Buying beef in bulk, specifically a side (half) of beef, is the most cost economical way to eat Farm to Table and save money. We decided to do some research and figure out exactly how much more affordable it really is. If you are not familiar with the process of buying meat in bulk, check out our guide on what you need to know.
We examined three scenarios for our price comparison:
- Buying retail from an online delivery service
- Buying retail direct from one beef producer
- Buying bulk direct from one beef producer
While we tried to get pricing from farmers’ markets and organic/natural grocers, there simply wasn’t the full selection of cuts needed for accurate comparable pricing. (Our amazing intern went everywhere.) Turns out, based on what we did find, pricing was pretty close to the online delivery companies.
Everything You Get with a Side of Beef
Realizing there is custom processing available, we decided to go for a standard of variety of cuts that typically come from a side of beef. If you know your cattle, the truth is there is only so much tenderloin or top sirloin etc. you can get based upon bovine anatomy. So this list is pretty much what you would get in a standard side of beef.
- Tenderloin Steaks (1.4 kg)
- Striploin Steaks (5.2 kg)
- Ribeye Steaks (4.5 kg)
- Top Sirloin Steaks (3 kg)
- Blade (Chuck) Steaks (3.45 kg)
- Round Steaks (5.1 kg)
- Flank Steak (0.75 kg)
- Inside Round Roasts (5.6 kg)
- Sirloin Tip Roasts (2.4 kg)
- Cross Rib Roasts (3 kg)
- Chuck Roasts (3 kg)
- Short Ribs (2.2 kg)
- Stewing Beef (3.6 kg)
- Soup Bones (4 kg)
- Lean Ground Beef (31.8 kg)
- TOTAL WEIGHT: 79 kg
What You Would Pay
Based upon the cuts included in our side of beef, our handy spreadsheet gave us the numbers. Here is what all this would cost you:
- Online Delivery Service: $2,413.57* ($2,292.89* with 5% repeat buyer discount)
- Retail Direct from Producer: $1,924.77*
- Bulk Direct from Producer: $1,580.24*
As you can see, you would save $712.65* (31%) with the online delivery service using a 5% discount even if you were a repeat buyer (which means you paid $2,412.57 the first time). You would also save $344.53* (18%) buying everything retail from the same producer that would sell you bulk. Obviously the producer is willing to pass savings onto you when you save them the work of selling every cut individually. Plus it provides predictable cash flow which all businesses need.
Of course, not everybody needs to buy 79 kg of beef. That’s why most producers are willing to evenly split your order in up to four packages. If you have a freezer, and some friends that want to save on healthy grass-fed quality beef while supporting local farms, go make them an offer they can’t refuse.
Notes:
- *Pricing and savings will vary depending upon the retailer and producer.
- All pricing is Alberta based. As Freshly Grown expands, we’ll do the same in other provinces.
- Direct bulk pricing was based upon the average costs across three different producers. Each varied in their production methods. All were antibiotic and hormone free with ethical processing and aged dry aged 18-21 days. We were surprised to see organic beef was not that much more expensive.
- Bulk pricing was all-in including processing, freezing, packaging and delivery to a drop-off point in your city.
- Normally you would also get an Eye of Round Roast, Brisket and Prime Rib Back Bones with a side of beef. But we could not find these items available online so they were excluded in the price comparison.
- For those who think that is a lot of lean ground beef, beef producers allow you to substitute for processed items like sausage, patties and other goodies. This increases the price however.
- There are some pretty wide ranges in terms of pricing from online delivery depending upon the source of product. We chose the lowest price with the closest labels. All beef was at least 100% grass finished.
- In general, we found that retailers like organic and natural grocery chains, marked up their product around 15-20% above what you would pay buying retail direct from the producer. Again, after you add an additional bulk discount, buying a whole side is definitely the way to go.
- You need about a 12-14 Cu. Ft. freezer for a whole side of beef. The savings on your first order more than covers it. And you get a nice new freezer!