FAQs
1. What is the Food and Meat Co-op?
We are a group of eaters that want to support the local economy as much as possible, while acquiring great deals in bulk on food in Utah and surrounding areas. 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 and with that direct accessibility, comes the bonus opportunity to get great deals!
2. How does the Food and Meat Co-op work?
It's very simple!
We are a direct-to-consumer wholesale group buying club for the Utah community, and primarily sell in bulk. We source foods of all kinds, primarily meats. We have NO brick and mortar shop, but instead work by pickup locations at different times in the month. We bring refrigerated trucks to your county on specific days/times/locations each month where you will need to meet this truck to pick up your order on site.
3. How can I order or be included in an upcoming food pickup?
We announce small, in between sales all month long, generally for a one-time offering and primarily on our Facebook page and group.
When you see products you would like to have opportunity to buy, you take note of the monthly pickup date, time and location. Then you will pre-order the products you want on our website. You can choose to pre-pay or pay on site.
We also have a once a month BIG sale which is where most of the meats will come from. We collect orders for a few weeks through our website and then we will place our orders on behalf of the group with the local farmers and suppliers.
During this sale, it will be announced in email, text and on social media and in our private group for a few weeks to allow you to pre-order the products you want. There will be different products at different times, so you will want to pay attention to not miss out. You will choose those products here on our website and pre-pay or choose to pay on site.
4. Where do the foods, produce and meats come from?
Throughout the year, we have many bulk food buying opportunities, so we do not have a one-size-fits-all on this question. We do disclose as much information as we can on each individual product. So if there is a product you are looking at, you will want to read the details on that product page.
However, this is our normal process for product procurement: 1. Sourcing 100% local from beginning to end is our top priority. 2. Sourcing from local producers or suppliers that may have aspects of their products or process that are outside of Utah, but still supports local business in some way. 3. Every once in a while, we get outside of Utah products entirely, but we still try to get them close over the borders of the neighboring states (we've done Idaho potatoes, Colorado produce, etc), but regardless, every product's distribution or process positively affects Utah businesses even if it is through a distributor, or a local co-op family business that is directly serving you or other family-based business in Utah.
We strive diligently to work on bringing products that have the most overall benefit for our community, even if in terms of your budget and your personal family finances, which, in turn, has a great positive effect for our state.
5. Do your meats contain antibiotics, hormones, steroids or any other artificial ingredients?
Thus far, we have been able to source meats that have no added hormones or steroids and are antibiotic free. In most cases, the meats are natural. Some meat products are seasoned or cured and in this process will have additional added ingredients.
For specific information on each product, you will want to read the details of that product on its product page.
Please note, quality and natural, in addition to as local as possible, are the top priorities in our meat sourcing. Exceptions can be made on special buying opportunities for products the group would like to bring in to buy at a group buying discount!
6. Do you have discounts?
Yes! Out the gate, no matter what, you are saving between 20-50% on retail prices on every product we sell! The point of our co-op is to get really good food for cheaper.
However, if you are asking about further discounts, there will be opportunities that arise, including overstocks where a local supplier has too much of something and will give us a bigger than normal discount. We pass those savings onto you and you will want to be on the newsletter and text message alerts to know when this happens as the supply generally goes FAST.
Finally, we are putting programs in place that will be announced in the near future that allows for frequent buyers in our co-op to save even more each time they order. We believe in loyalty as we are a community that supports each other and so those that are committed will have more savings opportunities to be announced soon!
7. How can I help this co-op?
It brings us so much joy to answer this question! And along with savings, comes the natural response of many to want to help the community as a whole! There are MANY ways that you can help our co-op, including volunteer help! Please email us at TwoMoms@FoodAndMeatCoop.com to find out how your specific skills/resources/business can help our community!
We also have a "Ways To Work With Us" page that includes a non-exhaustive list of current ways to be a part of this Good Food Movement! If you have additional ideas not listed (as we learn more each day) please reach out!
Don't see a question you have answered above? Please email us at TwoMoms@FoodAndMeatCoop.com and send your question! We may even include it in our FAQ's in the future. :)
THANK YOU!
Vanessa and Cassie