that we grew up with,” Valle said. “I have my ‘brother.’ He helps me. I’ve known him for like 30 years, so I call him my brother. … How many people can say they’ve known somebody for 30 years?”
For anyone who steps into his shop, lobo or not, Valle is ready to treat them like family.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in June 4 – June 11, 2026.
