WAIMEA, Hawaii >> After several years of planning, Mills Thomas Stovall’s store finally opened a couple of months ago, and he’s already well into the groove of welcoming customers to his Waimea Butcher Shop, where the refrigerated display case shows off an impressive array of pristine cuts of pork and beef and whole organic chicken.

On a recent day, pork belly and pig feet shared space with cuts of steak, beef neck, oxtail, beef osso bucco shank, chicken, headcheese and sausages made in-house. A nearby case was stocked with bottled drinks, fruit, organic eggs, butter and cheeses.

While just the selection is alluring, it’s not the whole story. What is: Everything for sale was raised and produced on Hawaii island.

“I work with more than 35 small farmers and ranchers to supply the butter, cheese, beef, pork, chicken, lamb and goat in my shop,” he said. “This gives them an outlet to sell their products and lets the money stay on the island.”

No one would dispute that supporting local food producers is a good thing. Yet the challenge of jumping on the local bandwagon is often price — as a rule, local, quality meats aren’t budget-friendly. But Stovall says his prices are good.

“In order to stay sustainable, you gotta compete. Oxtail in my shop is $10.99 a pound; at Costco it’s $11.99 and that’s not local beef. My ground beef is $6.99. I’m not gonna get rich selling 10 pounds of ground beef here and there. I want this to be a place where customers can come by two or three times a week to get their meats. I want to keep prices where everyone can come regularly.”

For those who come hungry, there are prepared options as well: beef stew, soups, a sandwich of the day and chili with rice — “a chili bowl for $5; it’s cheaper than anywhere else in town, and it’s local and organic,” Stovall said. Starting May 27 a barbecue expert will fire up the grill every Saturday.

Darius “Bubba” Monsef of Waimea is a regular customer who mostly frequents the shop for the chili bowl and sandwiches. “Not only do you get a nice, high-quality sandwich; you get good meats from the community, too,” he said.

Monsef’s wife and mother-in-law, the family cooks, are also regulars. They like the ground beef, various cuts of steak and lamb sausage, and the elder woman buys tendons to make a nourishing soup.

Monsef has his own homestead where he raises a few cows and grows some of his own produce, so he appreciates Stovall’s efforts.

“I care about the availability and accessibility of food from our own community,” he said. “It’s crazy how far food travels, especially in Hawaii when we live in such an abundant place where we can and should grow our own food. Having someone who champions that makes a difference.”

Stovall quietly opened the shop in early February with his wife, Kamalei, a Kohala girl. But few things stay quiet in a small town, and word of mouth spread quickly. “I had no idea there was such a buzz about this place,” Stovall said.

He dreamed up the shop with his brother while working as executive chef at the Roaring Lion Ranch in Kohala.

“I grew up with a butcher shop. Hunting was a big part of my childhood,” said the East Texas native, explaining that his background allows him to understand the Hawaii island lifestyle. “East Texas was a big ranching community. There was a lot of pride in what people did. I’m just trying to re-create my youth.

“People want to know where their meat is from. They want to look their butcher in the eye and maybe get a recommendation for something a little cheaper. I really want this to be a community butcher shop.”

Stovall and his customers are well down that path. He has given out so much advice about preparing his products, he’s made a new rule: “They must bring me a sample. Now I’ve got all kinds of great stuff coming in here!”

The shop is already in the community mix as well, hosting students on field trips and donating a percentage of sales to the Food Basket, the island’s food bank.

Up next: an after-hours Butcher Shop Supper Club that taps into Stovall’s fine-dining experience, including whiskey and scotch pairings; cooking and sausage- making classes; and whole-hog butchering class.

Stovall is optimistic about the future of his shop, not just because of all the things he has planned, but because fundamentally, he is working with products he believes in.

“I’ve traveled to France, all over Spain, all over Mexico and all over the U.S., and we have the best meats in the world. The reason is pride. With our paniolo history we’ve got it down.”