ARF Co-op orders from a variety of local, state, and national suppliers
on a monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly basis. (We are always looking for
new
suppliers as well.) Because we order together as a co-op and can meet large
minimum-pound weight or total cost requirements from suppliers, we can purchase products at wholesale or discounted prices. We also save money on
shipping this way--for some suppliers, shipping is free!
Because we have no storefront, overhead, or middleman, we pass our savings directly on to our members. There are no hidden or embedded charges in our ordering system.
How items are sold
Healthy, natural meat
What's available?
How much does it cost?
Many items we order
(with the exception of a few suppliers, who offer
by-the-pound pricing or smaller-sized items) are sold by the case. Cases vary in
size from 10 pounds to 60 pounds depending on what the item is. Organs are
usually sold in 10 pound cases, for example, whereas bones and muscle meat
are usually sold in 40-60 pound cases. Having a dedicated freezer where
you can store food makes participating in the co-op much easier! However,
it is usually very easy to find someone in the co-op to split a case with
you if you do not want an entire case.
We are currently making regular orders from
seven different
suppliers. Four of these suppliers sell all-natural
and/or wholly-organic meats. We try to purchase
such healthy, humanely-farmed products whenever possible. However, cost is an
issue for some members and organic meats do cost more.
We also make regular
orders from other suppliers which are not strictly organic,
but sell high-quality, human-grade food. (One of these
suppliers is a major restaurant distributor, so we're buying the same food
served on tables all over central Texas!) Buying from a variety of
suppliers allows the co-op to offer healthy products for members with different
budgets.
Co-op members can
regularly purchase an incredible variety of ground and whole muscle meats,
tripe, organ meats, staple raw meaty bones, eggs, vegetable mixes, and recreational bones. (Some members
order food for themselves from our suppliers, too.) In addition, we offer
two brands of pre-made ground raw mixes (one of which is a wholly-organic, complete and balanced AAFCO-certified food) for members who
prefer the convenience of a
pre-made mix, and a variety of whole animals for members who prefer the whole-prey
model of feeding.
We order a wide variety of meats, including:
-
Whole chickens, chicken necks, backs, frames, wings, livers, gizzards, hearts, and leg quarters. Our chicken is all natural and staples such as backs, necks, and frames are $.29/lb.
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Pastured, grass-fed beef organs, muscle meat, edible bones, and several kinds of recreational bones. Our organic beef bones are available by the pound (no need to buy a 40-lb case!) and average $1.12 or less/lb.
-
Organic beef tripe with spleen
-
Organic bison
-
Organic whole rabbits, rabbit organs, muscle meat, and feet, as well as ground rabbits
Whole and ground quail -
Natural goat organs, muscle meat, heads, and bones
-
Natural lamb organs, muscle meat, and bones
-
Organic and non-organic pork organs, muscle meat, and necks
Fish Pre-made raw
lamb, chicken, turkey, and beef bone/muscle meat mixes Exotics such as emu, ostrich and kangaroo
Specific information on
products and suppliers is available to members in the Files section of our Yahoo Group.
Because we can get such a large variety of products, as with a human diet, feeding a home-prepared diet to your pet can be as inexpensive or as costly as you would like to make it. Staples for raw feeders such as all-natural chicken necks, backs, and frames are $.29/lb. Organic, grass-fed recreational beef and bison bones usually run $1.12/lb.
We have many human-grade items under $1.00/lb. Human-grade muscle meat and pre-made ground bone/meat mixes run between $1-2.00/lb, and many of our ground and whole organic items are between $1.00-3.00/lb. |
