We’ve got an exciting CHICKEN ANNOUNCEMENT for you, chicken fans! We are proud of the new lines of chicken we’ve got on our shelves as of the past few weeks, and we’d love to share some of our process with you – because here at the Co-op, we let our values guide every decision we make, and we put a lot of thought into every product we decide to support.
Why did we make a change?
We believe this change will allow us to keep our shelves better stocked with the products you most want, because both of our new chicken providers give us a shorter turn-around time between when we place an order and when that order is delivered. We’re excited that we’ll be able to be more responsive to the actual demands of our community!
Already our selection has dropped in price! Whole chickens, boneless breasts, and boneless thighs were reduced by $1 per pound, and drumsticks are $2.99 instead of $3.69. These are not sale prices, they are new permanent prices!
We care about helping you feed your whole family nutritious, affordable food, and we are so excited to be able to bring you new lower prices on this high-quality chicken.
Both of our new chicken providers – Springer Mountain Farms and Farmer Focus – are more local than our previous supplier, as they are both regionally local to the South. We also believe that the farming practices and quality standards that both companies support are just as high, or higher, than the chicken products we have previously carried.
Read on for more information about Springer Mountain Farms and Farmer Focus!
Springer Mountain Farms, based in Georgia, provides chicken that is free from antibiotics, free from GMO products, and American Humane Certified.
Here is some more information, directly from their website:
“Springer Mountain Farms chickens are not classified as organic. We feel that our chicken sets itself above the standards for organic classification by USDA which allow the use of antibiotics the first days of life, do not address food safety, are not certified to a humane standard, and do not require testing of soil, water and feed. We NEVER use antibiotics, are certified by the American Humane Association, and we test soil, water and feed in our onsite USDA certified laboratory for contaminants and pesticides.”
“Our chickens are not free range nor pasture raised. They are raised inside comfortable houses where they have an unlimited supply of clean water and fresh feed along with plenty of fresh air and room to roam about, allowing them the ability to live a normal life without the threat of predators, exposure to diseases from migratory birds, or harm from the elements as they’d be subjected to if raised outdoors. Our low-stress growing practices and procedures have earned us certification by the American Humane Association, the oldest and most trusted advocate of animal welfare in the country. Springer Mountain Farms was the first brand of chicken in the world to be American Humane Certified.”
Farmer Focus
Farmer Focus is a company based in Virginia that partners with farms throughout the state to provide chicken that is Organic, Free-Range, Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Certified, and Non-Gmo Project Verified. They have created a business model that treats each farmer with integrity and promotes the financial sustainability of generational farms. (Find out more here.)
Farmer Focus also provides incredible traceability of every product – by visiting their website, and typing in a unique # on each package of chicken, you can find out exactly what farm it came from! Find that tool here: