Hello, friend! I’m Cassie Michael, the founder of Food and Meat Co-op. If you’re wondering how all of this started, let me tell you a little story.
I’ve been married to the love of my life for over 25 years, and we’re blessed with six incredible children—three of whom are now adults.
Early in our marriage, we made some poor financial choices and found ourselves in over $100,000 of consumer debt. We couldn’t even keep up with our bills. That was our wake-up call. We knew we had to turn things around, so we committed to living as frugally as possible.
It wasn’t easy, but between extreme couponing, working side hustles, and drastically changing our lifestyle, we paid off every cent of that debt. In fact, we wrote a book about it.
Once we were debt-free, I kept that frugal mindset but realized something was off.
The foods we were getting through couponing and crazy deals weren’t exactly the healthiest options. I didn’t want to feed my family processed, low-quality food for the long term.
That’s when I became determined to find a way to balance saving money while providing my family with wholesome, nutritious meals. It was a struggle to figure out how to do this on a budget, but I came across some local co-ops for fresh produce and organic goods.
That helped, but what I really needed was access to high-quality meat. Buying a whole cow each year gave us beef, but I wanted more variety—chicken, pork, seafood—all at affordable prices.
That’s when the light bulb went off:
"What if I started a meat co-op myself?" I could gather enough people to create group buying power and access wholesale prices, just like grocery stores. But convincing thousands of people to jump on board wasn’t easy.
Then COVID hit. Suddenly, grocery store shelves were empty, and limits were placed on how much meat we could buy. As a family of eight, being allowed to purchase just 2 pounds of meat didn’t go far. I had friends reaching out to me, knowing I was in the wholesale co-op world, asking for help. They wanted to know how to get meat directly from producers and bypass the disrupted supply chain.
So, I took action, connecting our community with local and national producers to bring food straight to our doorsteps.
It started small in May 2020—just a few hundred people and four pickup locations in Utah.
But the demand was real.
People saw the value in getting high-quality, healthy food at affordable prices, and the Co-op quickly grew.
Today, we have 37 pickup locations throughout Utah, offer home delivery in several counties, and have expanded into Idaho and Wyoming. People love the convenience and savings, and we’re constantly hearing from folks across the country who are eager for us to come to their state.
So, how does it all work?
The Food and Meat Co-op operates completely online—no brick-and-mortar stores. We take pre-orders and pre-payments, which gives us the ability to negotiate amazing deals directly with food producers. I find foods that appeal to our community—everything from beef, pork, and chicken to seafood and specialty items like bison or lamb—and buy them by the truckload in bulk, food-service packaging. By avoiding fancy retail packaging and buying in large quantities, we can offer the same or better quality food than you’d find in a grocery store, but at 20-50% off retail prices.
We handle the logistics with help from staff and volunteers, ensuring smooth pickups at our drive-thru locations. You simply place an order online, come to one of our convenient pickup spots, and we load your food right into your car. There are no subscription fees, no monthly minimums—you just buy what your family needs, when you need it.
Many of our families, including mine, now only go to the grocery store for fresh produce, milk, and a few pantry staples. The bulk of our groceries, especially meat and other proteins, comes straight from the Co-op.
If you’re not sure where to start, I always recommend trying out our sampler protein staples boxes.
These give you a variety of cuts, from ground sirloin to chicken tenderloins, and are a great way to experience the quality of our products without committing to a huge amount.
And don’t worry if you’re short on freezer space—many of our items, like ground meats and tenderloins, take up very little room. We even have tips and tricks on our blog and YouTube channel for making the most of whatever freezer space you have!
I’ve poured my heart into the Food and Meat Co-op because I believe that everyone deserves access to healthy, whole foods without breaking the bank.
I’m so excited to see where this journey takes us, and I’d love for you to be a part of it. If you’re in Utah, Idaho, or Wyoming, check out our pickup and delivery schedule, and give us a try.
There’s no commitment—just fresh, high-quality food for your family. Let’s change the way we buy food together!
I hope this Co-op blesses your family as much as it has mine. If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out or check out our FAQ section. Thanks for reading, and I hope to meet you at a pickup soon!