Found out my local grocery store gets their beef from a supplier 40 miles away... cheaper than the farm 10 miles down the road

I was looking at invoices at the shop last week and noticed the price difference for the same grade of beef from two different suppliers. The one 40 miles out charges $1.20 less per pound than the local farm that's practically in my backyard. This got me thinking about how we figure value as butchers - do you lean toward supporting the nearest producer even if costs are higher, or do you go with the better deal from further away?

2 comments

2 Comments

chen.james28d ago

My buddy drives 60 miles for cheaper gas and insists it's worth it.

dakotab1328d ago

My neighbor runs a small restaurant and tried to source all his beef locally. After three months he had to switch because the local guy kept running out of stock on short notice. He figured consistency mattered more than the 20 mile difference in the long run.