First Light Farms Steak Club Review

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If you shop at Whole Wallet, you may have seen the brand First Light Farms popping up. Did you know they offer a subscription service called Steak Club? This our most expensive subscription trial to date!

About First Light Farms

First Light Farms was founded by a group of guys that just wanted to be able to buy a good steak. Most cattle are raised cheaply and quickly, sacrificing quality to be mass produced for the grocery store.

They bought some land in New Zealand and started raising 100% Grass fed Waygu cattle. With time, they expanded and now have a team of farmers ethically raising cattle, elk and venison. Now you can order meat, supplements and even dog food from their website.

Then, they launched their subscription service. Mr. Subscription Addict is a bit of a foodie and had purchased some of their Waygu beef in the past. It made me do the delicious food sway while eating it, so we jumped on the chance to try out the Steak Club.

There are two levels of Steak Club:

Classic Legend: A mixture of beef cuts through the year. Usually around 4-5 pounds of meat, but the ultra premium cuts like tenderloins and New York Strip only ship out twice a year
Steakhouse Legend: All tenderloins, ribeye, and New York Strip sent through the year.

Both commit to a marbling score of 6+. To be clear, you get 4-5 pounds of the same cut each month. It’s not a mixture of things, which we didn’t realize at first.

Pricing

As we mentioned, this is the most expensive subscription service we have tried so far, but it’s Waygu. We knew what we were getting ourselves into.

The Classic Plan is $185/month and Steakhouse Legend is $249/month. Shipping is included. As an added bonus, you get access to the member exclusive store which has meats with a higher marbling score. Subscribers also get 15% off the regular store items (not member exclusive items) if they choose to buy more meat through the month.

Example Boxes

The Experience

We don’t often include a whole section about the experience, but in this case it’s necessary.

The first month we got New York Strip Steak and we received just shy of 4 pounds, which we side eyed. The meat was fantastic and we really enjoyed it. They don’t have anything similar in the store, because the marbling score for the club is 6+. This is comparable to the price to the New York Strip Steak in their members-only store though. While it is expensive, it was worth it overall.

The next month we got short ribs, which I wasn’t excited about. I’m not a huge fan of ribs because it’s a lot of effort for little reward. Short ribs are also not a very expensive cut of meat, so it didn’t feel like a premium priced subscription item.

Worst of all, we received less than 4 pounds. Keep in mind this cost $185, so that makes these short ribs $50 a pound, which is ridiculous. In the First Light Farms store you can get a similar weight of short ribs for about $75 plus shipping. When we reached out and pointed out that we could order in the store and pay about half the cost of the subscription, they sent out another box of ribs.

The third box we received was Ribeye. We received barely over 4 pounds, but it was within their 4-5 pound window this time.

By the fourth box, First Light Farms seemed to be understanding the customer a little more. We got picanha, which is a cheaper cut of meat, and we got nearly 8 pounds. While that is outside the usual 4-5 pound range for the box, it made the pricing fair.

Overall, it has been a positive experience with a lot of taste food experiments.

Pros & Cons of Steak Club

What I Love

Access to high-quality 100% grass fed Waygu beef
Amazing flavor
Great for entertaining or for a date night at home
Much more affordable than other Waygu beef suppliers
One-time boxes make a great gift
Good Customer Service
Ethically sourced, free-range meat

The Less Desirable

One box came in a little light (but they made it right!)
This is not a money saving subscription
No huge savings over their member exclusive store
Shipped overnight and chilled, not frozen. Shipping frozen would offer some protection for delays and most of us are going to freeze at least part of the order for later.

Verdict

I have mixed feelings about this subscription. Any time I’m parting with nearly $200 for something, I have high expectations. While the quality of the meat is fantastic and I’m never going to find the same quality in a store, it’s very expensive. Doing the math, it comes out to $37-46/lb depending on the quantity received!

However, we really enjoyed the beef! I don’t often do a happy food dance while eating steak or ribs, but I definitely did with these. I’m pretty sure my dog learned the word “steak” as the result of this box because we both snuck her a morsel under the table.

Even though the short ribs box came in a little light, they made it right. This is a relatively new subscription so we want to give them a little bit of grace since they are likely still working out some of the kinks. I expect this to improve in the future or no one will continue with the Steak Club. The type of person buying Waygu is also the type of person that knows how much different cuts of beef are worth.

While they are expensive, it’s important to note that in terms of Waygu beef they are very affordable. Other Waygu sellers can be easily twice the price. In terms of dollars spent to overall value compared to other sources, First Light Farms is winning. It’s probably the best quality of beef that I’ve ever had and I will order from them again in the future.

If you want to enjoy some New Zealand grass-fed beef a couple times a month or if you entertain and want to offer up a more extravagant dining experience for your guests, this is what I would recommend. You won’t get enough meat to avoid grocery shopping, but it will be a delicious and luxurious treat.

Unfortunately, you can’t just sign up. You can get on their wait list here.

Alternatives

There aren’t any true alternatives to First Light as a subscription because this is a premium meat box. Good Chop, Butcher Box, and Good Rancher aren’t offering the same quality of meat. A CSA or local butcher may offer grass-fed options, but it’s not likely to be Waygu.

Not in to Commitment?

You can always head to Whole Wallet and hope your trip doesn’t turn into Whole Paycheck. They carry ground venison at many locations. Some Fred Meyers, Ralphs and local health food stores also carry a variety of products. You can search using their website here.

I also whole-heartedly recommend ordering from their store. It’s not really any more expensive than the club and it’s fantastic quality. While the Steak Club might get the top 10% in terms of quality, ordering from the store doesn’t feel like step down. It’s not noticeable at all and then you can get the exact cut you want or buy a variety.

As a side note, If you’re looking for a gift for a man in your life that is difficult to buy for, this is a wonderful choice. I am switching to more experience and consumable gifts rather than “stuff” so fancy steaks is what my dad is getting for Christmas. Let’s try to keep that between us so it doesn’t ruin the surprise.