If you’ve been with Hungry Herd for a while, you’ll notice something has changed.
And it’s a deliberate one.
We’ve always taken pride in offering high-quality meat—premium cuts, dry-aged ribeyes, air-chilled chicken. By most standards, what we carried before was already excellent.
But over time, something became clear: excellent wasn’t enough anymore.
Our customers were asking better questions. And we decided it was time to give them better answers.
The Question We Kept Hearing
There was one question that came up again and again:
“Do you carry grass-fed beef?”
At first, it seemed like a simple preference. But the more we listened, the more we realized it was part of a bigger shift.
People weren’t just looking for good meat—they were looking for:
- Healthier options
- More natural production methods
- Transparency in sourcing
- A way to support local farmers
And truthfully, our previous supply—while high quality—didn’t fully align with that.
What “Conventional” Meat Really Means
Let’s be clear: conventional beef isn’t bad.
In fact, the beef we previously offered was well-raised, well-processed, and delivered great flavour. It met the standards most people are used to.
But conventional beef production typically includes:
- Grain-finishing to speed up growth
- Larger-scale feedlot operations
- A focus on efficiency and consistency
This system produces reliable, tender meat—but it also prioritizes scale over natural growth.
And that’s where we started to question things.
Why We Made the Shift
We didn’t change suppliers overnight.
This was a conscious decision based on what our customers were telling us—and what we believe Hungry Herd should stand for.
1. Health Matters More Than Ever
Grass-fed, grass-finished beef is naturally higher in:
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Antioxidants
- Vitamins like B12 and E
It’s not just marketing—it’s a fundamentally different nutritional profile.
The same goes for free-range chicken and pork. Animals raised with space to move and a more natural diet produce meat that’s leaner, cleaner, and more nutrient-dense.
If you’re feeding your family—or yourself—with intention, that difference matters.
2. People Want Transparency
Customers today are paying attention.
They want to know:
- Where their food comes from
- How the animals were raised
- What they were fed
And vague answers don’t cut it anymore.
By working with smaller Alberta farms, we can stand behind every product we sell—with clarity and confidence.
3. Supporting Local Isn’t Just a Trend
There’s a big difference between “sourced in Canada” and actually local.
We’ve shifted to working with smaller, Alberta-based farms that:
- Raise animals more naturally
- Focus on quality over volume
- Care deeply about how their livestock is treated
When you buy from Hungry Herd now, you’re not just buying meat—you’re supporting real producers in your own backyard.
What About Taste?
Let’s address the obvious concern.
Grass-fed beef can taste different.
It’s often described as:
- Richer
- Slightly leaner
- More “beef-forward” in flavour
That’s because it hasn’t been pushed to grow quickly on grain.
Free-range chicken and pork follow the same pattern—more texture, more character, more real flavour.
This isn’t about “better” in a generic sense. It’s about truer to what meat is supposed to taste like.
Why Smaller Farms Make a Big Difference
One of the biggest changes we made wasn’t just what we source—it’s who we source from.
Instead of large-scale suppliers, we now work with smaller operations.
That means:
- Slower growth cycles
- More care per animal
- Less industrial processing
Yes, it takes longer. Yes, it costs more.
But it also results in a product we can stand behind without hesitation.
And that’s the standard we’re setting moving forward.
What This Means for You
If you’re ordering from Hungry Herd today, here’s what you can expect:
- Grass-fed, grass-finished beef raised without grain finishing
- Free-range chicken and pork from farms that prioritize animal welfare
- Locally sourced meat from Alberta producers
- A cleaner, more natural product with real nutritional value
It’s not the fastest way to produce meat.
But it’s the right way.
This Is the Future of Hungry Herd
We didn’t make this change because it was easy.
We made it because it aligns with where food is going—and where our customers already are.
Better sourcing. Better nutrition. Better transparency.
That’s the standard now.
And we’re not going back.
