When you’re focusing on eating healthy, it can be challenging to find foods that suit both your diet and budget.
That’s not the case if you hold a Thrive Market membership, however.
Launched in 2014, Thrive Market is a members-only online grocery shop that offers organic, eco-friendly, GMO-free food, and various household products at affordable prices.
Read on to find out how Thrive Market can help you lead a healthy lifestyle without breaking your bank.
Table of Contents
How Does Thrive Market Work?
To shop at Thrive market and enjoy their discounted prices, you’ll need to register at their website.
Once you do so, you will start with a free 30-day membership trial. During the trial period, you can cancel your membership anytime.
If you don’t cancel the membership before the trial period elapses, you’ll be charged the annual membership of $59.95.
However, most customers have pointed out that they were able to recoup the membership in savings within less than five orders.
The website is simple to navigate. You can shop products by category, by values, or by current deals. When you join Thrive Market, you are also giving back to the community by sponsoring a free membership for a financially-constrained family.
For every Thrive Market annual membership, the company offers one membership to a low-income family, student, teacher, or veteran through their “Thrive Gives” program.
Moreover, you can shop in the “My Aisle” section; this handy tool is populated based on interests that are identified in a shopping quiz you’ll take during the registration process. You will also get a 25% discount off of your first purchase.
And if you aren’t completely satisfied with something, with Thrive Market’s “happiness guarantee,” you can return any product, for whatever reason, and get a full refund.
You don’t have to worry about having to keep a product that doesn’t fulfill your needs or live up to your expectations.
For orders below $49, you’ll pay a $5.00 shipping fee, so keep in mind that you’ll want to place a larger order to avoid this fee. Orders above $49 are shipped for free anywhere in the U.S.
Thrive Market also offers sale promotions fairly often, which you can take advantage of for huge savings.
These promotions can be in the form of free product samples or a percentage off your total purchase. It’s worth noting, however, that taking advantage of any such promotion also requires that you sign up for Thrive’s annual membership.
Types of Meats Available
Thrive Market carries over 4,000 healthy products, including a wide selection of meats.
Below are the major meat products you can purchase from Thrive:
- 100% grass-fed beef
- Organic chicken
- Pasture-raised pork
- Sustainable seafood
- Various value packs
Pricing
Thrive Market charges $59.95 for an annual membership, which translates to only $5.00 per month.
However, you get a free 30-day trial membership, which you cancel anytime if you don’t like the service.
Company History
Thrive Market was founded in 2014 by Nick Green, Kate Mulling, Sasha Siddhartha, and Gunnar Lovelace.
Its main goal was to address the geographical and financial challenges that inhibit certain communities from finding healthy food. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and serves the entire United States.
The products are easily searchable on their website by category and one’s dietary needs.Thrive Market is the largest national retailer of 100% non-GMO foods.
In 2015, the company launched its own product line, with the aim of developing budget-friendly products in categories where there is insufficient margin to cover the cost.
Additionally, the company provides educational content and grocery stipends to the beneficiaries of Thrive Gives. This social mission plays an integral role in minimizing the number of low-income families restricted to unhealthy eating because they can’t afford food healthy food.
So, when you are shopping at Thrive Market, you are also giving back to the community with no extra cost or effort.
Also worthy of note is that Thrive Market’s brand partners extend up to 50% off of all items to the company.
The annual membership fee enables the company to transfer those savings to the customers, sell the products at wholesale prices, and donate free memberships to needy Americans.
Alternatives
If you are not satisfied with what Thrive has to offer or how it works, there are several other similar companies you can try, including the following three:
- Omaha Steaks – This is one of the oldest players in the industry. Established in 1917, Omaha Steaks is one of the leading retailers of steaks, seafood, and food gifts in the U.S. If you want the finest grain-fed beef, you can’t go wrong with them.
- Butcher Box – Founded by Michael Salguero in 2015, Butcher Box is a monthly subscription service that delivers 100% grass-fed beef and other high-quality, freshly butchered meat products right to your doorstep. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and delivers products across the United States.
- Porter Road – Porter Road butcher was founded in 2010 by Chris Carter and James Peisker after they had challenges finding reliable suppliers of high-quality meat. They started selling online in 2017, allowing customers to purchase premium pasture-raised meat from anywhere in the lower 48 U.S. states. The butcher shop specializes in providing a wide variety of cuts of beef, lamb, pork, and chicken.
Pros and Cons
Let’s explore some of the advantages and disadvantages of using Thrive Market.
Pros
- Up to 50% lower prices compared to retail competitors
- More affordable membership fee compared to competitors like Amazon Prime and Pantry
- Frequent sales promotions and free products
- Every paid membership sponsors a free membership for a needy family
- Easy-to-navigate website
Cons
- Free shipping only applies to orders above $49
- Shipping can be slow, usually 3 to 7 days
Final Thoughts
Thrive uses a membership-style approach to provide customers with access to a wide range of natural, organic, and non-GMO products at wholesale prices.
They provide healthy alternatives to typical grocery options, and the company also offers their community-conscious “Thrive Gives” social campaign, making this service even more appealing to most.
