How It Works

Do you want to learn how our food and meat co-op in Utah works and the benefits from buying through the co-op? It's actually quite simple and fun!

Benefits of buying through the Food and Meat Co-op:

Bulk, wholesale group pricing for significant savings over retail.
Paid members get early ordering, express pickup and 5% off. Learn about membership HERE.
Made fresh, packed fresh, delivered fresh all within a short time period - this means that you can actually eat locally processed and locally focused beef and a taste in that freshness that can't be beat.
Natural beef with no added hormones or steroids or additives and antibiotic-free beef.
Local processing - which means you are supporting local business and the local Utah economy from a few different levels! There are at least 3 local businesses that receive your business in this process, along with helping to support fellow local co-op families in Utah with group-buying benefits.
Direct - there is no retail middle-man, which means that your product has only been touched by the butcher last and has not been sitting in store fridges for others to handle before you get it! This brings comfort and assurance that you have control from nearly the beginning.

How The Utah Co-op Works

We are a group of consumers in Utah that band together as a community to make big bulk orders of food online ahead of time. The foods are primarily meat and produce, but many other things too. We order this way to be able to get bulk, co-op pricing and support local business. This not only supports the families in Utah, but local farmers and suppliers too!

It's a simple process.

1. Find the foods available this month on our website.

2. Find the schedule for pickup (usually once per month in the 4 main counties in the Wasatch Front: Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah Counties)

3. Order the foods you want to buy in bulk so your order can be included and take advantage of the group buying prices!

4. Meet the truck at the specified date/time/location and pick up your order!

5. Most foods are made fresh for our group and come either FRESH or FLASH FROZEN. Each product will list the package details and the farm/product details.

6. Selection changes EVERY month. What we offer this month will be different next month. So if you see something you want, jump on it!

We hope to meet you at the next pickup! Please read below for more details.

First, we have a few different levels of buying through the co-op:

1. With our direct from farmer/supplier/producer to you. These are sales facilitated and procured by us and we arrange the sale and pickup or delivery. These are the large, usually once-per-month, pickups in the valley that you will primarily see us organizing for food, meats and produce. You are purchasing through us so we can make the one large bulk group co-op order directly with the farmer/supplier/producer. This is one of the best ways to get amazing prices with the power of group buying in bulk!

2. We have partnered with several local businesses and suppliers to facilitate a direct relationship with them. Once we introduce you to the product or supplier, we take a hands off approach and let the transaction between you and the source happen directly. These are one-time, one-off or a directory of sorts of local suppliers.

3. We have many other local businesses that are listed in our directory as a source for you to reach out to at any time and purchase directly from.

Now that we have provided you with a summary, we would like to go into further detail on how our main form of buying/selling co-op style works!

1. Each month, we will have a new selection of offerings that will include meats and often produce for purchase in bulk as a group. We collect orders throughout the month via our website. The selection changes from month to month and the prices fluctuate each month. This variation is due to buying in a wholesale, fresh meat and produce market and is comparable to the gasoline market prices. We negotiate deals that will be in the best interest of our community, striving to save you 20-50% over grocery store prices due to the direct bulk buying nature, as well as helping that farmer/supplier/producer in their business. We attempt to source local first, but local supply is not always available.

2. When we post about the next month's sale and the available options that month, we will also post a pickup schedule that will include the days/times/locations for you to pickup your products. These could change if unforeseen situations arise.

3. Right before the pickups, our meats and produce are brought into the area via refrigerated trucks directly from the farm/supplier/producer.

4. These trucks will then meet our community participants on site at the specified days and times. We will then load your orders into your vehicles directly off the trucks! Just join the car line, stay in your vehicle, we will load you up and off you go!

5. Take your meats and other foods home and package them how you want for the freezer, make freezer meals or eat from it fresh and make your family and wallet happy month after month, pickup after pickup!

Frequently Asked Questions regarding our order bulk meats online and pickup on site process

1. Do we prepay? Yes! We do require prepayment. This is because one of the ways in which we can secure the deals and the prices with our farmers is by this commitment. We are attempting to operate wholesale style and this requires larger orders, thus buying as a group and paying for your portion.

Additionally, we order what has been ordered by our participants and pay for this product on your behalf before the product arrives. We have tried the payment on site/at pickup in the past, but we've had multiple people not show up after ordering. This leaves us out the money and needing to find a way to sell the product that wasn't picked up. As a result, our group made the decision to pre-pay to keep prices low instead of raising prices on everything to cover those losses.

2. Do I have to pick it up myself? You do not have to pick it up yourself. Very often, many people in a family/neighborhood will order and send one person to pickup on behalf of everyone. They will just need your name in order to pickup.

3. Do you deliver or ship? No, our current model does not allow for shipping or delivering at this time as we don't have the available resources to provide that service. We understand there is a need for it so we are working to find a solution for home delivery. If you are not able to come and cannot find someone to pickup for you, there will be a restocking fee. Please see our cancellation policy.

4. How does the product come packaged? Each product is packaged differently but most all of it is in bulk. To find out the individual product packaging, just read the details on each product. Some products are fresh and some are flash frozen and already freezer ready. It all just depends on what we can source at any given time.

* Please let us know if you have more questions via our contact information in the footer of the website. We will add to this list as questions are asked! For more FAQ's you can also visit our main FAQ page.