Frequently Asked Questions

We are able to offer prices 30-50% less than the grocery store all of the time because we eliminate many steps in the retail supply chain that effectively lowers the cost. One of the many ways to eliminate cost is by offering the product in the original commercial bulk packaging - the same packaging a grocery store would get before they break it down into the smaller shelf packages for retail. Because we eliminate this step in the supply chain, we see significant savings by opting to do this at home instead (i.e. breaking the bulk packaging into smaller portions in Ziploc or freezer bags at home). Additionally, we offer a lot of food service quality items which only comes in bulk options. If this quantity is too much for you or your family, we suggest finding a friend, family member, neighbor or someone in our very own community to share with! They'll love it too!

No way! We realize this way of buying isn't possible or needed for everyone and why we curated our own boxes such as the 31 lb. Mixed Staples box that includes smaller portions of beef, poultry and pork. We also have several 10-12 lb. options of meat such as ground sirloin, steaks, pork chops, roasts and more that are rotated throughout the year. These little boxes give perfect portions of all our popular items already vacuum packed and freezer ready.

Surprisingly, you don’t need as much as you think! We would recommend removing the products from the boxes they are packed in as this will save a significant amount of space. Most of our curated items are vacuum sealed in a way to create easier ability to stack. Repackaging meats flat will help save space and also allow for quicker thawing time. Most of our community members have an additional freezer they keep on hand to store when purchasing bulk products from us.

No, but we do encourage recycling them!

We are a group made up of individuals, couples, and families that want to eat well, save money. We desire to support the local economy as much as possible while acquiring great deals in bulk foods. We do this with the power of collective group buying. By being a part of this concept, you unlock the ability to get more direct access to food while saving money.

1. Access to bulk and wholesale group pricing.
2. Additional savings via the optional VIP Membership. The membership helps propel the co-op forward and provide more opportunities to families all over Utah.
   Learn more about membership HERE.
3. Freshness. Made, packed, and delivered fresh or flash frozen all within a short time period. Taste the fresh-before-frozen experience!
4. Local processing & distributing. You are supporting local businesses and the local Utah economy at various levels! Additionally, you are helping to support other Utah co-op families with group-buying benefits.
5. Direct sales. Remove the retail middle-man and gain control of your food from the beginning. Find comfort in knowing that your product has only been touched by the butcher or processor last and has not been sitting in store fridges for months.

We have a sale each month on various foods in 6 categories: Best sellers, Gluten-Free, Better Than Organic, Local Goodies, Clearance and Overstock, AND…limited time, one-month-only foods! Some foods can include local beef and pork from our ranchers. Lamb coming soon.

Each sale is open and pre-sold for about 2 weeks before the pickup dates. Be sure to secure your foods on our website by ordering within that 2-week window. You will also need to select a pickup location where you intend to pick up your order or our Delivery option in specific areas for a $7.99 fee. We do pre-pay only which allows us to order the correct amount of food for our community.

Yes! It is 100% free to participate. We want our foods to be accessible and available to as many as possible. The co-op does have a paid membership that provides additional benefits. You can read about them on our VIP Membership page.

Please follow this step-by-step process:

1. Create a secure account. All participants must have an account. This is for security and pickup purposes. You can easily register your account for free on our website.
2. Find your pickup location for the next month and familiarize the current pickup spot to find the closest available to you.
3. Find products and add to your cart. Browse our 6 categories and 30+ products! There is no quantity limit on how many can be ordered and unless, of course, we are sold out.
4. Select Delivery ($7.99 fee) or Free Pick Up! You will need to select your preferred pickup location date/time from our schedule. This ensures that it goes into our system so we know where to send your food. 
5. Complete your secure checkout! Don't forget to add your pickup date and time to your calendar!

Yes! Our website is 100% secure and our payments are processed via a reliable, secure 3rd party that handles the transactions for other large e-commerce stores. We do not store and cannot view any payment information.

Our process is unique and we work in two-week sale cycles. That means the co-op will have foods available to purchase for about 2 weeks out of the month. Following that 2-week window, the food is distributed throughout the valley at our local pick-ups. Please review the schedule to know days and times.

Once this monthly sale period is complete, we take a 2-week planning break to finalize the foods, deals, and negotiations with our providers for the next month.

During this time, you will not be able to purchase any foods. However, you will want to join the “I’m Interested” list for the next sale so you can be notified right when the sale goes live! We primarily communicate via text and email so sign up for news updates, and text reminders for sales being released and pick-up times. You can also create an account here as well.

We realize things happen so there are a few things you can do: 1. Send someone in your place (family member, friend, neighbor, etc.). If you cannot find anyone, you can schedule a delivery with a delivery fee of $15 which goes right to our drivers/site leads for their time. Please contact customer service at dj@foodandmeatcoop.com to make special arrangements if other arrangements need to be made.

If you missed your pickup without making special arrangements we have a couple of options but we always do everything possible to get your your product to you. If you are on your way but running late, or you are able to pick up within the hour, we can leave it with our site-lead. Please understand, they do not have means to store it so it's imperative to take preventive measures to make sure your order is picked up.

Second, you can have the site-lead deliver to you for a $15 delivery fee. If we do not hear from you and have attempted to call, email or text, we will cancel your order and a 10% restocking fee will apply. In this case, you will receive a 90% refund on your entire order.

Yes! In fact, if you are not able to pick up, we recommend you sending someone in your place. All they need to do is tell the person that is checking in the name on the order or provide the order number.

At this time, our system only allows for one pickup location per order. If you wish to order for pickup at multiple locations, you will need to do multiple orders.

Our pickup locations are packed for the exact orders at that location. If you did not choose that location, your product is not on that pallet/truck. If you show up and we give you the product anyway (we have many volunteers that do not know this information and will hand out product unknowingly), this means that someone that was supposed to get product at that location will not get it. It creates a ripple effect and affects many people. If you need to make a change, please contact us before the sale closes, but please do not show up at a different location without those special arrangements having already been made. Please note, if you do show up to a different location without notice, we will redirect you to the location that is specified on your order.

If you need to change your location, email askcassie@FoodandMeatCoop.com to make this request and our team will make that change for you. Please note, once a sale is closed, we cannot change locations as everything is locked and being prepared at that point. Remember, you can always send another individual in your place if a family emergency comes up and you aren't able to make pick-up.

First, please contact us immediately! Depending on how quickly you give us notice, we may be able to correct it by simply returning to the parking lot during the pickup window. If it is later, please contact us immediately to resolve the issue. This does happen on occasion as our pickups have hundreds of people and several volunteers and so mixups do happen, but we will help to resolve it.

YES! In fact, we offer them for even less when we get these rescued foods because our process cuts out even more of the supply chain to reduce the prices that much more! These foods and meats can be found in our clearance and overstock section of our website each month! The selection changes each month.

We also have a live sale occasionally that includes overstocks, clearances, and mishaps of foods found all around the state. We "rescue" these foods and include them in our monthly sales to help this food not go to waste. The foods in this category are up to 90% off. Please note, our regular offerings are at a steal of a price, but they are not “imperfect” or a “misfits” option; they are the exact items you would buy from your local grocery store, or farmer, but directly from the source for the massive savings!

We try to estimate product quantities that our co-op will use to the best of our ability. Sometimes we are shorted and can only get so many cases of a particular product. When this happens, and you see "sold out" during a sale, we ask that you use the waitlist. Click on "Notify When Available" button located on each sold out product. As soon as stock is added, and sometimes we can get more, you will be notified via email/text. Make sure to act fast because they often will sell out again quickly!

Cassie and the rest of the co-op admin team are very particular and intentional with high standards when it comes to the quality of the product and the way it was raised (high ethical standards). We try to visit and help out on the farms that we serve our co-op. Our goal is to know each of our farmers and supplier and maintain a personal relationship with them. With that being said, please review our Q&A about our products being sourced locally. 

Hormones are naturally found in all animals, it's part of life. However, we have been able to source meats that have no added hormones or steroids and are antibiotic free. In most cases, the meats are 100% natural because that is one of our constant goals. Some meat products are seasoned or cured and in this process will have additional added ingredients. For specific information on each product, please read the details of that product on its product page.

We have a large gluten free and allergy friendly group that we serve through our co-op. Both co-founders have special dietary needs in their families and so this has been a focus from day #1. With that said, we have special categories for our allergen friendly community. Nearly every fresh/flash frozen raw meat product will be GF - there is no statement, but they are all GF and other allergen friendly. All foods in our GF category are GF and most are free from other allergens. If the company's manufacturing standards aren't clear, we will follow up with them to confirm practices. We will offer other products (pre-made frozen foods), but they are all made in different facilities and the appropriate allergy statements and ingredients are included on the prepared foods so you can make the best choice for you and your family.

The co-op is free to participate but we have an upgrade option that can be purchased at any time to VIP Insider's Annual Membership . For dues of only $39 per year, you become a VIP Insider and you receive extra benefits that are only available with a paid membership. This helps us to continue to run the co-op and provide bulk purchasing opportunities for your family.

We are a self-funded, community-based co-op and we strive to pay all of our farmers and suppliers what they ask to be paid. We also want to provide foods at the lowest possible prices. However, we have overarching operational costs that we attempt to absorb through the membership fees. This allows the entire community to benefit from lower food prices and an overall healthy community. So as a “thank you” for providing financial support through your annual dues, you receive lots of benefits throughout the year!

As a VIP Insider , you will be able to take advantage of a 5% discount on foods all year, early ordering privileges, exclusive access to new foods, no quantity limits (except if we are sold out), potential private sales, express lane at pickup, and extra bonuses throughout the year.

The annual fee is just $39 per year! Your rate is locked in and will automatically renew each year. Occasionally, we find that we need to increase our prices on our membership due to rising costs (primarily in gasoline and labor), but you will always auto-renew at the rate you originally signed up at as long as your membership does not lapse. Please be sure your payment information is up to date so it doesn’t auto-cancel at the time of renewal.

Log in to your account on our website at foodandmeatcoop.com , you will see a link at the bottom of your summary page to “manage your subscriptions.” Click on this to manage your membership account, update contact or payment information, turn off auto-renew, or cancel your membership.

Great question and we are glad you asked! You can join the VIP Insider’s program on this page HERE.