ButcherBox vs Walden Local Meat (2023's Complete Comparison)

Last Updated On: May 28, 2023

As a carnivore diet devotee, I eat a lot of meat, so I’m always on the lookout for new meat delivery services.

I recently discovered Walden Local Meat, and their business model and sourcing practices intrigued me, so I decided to try them as well.

Today, I’ll compare ButcherBox and Walden Local Meat as I’ve been using ButcherBox for quite some time.

I’ll talk about my experience using both of these services, their pros and cons, which one I think is the better choice, and why.

Walden Local Meat vs ButcherBox: Key Differences

The main difference between ButcherBox and Walden Local Meat is that ButcherBox is an online business, while Walden Local Meat operates online, and they have a brick-and-mortar butcher shop located in New England.

To buy from ButcherBox, you must go to their website and choose between five subscription options.

To buy from Walden Local Meat, you can go to their butcher shop or visit their website. If you shop online on Walden Local Meat, you must become a member to place an order.

Another difference is that ButcherBox has subscription boxes. You can choose between one of five boxes. Walden Local Meat operates on the basis of meat share.

They don’t sell a la carte but in shares. They offer a different selection of meat monthly that’s always hand-selected.

Walden Local Meat claims they utilize the whole animal and evenly distribute cuts across their member base.

Comparing Their Features Head to Head

Butcher Box and Walden Local Meat side by side

I’ll explain everything you should know about ButcherBox and Walden Local so you’ll know the features of both businesses to choose the best one for you.

1. Meat Selection

ButcherBox

ButcherBox’s meat selection includes beef, pork, chicken, and sustainably-sourced seafood.

Here’s an example of their popular cuts you can expect to get:

Pork loin
Chicken thighs
Ribeyes
Pork loin
Sirloin
Chuck round roast
Ground beef
Sockeye salmon
Sea scallops
Breakfast sausage
New York strip steak
Boneless pork chops
Boneless skinless chicken breasts

Walden Local Meat

Walden Local Meat has similar meat offering to ButcherBox. They offer beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and seafood.

Here’s an example of their cuts:

Ground beef
Sausage
Whole chicken
Chicken breast
Denver steak
Beef short ribs
Steak tips
Pork chops
Sirloin
Monkfish
Black sea bass
Haddock
Swordfish
Hake
Pork sirloin end chops

Note: Not all of these are always available. For example, the lamb was often unavailable during the months I used Walden Local Meat delivery service.

Also, fish includes a seasonal selection. You can’t order as many fish cuts as you want, but you get one pound of two different fish every two months, which is 2 lbs in total. If you’re a big seafood fan, this isn’t ideal.

2. Meat Sourcing

ButcherBox

ButcherBox is extremely transparent as to how they source their meat:

Beef — 100% grass-fed beef and grass-finished beef. The cattle are humanly raised without any antibiotics or added hormones. The animals are allowed to roam free their entire lives. Most ButcherBox beef comes from Australia, as they have a system of certifying pasture-raised meat and high animal welfare standards [1].
Pork — Raised crate-free without crates or slatted floors. Humanely raised pork is raised on pastures or hoop barns. The hogs are vegetarian feed and antibiotic-free. Majority of pork products ButcherBox sells come from heritage-breed lineages, such as Duroc, Berkshire, and Chester White. That means they have a slow maturation process and better marbling.
Chicken — Free-range USDA-certified organic chicken. ButcherBox sources chicken from farmers who raise them without cages, crates, or crowding. The animals have access to the outdoors. These farms are certified by The Global Animal Partnership (GAP) for health, natural living, and emotional well-being.
Seafood — Wild-caught and sustainably harvested, so future generations will also have enough seafood. The seafood isn't given any artificial coloring or additives. Salmon come from Alaska, where fishermen catch them in natural habitats. Sea scallops come from Georges Bank, lobster is caught in the North Atlantic off the coast of Maine, and cod and halibut come from the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.

“When you join us, you’re joining a community focused on caring about animals and our planet, improving livelihoods for farmers, and sharing better meals together.”

- ButcherBox Official Website

ButcherBox also occasionally offers lamb and ground turkey from trusted ranches. All their partners focus on sustainability and ethical raising practices.

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Walden Local Meat

Walden Local meat is sourced from local farms. They don't give as much info on how they source their food as ButcherBox does, but here's what I found out:

Beef — Cattle are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished. The animals are never given soy, corn, or grain. All animals are humanely raised and handled without using electric prods. The beef is dry-aged between 7 to 14 days [2].
Pork — Heritage crossbreed pigs raised on pastures during the growing season. The hogs aren't given nose rings.
Chicken— Pasture-raised all their lives. The chickens are air-chilled, which gives the meat a better flavor.
Lamb — Raised on pastures and never given corn or corn by-products.

Walden Local says they only sell locally sourced meat. They specify the local farm where the meat came from on each package, so you'll know precisely the meat's origin.

“By partnering with small industrious farmers instead of industrial factory farms, we are reinvigorating our local agricultural economy in support of healthier and happier animals, people, and communities.”

- Walden Local Meat

Also, they are working on a farmer verification and audit system recognized by the ASPCA® Shop With Your Heart program.

Their goal is to give their farmers one year to get certified by ASPCA, so all of their partners will implement better practices

3. Subscription Options

ButcherBox

ButcherBox offers five subscription options you can choose from:

Custom Box — You can choose up to 25 different cuts. The custom box comes in two options:
1. 9-14 lbs. This is enough meat for 30 meals, and it costs $5.63 per meal and $169 per month.
2. 18-26 lbs. This is enough quality meat for 60 meals, and it costs $5.1 per meal and $306 per month [3].
Mixed box — A mix of grass-finished beef, pork, boneless skinless chicken breasts, and sustainably-sourced seafood.
Beef and pork box — A selection of humanely-raised pork and beef
Beef and chicken box — A selection of chicken and beef cuts.
All beef box — A selection of different beef cuts, everything from ground meat to filet mignon.

Apart from the Custom box, all other four options are pre-selected, so you can’t choose which meat you’ll receive. Also, you can choose between two box sizes for these boxes as well:

8 to 11 lbs box — $146. Enough meat for 24 meals
16-22 lbs of meat — $269. Enough meat for 48 meals

The smaller size box is enough for couples and small families, while a larger box is a good option for a large family or if you want to have a freezer stocked for a while.

Before checking out, you can also select various add-ons such as bacon, ground turkey, extra beef, and more. These come at an extra fee.

Walden Local Meat

Walden Local Meat asks that you first select the kind of organic meat you want to order. Then, you can choose between four options:

Just grind — Choose between ground pork, beef, or lamb (when available). Choose between 5 lbs for $40.00 or 10 lbs for $79.00 [4].
Just grind plus — Includes ground meat, sausages, whole chicken, or roast. Choose between 5 to 6 lbs for $50.00, 10 to 11 lbs for $99.99, or 15 to 16 lbs for $142.
Complete — Includes basic cuts such as steaks and chops, roasts and ribs, plus seasonal offerings. You can choose from 6 to 7 lbs for $89.99 and up to 30 to 31 lbs for $359.00.
Custom — You build your own share and can update the selection as you like. You can choose from 6 to 7 lbs for $95.99 up to 30 to 31 lbs for $365.00.

Note: You can choose delivery frequency between monthly and every other month, which comes in handy if you don’t eat meat frequently.

Walden Local Meat also provides a useful chart so that you can decide on the size of your order based on your meat consumption.

For example, if one person eats meat one night a week, they should get 6 to 7 lbs.

But, if four or more people eat meat every day, they should get 30 to 31 lbs. That makes it easy to plan ahead and decide how much meat you’ll need.

4. Shipping

ButcherBox

I loved ButcherBox shipping for a few reasons. ButcherBox includes free shipping on all of its offers.

Plus, you’ll get free ground beef for the duration of your subscription. They ship to all US states except for Alaska and Hawaii.

I received my first order three days after placing it, and each following box was sent on the arranged date. I received an email confirming the delivery and another one when the delivery was complete.

Overall, I didn’t have any issues with their shipping, and I loved the free shipping, which meant I could spend more on other processed foods or meat cuts.

The ButcherBox meat arrived flash-frozen in a recyclable cardboard insulated box packed with dry ice. Each cut of meat was packed in a freezer bag.

I wasn’t home when the package arrived, so it was outside for a couple of hours. The meat was still partially frozen when I opened the box, so I don’t have any complaints about the packaging.

Walden Local Meat

Walden Local Meat is a New England company that mainly delivers to New England areas.

They don’t cover the whole US, but only these states: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, which is far less compared to ButcherBox.

This meat share company allows you to skip, cancel, or pause your subscription for several months. You can choose between monthly, bimonthly, or receive a meat share every third month.

The meat share is sent in an insulated canvas bag so you can reuse it when shopping at grocery stores.

They also pack meats with dry ice in a reusable bag, and all meats are placed in an extra insulating bag to ensure they remain cold.

Stand Out Features

The biggest stand-out feature of Walden Local is their butcher shop. You can watch their butchers break down whole cuts of beef and pork on the spot. You can also get specialty cuts and in-house sausage blends.

You can even place an order for whole animals for beef and pork.

Finally, you can get attend butcher shop classes, where you can watch demonstrations and even get hands-on experience.

The biggest stand-out feature of ButcherBox is its gifts section. You can choose between special boxes here, such as Father’s Day, ButcherBox Favorites, Steak Lovers Box, Spring Box, Graduation Box, and many more.

These boxes are a great choice when you get tired of basic cuts and want to try something new. All meat in gift boxes is grass-fed quality meat, and there’s no additional cost for shipping (it’s also free).

You can even get a chicken sampler or a seafood box when you crave a specific kind of food. Also, these boxes are a great gift for a meat-loving friend, a holiday, or a special celebration.

Related Articles:

ButcherBox vs Walden Local Meat: Which One Is Better?

My vote for the best meat subscription goes to ButcherBox. I used their services for months, and I was wowed by the quality of the meat every time. Grocery stores' meat simply can't compare with their grass-fed cuts.

I love how transparent ButcherBox is. They describe how they source their meat in length, so you know exactly where the meat you're eating comes from.

ButcherBox covers the whole of the US, so no matter where you're located, you can get quality service and meat at a much better price compared to a grocery store.

Click here, and get your quality meats today.

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