Food & Drink

Anyone had any experience with Nutrafarms?

  • Last Updated:
  • Sep 24th, 2023 6:50 pm
Tags:
None
Newbie
Dec 16, 2011
8 posts
LONDON
Every company will have issues with customer service. Thats just normal. As long as it does get done that what mattters....
Newbie
Dec 16, 2011
8 posts
LONDON
I have been in the business for around 8 years. The trainning provided is not always the best for the canvassers and the sales reps. Canvassers are trying to book a call with you and some may not even know what the sample is. As for the rep. He/she may only carry a few samples with him for the day. So by you not giving him/her a chance to pitch the product, he/she may not feel you dont deserve it.
As for the price of 3000k, thats not bad. You are already spending $2900 a year now at $55 on meats and veggies. Plus its natural, healthier, tastes better than Costco, pay weekly for it AND brought to your door. If you didnt have to go the store to shop for everything each week, your impluse buying would be alot less. An extra 15$ a week is $800 a year.... Enjoy Costo... $300-$400 later.
Newbie
Dec 16, 2011
8 posts
LONDON
Again its sad to say but you should have reiceved the sample for your time. The reps dont carry a lot with them. I blame it on the owner not providing enough to the farm reps..
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 21, 2003
1367 posts
631 upvotes
Ontario
Man this thread just keeps on coming back.

I never did get back with what we decided. We ran the math of what it would cost for Nutrafarms for our family, looked at our grocery costs for the past year or so, and it ended up we paid less for groceries in the past year, than what we would've paid Nutrafarms for their meat, and some veggies.

On top of that, we live in Kitchener, ON, which is near St. Jacobs Farmer's Market, and we also have Dutchies in town. Both are good sources of organic, or at the very least, locally raised meats.

So in the end, the costs just didn't make sense for us.
Newbie
Sep 20, 2012
1 posts
KEMPTVILLE
Did you say you would now buy your meat at costco??? I guess that's ok if you like to support us farms. You also get to enjoy your favorite meat which has not been aged and is as tough as nails...enjoy
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Sep 18, 2009
5016 posts
559 upvotes
Southwestern Ontario
cesco1977 wrote: Did you say you would now buy your meat at costco??? I guess that's ok if you like to support us farms. You also get to enjoy your favorite meat which has not been aged and is as tough as nails...enjoy
I have seen fresh meat, fish and produce from all parts of Canada there, and virtually no fresh meat from us farms (sic). There are plenty of Costco members here who know that the meat is not tough as nails, but in fact the best available quality price ratio.
...



Packard
Ask the man who owns one!
Newbie
Jan 4, 2012
1 posts
Ottawa
Summary - experience piss poor, would not recommend.

Details -
  • Rep showed up, asked to come by later to drop off a sample. They did not show up for the appointment (despite calling 3 hours earlier in the day to confirm).
  • Rep called me up a couple weeks later asking to come by in 15 minutes.
  • Rep came in, then refused to talk to me without my wife, even after explaining my wife was pregnant and sick in bed. I told him to leave, and give me the number of his manager.
  • Called the manager, yells at me for telling his guy to get the f out (which I did not use any expletives), and then hangs up on me.
Needless to say, I didn't sign up.
Newbie
Dec 22, 2009
5 posts
4 upvotes
Lots of negative comments here on this forum thread. I've not posted before on RFD's because I really haven't a lot of desire to get trolled, so:

- I don't work for them, and I've never worked for them. I think they have a reference programme but I don't get a cent for this post.
- My wife is in the kitchen making our 4th or 5th order with them as I write this.
- I'm sharing a real average joe experience without any troll or dole.
- YMMV that's what RFD appears to be all about.

Perspective
Value is in the eye of the consumer. I am a father in a family of six. I grew up on a farm, always with frozen meat in the freezer and until I moved out of my childhood home. I'd never really bought much meat from a store. There was always pork, beef, and thanks to my Dad's excellent marksmanship hunting or competitions -- venison, duck, goose and turkey in the freezer. I live far enough from home that the connections and logistics aren't worth the hassle. Farmer brown farms are pretty much dead and we like more choices than beef, beef and beef for dinner.

Purchasing Experience
- our rep is a patient and approachable fellow.
- always communicative, and we've actually cancelled on him appointments a few times and been harder to get than he deserves. Never a brusk word.
- the first order they wanted us both there because big purchase decisions are hard to pull the trigger on the first time and this is the #1 way to cop out. I agree -- I know it I used to sell PC retail in the 90s and it was the same then for that. Lots of BS with retail customers. +1 reason we buy is his approach: persistent, patient but low pressure.

Financial
- Freezer was loaned to us by the company for our first order. We were given the freezer after our second order. Don't kid yourself -- its in the cost of goods sold. It was a V1613RW3.
- Now they usually throw in stuff on each order. This time around it was about $100 in pick'em on a mid-sized order of $3000. I could likely negotiate that upward but this is my wife's domain.
- We have taken to paying cash for the order ourselves and take the 5% discount. We're in the money and less money to banks. Not everyone is so fortunate I realize this and payment plans are convenient for many but not a way to get ahead IMHO.

Convenience
- Not having to run to the grocery store means less time wasted for us. I hate grocery store runs after work on an empty stomach and with a busy house it happens a lot more than it should.
- The kids can start things for us much easier when it's in the house.
- The defrosting is easier as airtight packages can be defrosted with less chance of mess than sytrofoam and cellophane from Metro or wherever.

Health Habits
- We buy way more boxed stuff when we have run out of our Nutrafarm order. I think we eat better because it's handy.
- Not having to run to the grocery store means less impulse buying junk. I think we waste less too because the portions are smaller we cook the right amount more often.
- We find the meat is not as fatty as when we do storebought stuff between orders.

Habits
- Smaller portions in the packages.
- No re-portioning after making a Costco run.
- We don't buy the biggest order so we can augment it with fun stuff at the grocery store.
- Sometimes we don't like something this time around as much what we did last time. ie: the sausage might be different spicing. You could say that is inconsistent, but its also kind of fun. Its not much different than when I was a kid. Some cows good some cows bad.

Random
- We sometimes run out of our order before its paid out but never _all_ of it. We adjust it on the next order.
- We are never really sure of what meat we need so we always augment with grocery stuff. Don't plan for this to be 100% of your meat bill for a year.

Drawbacks
- If you don't like the stuff you have a lot of it to tolerate because you already paid for it.
- It's easy to eat ahead of your payments but at the end of the day you ate what you bought. But hey. Same with leased cars and other such consumables like that.
Freezer takes up space in your place and you pay for the hydro - say $50-$75 a year.
- Discrepancies on the order have happened. We always reconcile our order.
- Resolution is no questions asked. This leads me to believe that there is a standard error on delivery and it's not worth the customer service issue if it's a small miss. Not really a drawback but be aware as errors happen.

Total Experience 4/5 stars
If I was dissatisfied I would not be doing my 5th order.
Don't expect to save money this way. Its a lifestyle choice to avoid the hassle and Costco Circus.
Their meat is better IMHO than what we'd pick up weekly between orders.
Every marketing method is a racket at some point. You can pay people to be your middle men, or be your own middle man but you need to have the time and want.
Getting to buy quality food at a fair price from a decent person makes me happy.
My wife is hard to please and so getting 5 orders from her is saying something. Happy Wife Happy Life.

With Nutrafarms, I'm happy to pay them for the service they provide.
Deal Addict
Mar 21, 2009
1235 posts
142 upvotes
Montreal
These guys were advertising in Ottawa this week, on Kijiji. My question is, are these people honest but serving expensive meat or dishonest and serving "normal" meat at an expensive price?
Newbie
Mar 26, 2013
1 posts
2 upvotes
BURLINGTON
The whole idea of Nutrafarm seems really appealing. The way they package and organize the delivery is a great for organizing your meals and portion control.

However, their selling tactics are typical to that of a "time share" sales people. They will come to your home when your guard is low and you're not mentally ready to deal with a sales person. They will give you free meat samples and they overwhelm you with the talk. My wife got excited with the idea and we signed the contract and the key words they used were "you will get organic meat" "we will save you money because we eliminate the "middle men" you're getting your meat directly from the farm".

You have to ask them to LEAVE so you can read the payment agreement carefully and then respond to them on a later time. They perform credit checks which for some people is critical. In my case it didn't but the sales person fails to tell you that when he hands you the big sheet of paper.

As for the "SAVING", you will end up paying $12 to $15 per pound of meat!!!!!!! Comparing that to $5 per pound for Top sirloin cut at Costco. That is nearly 3 time the price for the same AAA grade meat. $12-$15 for a pound of Wieners!!! $12-$15 for a pound of burger!!!!

Unfortunately, you don't realize how ridiculous the price is until you get your delivery and it's too late to cancel the order.

Bottom line, Nutrafarm could be a good choice for you. You have to make sure that it is fine with you to pay $12 to $15 for a pound of "guaranteed" organic meat. More importantly, you have to have the gift of getting rid of the bitter feeling of being played by a sales person.
Newbie
Apr 12, 2013
2 posts
2 upvotes
Here is my experience so far.
The rep shows up and offers a sample of ground beef and does a nice talk about grass-fed cows and free range chickens and such.
Then for minimal order they figure if you spend $50 a week on meat you can spend about $2600 a year + tax, so why not buy it all upfront, you'll have great meat in your freezer for the whole year.
But they never tell you that the food costs is only $1650, and the rest is stupid fees that they put on top of it, like cutting and aging - $248, wrapping and freezing - $385, facilities and overhead - $360, Service (wtf???) - $248 cost breakdown. I'm pretty sure that food cost is actually what you would pay for the same meat at the supermarket (after cutting and wrapping/freezing), so the rest is just a nice way to add "some" profit. I don't know what was covering that cost break-down when I signed that sheet of paper as there is my signature on the bottom of that page, sticky note maybe, but I'm sure I haven't seen it when I was signing it, as everybody would send the rep out of the door once they see this.

Now if they told me that it's a great meat and you paying extra for it, I'd most likely still ordered it as I was looking for quality meat and was buying beef from farmers market anyway, so I'm ok spending the money, just not on the stupid fees.

So I can calm myself that I just paid extra for great meat (still have to try it out to see how good it is), but there is a bit of bad taste in my mouth from this "deal".

Hope this review will help somebody make more informative order decision.
Deal Addict
Sep 19, 2004
1116 posts
150 upvotes
Just got those people knocking on my door yesterday. I agreed for the sales guy to come. From the looks of this thread, I think I should probably cancel.
Newbie
Apr 12, 2013
2 posts
2 upvotes
Well, their ground beef tastes good, and chicken too. Haven't tried anything else so cannot comment. But so did ground beef I got from local farmer at Carp farmers market, and I think it was at least twice cheaper, so you know all the facts beforehand ;)
And the freezer that they give you for free - it's the cheapest they can find (no surprise here), so in long run it may be a better idea to buy one from Costco anyway.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Dec 8, 2008
1049 posts
57 upvotes
Hamilton
Had a rep knock on my door the other day, after reading through this thread glad I turned them away. Quite amusing how pushy the rep was trying to book a "sampling" asking when I would be available and questioning my work schedule.
Newbie
Mar 6, 2011
7 posts
1 upvote
I'm in the GTA area and Nutrafarms came a knocking on my door.
My wife answered and they set up an appointment with her.

Seriously.... You are selling meat door-to-door.
I have to buy a years worth of meat.
No prices on their website.

No thanks.
Appointment cancelled.
Newbie
Jul 27, 2011
2 posts
2 upvotes
NEPEAN
I guess nobody likes to read back through the comments for actual reviews. Most of the comments in the past year are from people posting what they felt after a guy came to their door and didn't give them free samples.

I posted a while back and I'll do it again for all the newcomers to this thread.

We are just about finished with our 3rd order from Nutrafarms. We have had a great experience with them and they are by no means a scam. I admit, maybe I would feel differently if my first experience with them was at the front door; they were referred to us by some close friends who gave us a few samples of their stock to prove how great it was. I know they seem scammy...sending 18 year olds to the door to sell meat (we actually had one stop by last week). It sounds scammy, even as I write that. :) But the actual sales reps (not the canvassers) are great - our guy is super friendly and very responsive to our comments and needs for each order.

Anyways, we have been really pleased with our meat. The difference in taste and quality of the ground beef and chicken breasts, as two examples, is noticeable compared to the grocery store. Our package costs about $2800 and lasts 18+ months (so $155/month). We eat meat 5-6 nights per week (there are 2 of us). We also bring meat with us to share at BBQs and other functions. I honestly don't know how the price stacks up to the grocery store but I know that the individual portions, variety of meats always at our disposal and incredible quality make Nutrafarms worth every penny to us.
Deal Fanatic
Sep 4, 2009
6575 posts
726 upvotes
SKL2011 wrote: I guess nobody likes to read back through the comments for actual reviews. Most of the comments in the past year are from people posting what they felt after a guy came to their door and didn't give them free samples.

I posted a while back and I'll do it again for all the newcomers to this thread.

We are just about finished with our 3rd order from Nutrafarms. We have had a great experience with them and they are by no means a scam. I admit, maybe I would feel differently if my first experience with them was at the front door; they were referred to us by some close friends who gave us a few samples of their stock to prove how great it was. I know they seem scammy...sending 18 year olds to the door to sell meat (we actually had one stop by last week). It sounds scammy, even as I write that. :) But the actual sales reps (not the canvassers) are great - our guy is super friendly and very responsive to our comments and needs for each order.

Anyways, we have been really pleased with our meat. The difference in taste and quality of the ground beef and chicken breasts, as two examples, is noticeable compared to the grocery store. Our package costs about $2800 and lasts 18+ months (so $155/month). We eat meat 5-6 nights per week (there are 2 of us). We also bring meat with us to share at BBQs and other functions. I honestly don't know how the price stacks up to the grocery store but I know that the individual portions, variety of meats always at our disposal and incredible quality make Nutrafarms worth every penny to us.

Being forced to buy a certain package instead of buying as needed is a big incentive. And if your fridge isn't large enough you get dinged with a storage cost.

Frozen meat some of it for a whole year... who in hell thinks this is a good idea?? Fresh meat and aged isn't the same as frozen meat for close to a year.
Deal Addict
Jan 21, 2008
1667 posts
385 upvotes
Oakville
We've had our order for about a month now, the quality of meat is fantastic. Everything tastes great and thaws super quick. Why did we buy in, do a little research on the quality of meat found in most stores its no wonder there are vegetarians in this world. Animals are free range, cows are grass fed, farms are from Ontario, the chicken farm is actually down the road from us.

Second is the convenience. We don't have meal plans set out weekly so we always go to the grocery store because we can't predict what we'll feel like on Wednesday. We have a meat department in our freezer and wide variety so we make what we want when we want. Plus we have 3 kids so getting to the grocery store all the time is a PITA. Now we go there to buy milk, bread, fruits and veggies, much quicker than before.

Third everything is cryrovac and flash frozen, much better quality retention than buying bulk at Costco and freezing yourself.

Why don't they tell you how much you're getting for the money? Because you can choose what you want and don't want. In our case they had a list of all the items in their package, we crossed off the items we didn't want and they substituted their value for one of our 3 chosen favourites. So depending on what you cross off and what your favourites are your final poundage will vary.

Am I overpaying for meat? Probably if you compare with Sobeys but comparing to a local butcher selling local meat, not by much.

Is this for everyone? Of course not, but if any of my pros above appeal to you then this program might be for you.

Is it a scam? If by scam you pay for a crap load of frozen meat that you consume over time then yes.

Is nutrafarms making money on this? Sure. Are they providing a service that appeals to me and I'm willing to pay for? You bet.
Newbie
Aug 9, 2013
1 posts
1 upvote
Hi There:

I purchased a 1 year package for two recently at about $2900 from Nutrafarm. We were already shopping for free-range (better treated) animals with no hormone or unnecessary antibiotics. When the salesman met with us (after the initial solicitation from a teenager two days before), there was no real indication of the price of their products, except a few statements that cost for ground beef would be about $4-5/lb, etc. When he initially came by I indicated I wasn't signing today and that my wife was still sleeping so she couldn't meet with us. He said he would come back when we we're both free--which seemed shafty, since I know couples are generally more manipulatable than individuals and realized this was going to be a 'hard sell'. Anyway, my wife unfortuitously poked her sleepy head around the bedroom corner and said she could after all meet with us and that's when the disaster began.

First the salesman asked us to pick our favorite meat and sidelights (frozen veggies, canned goods, etc.) selection for the year. I asked for a price/lb meat list and he said they don't work that way. I should've kicked him out the door then and there, but since I was already willing to pay more for free-range and hormone-free meat, I let him speak. He indicated that based on the price of the meat (which he never provided) they fill a box with that meat's value up to about $29/box. That could be 10 lbs. of prime rib or 2 oz. of chicken bones, depending on their pricing, which they never provide until after your first order arrives in about 2 weeks--that's 4 days after your last possible date to cancel according to one contract paper I signed. Since my wife and I felt we had 10 days to review after signing the contract--with complete assurance from the salesman that we could cancel within 10 days (the salesman pointed this out vigorously) in the contract, but neglected to show me on a separate piece of paper I later signed, they can charge up to 15% of the order cost at any point that a cancellation occurs, even as soon as they walk out your door. So once they leave with your contract you owe a minimum of 15% of the total cost and you get nothing or you trust they'll be fair and deliver $3000 worth of high quality in one drop off of meat, but you have literally nothing to go on but the salesman's word of mouth--not even the contract states what you'll get--#$%@ I can't believe I signed for this!

Now, the gentlemen was not harder sell than any other hard sell salespeople I've had at my door, including Primerica, Oil & Electric Supply companies, Jehova's witnesses etc., but it's sad to see this approach still used--and sadly we were idiots. Generally I never make a big purchase without several days to review and you can be assured this will be a minimum $3000 purchase if you agree to their one year terms.

In this case Nutrafarm doesn't want you to review the contract because?.... they know they would make less sales if customers new the truth? I'm not saying the product is not good--it may be all that and better, or not--but the top and middle tier seem to be taking advantage of the farmers since almost half the cost for the product goes to the middle and upper tiers: packaging/freezing, distribution, service, etc.

In the end Nutrafarm may have a great (or not) product, but they already have a disgruntled customer because of the selling approach used--which is nefarious at best. This is sad, because a business that operates this way in the end alienates repeat customers (the biggest revenue generator) and even produces bad word of mouth--a business killer. An ethical business approach that operates up front and is concerned with its customer's welfare as much as turning a profit and is not quick sale, will over the long run create an admiral brand, better business sustainability, a devoted and growing customer base, and in the end will I believe generate much bigger profits than a short sighted company.

In the end, I'm stuck with Nutrafarm for a year, because of their slime ball sales approach, lack of ethics (not warning customers about contractual obligations they knew could pose a problem for them), doing anything to get the sale (the worst sales approach) and because my wife and I were vulnerable and stupid. In the end the product may be superlative (convenient, better quality, healthier)--and remember we're willing to pay more for better product--but because the business practices of Nutrafarm were so slimey from a sales perspective I already know I won't renew next year unless Nutrafarm has a major change of heart and sells and markets itself more ethically and responsibly in the future.

So this is a marketing opportunity missed by Nutrafram, which means this posting could have been completely positive or the reverse of what it is, had they dealt with my wife and I more appropriately and responsibly and not with just a 'we want your business here and now no matter what'--best business practice is not to sell something to someone if it will not benefit them (emotionally, physically or intellectually) and will produce more value/benefit than cost paid by the consumer, just like for the company (a win/win situation); this creates goodwill and trust in the buyer towards the company. We'll see what the future brings with Nutrafarm.
Newbie
Aug 15, 2013
1 posts
2 upvotes
Thanks to everyone who posted on this forum about this subject. It gave us the information we needed to ask the right questions and come to a decision about whether or not to buy.

Two days ago, a girl came to the door asking if we were interested, and yesterday we had a lengthy discussion with a pleasant, non-pushy salesman. We were very enthusiastic about the product because we've been wanting to eat organic but it's too expensive, and this seemed like a great alternative.

After describing our eating habits and preferences, we picked the 2-person package, and got an estimate that seemed fair. It was really hard to envision just how much meat this order would be, but I thought that was my own poor math skills. Now I realize that it wasn't me - it's deliberate on behalf of the company.

We read every post on this forum, hoping to find overall that this company is legit. We decided the proof was if they would provide us with an itemized list of all the meat we would receive prior to order, and if they would answer questions regarding the cutting and wrapping fees that others have mentioned.

I spoke to a salesperson this morning and told him what I read on here. He said it is probably competitors trying to hurt their reputation. I said I understand that, and would go through with the order so long as they could provide me with an itemized list of exactly what we would receive and in what quantities. He said they couldn't do that ahead of time because it's too much work-- when CLEARLY, someone MUST do these calculations ahead of time to prepare the order for delivery! When I insisted that was the only way I would order, he said, "Okay well then let's just cancel."

DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS!

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)