| Meat Store web retailers fulfill beef, pork, lamb, and | | | | purchase organically raised products at much better |
| poultry orders and ship the product directly to homes | | | | average prices per pound than in the local |
| across the continental US. There are a variety of | | | | supermarket (which usually carries the regular |
| business models in the space. Some shops purchase | | | | factory-farmed products). |
| pre-cut portions from wholesalers, while others buy | | | | Here are five of the better known online retailers: |
| whole carcasses and cut portions themselves when | | | | 1. LaCense Beef: Sells 100% grass-fed beef directly to |
| the order is made. Some stores provide regular | | | | consumers from its 88,000 acre Montana Ranch. |
| grain-fed beef that comes from cattle raised on | | | | 2. Greensbury Market: specializes in sustainably |
| factory farms, while others specialize in cuts from | | | | produced beef, pork, lamb, and poultry from USDA |
| 100% grass-fed beef from so-called 'naturally raised' | | | | Certified Organic farms. |
| farm animals. However, the best meat store | | | | 3. Hearst Ranch: Specializes in grass-fed beef portions |
| operations follow the 'farm-to-fork' direct selling | | | | and sides shipped directly from their 150,000 acre |
| approach. In this model, small scale ranchers raise, | | | | California ranch. |
| harvest, and process their own cattle and ship directly | | | | 4. Wilson & Wilson: Omaha based producer of 21 day |
| to the consumer while cutting out the middle-man. | | | | dry-aged Black Angus steaks, |
| Usually, they sell 100% grass-fed beef from | | | | 5. MyButcher: Ships fresh (non-frozen), premium-grade |
| pasture-raised animals that are not 'finished' in a | | | | Black Angus and USDA Prime beef. |
| feed-lot. | | | | When selecting a retailer, there are several things you |
| Direct selling meat store operations own and/or | | | | should look for:a. Understand where and how they |
| manage their own ranching operations. They exercise | | | | source their finished products,b. Ask how their animals |
| complete control over the feeding, pasturing, and health | | | | were raised. Was cattle factory farmed or produced |
| of their cattle. Quite a few of these ranches operate | | | | by small-scale farmers? Is cattle finished on a feed-lot, |
| to very high standards with restrictions around animal | | | | or 100% pasture-raised?c. Be clear about the labels |
| treatment, synthetic hormones, anti-biotic use, and the | | | | used to describe their products. (The word 'organic' |
| ingredients in the feed. Those farms that adhere to the | | | | has a specific meaning under US federal law, while |
| highest standards and are specially inspected by | | | | other words like 'natural, pure, 100% natural have no |
| USDA personnel may earn the highly respected | | | | consistent meaning).d. Get a clear understanding of |
| "USDA Certified Organic" appellation. | | | | their shipping times and schedules. Some companies |
| Most meat store retailers offer the popular cuts in a | | | | ship overnight, while others ship next-day.e. Make sure |
| variety of combination packs. Cuts are individually | | | | the company has real, live customer service |
| vacuum-sealed in plastic and wet-aged before flash | | | | representatives that you can call for additional |
| freezing. When an order is placed, these individual cuts | | | | information.f. Ensure that they have a money-back |
| are boxed, placed into a shipping container with dry-ice, | | | | guarantee. |
| and shipped to the customer via overnight courier. | | | | Follow these tips to enjoy healthy and delicious |
| Since there is no middle-man, consumers are able to | | | | products when selecting an online meat store. |