Snake River Farms vs ButcherBox (2023) We Tested Both!

Last Updated On: April 20, 2023

Both Snake River Farms and ButcherBox are meat delivery services specializing in premium grass-fed beef. While they both follow similar sustainability practices, there are some noticeable differences.

For over a month, we have tested both of these companies to give you a better idea of what they have to offer.

Let’s take a look at what we found.

ButcherBox vs Snake River Farms: Key Differences

The main difference between these online meat delivery services is the price.

ButcherBox starts at $137 and goes up to $288, and Snake Farms' cheapest box is $255, with the most expensive being $325.

Another difference between these companies is that ButcherBox only works on a subscription basis, whereas Snake River Farms offers subscription boxes and a la carte shopping.

The products available also show a noticeable difference. ButcherBox offers beef, pork, pasture-raised chicken, sustainably sourced seafood, and some miscellaneous items such as turkey, while Snake River Farms specializes in beef and pork.

Comparing Their Features Head to Head

Different meat brands, Snake River Farms and Butcherbox

After testing these online delivery services for over a month, we have put together a summary of all their stand-out features.

1. Meat Selection

Snake River Farms meat delivery has a noticeably larger inventory than ButcherBox, even though they only offer beef and pork.

ButcherBox

ButcherBox provides heritage breed pork, free-range organic chicken, and wild-caught fish, with their focus on grass-fed beef.

They currently have five boxes to choose from, each offering different types of meat and cuts. What meat you will receive depends on your selection.

ButcherBox may have a smaller inventory than most meat delivery services. Still, we find this to be a good thing, as it makes the website easier to navigate and means that ButcherBox can focus on quality over quantity.

Some things you will find on their website include:

Boneless pork chops
Whole chicken
Ribeye steaks
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
New York strip steak
Ground beef
Beef burgers
Ground turkey
Sea scallops
Uncured hot dogs

Snake River Farms

The main focus of this meat delivery service is beef and pork, American wagyu beef to be specific. Unlike ButcherBox, they don’t have any chicken or seafood, but they do have a wider range of pork and beef.

The wagyu and Kurobuta pork are among the 150 products available, alongside dry-aged beef and specialty meats.

Products include:

Boneless pork chops
Top sirloin steaks
Flank steak
Ground pork
Porchetta roast
Cured meats
Wagyu burgers

2. Meat Quality and Sourcing

The best meat delivery service will pride themselves on sustainable sourcing and humanly raised meat.

ButcherBox

This meat delivery claims all of their meat is antibiotic, synthetic, and growth hormone-free.

This is great as it means the meat is healthier to consume and doesn’t contain any artificial flavors.

They partner with a range of family-owned farms around the US to produce grass-fed and grass-finished beef that we found to be both tasty and tender.

According to ButcherBox, working closely with these farms helps produce top-quality meat without cutting corners [1].

The ButcherBox pork is humanely raised. They also sell a range of heritage pork, which is great for creating fine marbling within the meat.

The hogs are fed an all-vegetarian diet (except milk proteins) and are raised with traditional and sustainable farming methods.

Their chicken is all free-range and USDA-certified organic. They are accredited by the Global Animal Partnership (GAP), which according to their website, influences the food industry, raises consumer expectations and creates a sustainable environment [2].

When it comes to their seafood, ButcherBox partners with family-owned businesses that sustainably harvest and catch their fish; for example, the salmon is caught in Alaska by who ButcherBox claims to uphold strict fishing and handling practices to guarantee an unprecedented level of quality and sustainability.

While ButcherBox is very upfront with their sustainability and sourcing, they don’t disclose specific farms or ranches they partner with.

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Snake River Farms

This company focuses its efforts on beef and pork, both pasture-raised and grass-fed on family farms around the US.

Their wagyu has been made entirely by their own breeding program, which according to the website, helps them compile the largest database on individual Wagyu performance in the U.S [3].

Snake River Farm’s cows are raised across 80,000 acres of land, and the cows are herd up the hills each spring to graze. They are fed grass and hay for the first year of their life, moving on to hay, grains, and forages.

This sustainable diet creates the deep marbling found within wagyu beef, which we found to be incredibly rich and tender.

The American Kurobuta pork from Snake River Farms is raised on small family farms in the Midwest and is fed corn, oats, soybean, and minerals. This is good as it creates distinctive marbling on the meat; however, we wish they were also fed a grass diet like ButcherBoxes pork.

All meat from Snake River Farms is free of any growth hormones, and they are fed lots of vitamins and minerals. That being said, they may receive antibiotics to treat any infection or illness [4].

According to the Snake River Farm's website, they follow a strict S.T.A.R commitment, which follows the practice of sustainability, total quality, animal well-being, and responsibility to their employees, partners, and customers.

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3. Delivery and Packaging

Packaging of two different meat delivery brands

When it comes to delivery and packaging, we lookout for; how quickly the order gets to us, how well it is packaged, and if the materials used are recyclable.

ButcherBox

When you order from ButcherBox, you won’t be given the option to select specific dates or times; however, you will receive an email with all the tracking information so you can prepare for the arrival of your box.

Typically, orders will take three-four days to arrive, with ours coming after day four.

Orders from ButcherBox will come in an insulated box with a dry ice package. Depending on your order, the meat can sometimes be delivered frozen, so dry ice helps keep it cool or frozen during transportation.

Customers aren’t required to be home during delivery, as the package should stay cold for 6 - 8 hours on the doorstep, and this is ideal for people who have a busy schedule.

The meat comes inside a vacuum-sealed packaging, which is great for keeping the meat fresh. This meat delivery service uses 100% environmentally friendly materials so that everything can be recycled conveniently.

Unlike many other delivery services, ButcherBox offers completely free delivery, no matter the amount you spend. They currently deliver to all 48 states, excluding Alaska, Canada, and Hawaii.

Snake River Farms

Unlike ButcherBox, you can select which day you would like your order to arrive, but Snake River Farms do disclaim that it can come one day early or late. All products are shipped frozen, except goods such as their dry-aged ground beef or dry-aged steaks.

There are three options when it comes to delivery:

Standard shipping - $9.99
Express shipping - $24.99
Overnight shipping - $49.99

We couldn’t find much information on the packaging used and Snake River Farms' recycling practices, so we can’t confirm or deny whether or not they are sustainable when it comes to this.

This online meat service ships to all 50 states, with Hawaii and Alaska requiring Express shipping. They currently ship Monday through Friday.

4. Boxes and Prices

The biggest difference between these services is the price. Snake River Farm is considerably more expensive than ButcherBox, and they also offer an a la carte option.

ButcherBox

With ButcherBox, you can choose between five boxes. Each offers different meats and cuts at various prices, and these boxes are delivered every four, six, or eight weeks.

Custom Box: Free choice of all cuts and meat types available that month. The smaller box costs $159 while the bigger costs $288.
Mixed Box: You will get mixed meat, with the cuts selected for you. The small box is $137 and the larger $253.
Two Meat Boxes: Options include beef and chicken or pork and beef. Again, these options are picked for you. The price of the small box is $137 and the large $253.
All Beef: This box contains only beef, chosen for you by ButcherBox. The price is the same as the above two options.

Snake River Farms

There are four options to choose from when shopping with this company. Boxes can be delivered every month or every three months, for a duration of 3, 6, or 12 months.

Filets and Chops: This box comprises of eight chops and steaks, costing $225.
Steakhouse Selections: You will receive six of the most popular steaks, costing $325.
Ribeye Rendezvous: This box includes an assortment of five American wagyu ribeyes, costing $299.
Butchers Pick: This is the only option that will change monthly, including a variety of pork and beef products. This box costs $325.

Stand Out Features

Something that we found impressive about Snake River Farms is how committed they are to quality and transparency.

“Through our own high-quality people and by our own high standards, each step in the supply chain has been scrutinized, implemented with the greatest care, and constantly evaluated for optimization. Some of our competitors will make general claims about quality. We can verify our process as well as our product.”
- Snake River Farms

While ButcherBox also excels in this category, River Farms goes above and beyond, recording the entire history of all of their cattle, including medical history, genetics, and feed charts.

They believe that the data they record goes towards quality control and being completely transparent with their customers, controlling the meat every step of the way, from the ranch to the table.

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