Where to shop Now

Hi friends,

Wow. Our final weeks were a whirlwind as we closed the doors on 7 years of Primal Supply Meats. Recognizing it was time for the business to end led to one of the most difficult decisions I ever made, but in doing so I was reminded by our amazing Philly food community how much was accomplished. The impact of Primal’s mission to support local farmers and be a source for sustainable meat was massive, and I hope it will carry on.

From 2016-2023 Primal Supply Meats purchased over $5 million dollars in pasture-raised meat as whole animals from local, family-owned farms, $1 million in processing services from local, family-owned slaughterhouses, and $1 million in local produce, dairy, and groceries from other small food businesses. We could not have done any of it without you, our dedicated customers and Philly food community. I have so many feelings, but most of all, gratitude for everyone who believed in me and supported Primal Supply Meats.

Please don’t stop putting your dollars into our local food system, and don’t ever stop thinking about where your meat comes from. I’m still here to help you do that. For now, I’m going to keep this newsletter going, as well as the occasional social media post, to serve as a resource and to keep our network connected. I too am now a customer in search of good meat and local food, so as promised, below is my “where to shop now” list. 

With love and gratitude,
Heather

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PASTURE-RAISED MEAT & EGGS

Sources for local, pasture-raised meat in Philadelphia are limited post-Primal, but there are a number of small businesses and food co-ops working directly with local farmers that deserve your support and patronage. You can also buy direct at our city farmers’ markets, and several farmers from the Primal Supply network now sell directly online, so you can order pasture-raised meat shipped to your door. 

Heavy Metal Sausage
Pat and Mel are doing everything right in their little shop in South Philly. Pat uses the whole animals he sources from local farmers to make sausages and an impressive line-up of handmade charcuterie (including mortadella with black walnuts, because pistachios aren’t local!) at this specialty deli with an after hours trattoria. From time to time they’ll have fresh chops and steaks available too. Drop by for a sandwich and get to know them!

Riverwards Produce
Owner Vincent Finazzo is a long time friend and collaborator of mine (do you remember when we had a Primal Supply freezer in the original Riverwards pop-up produce market?). If you’re not already shopping at one of their locations on Norris Street in Fishtown, or Bread Street in Old City, you’re missing out. The grocery shelves are a treasure trove of small-batch and local goods, and as the name suggests, the produce (much of which is sourced from direct relationships with local farmers) is plentiful. But Riverwards also works with local farmers like Smith Poultry and Stryker Farm to stock fresh and frozen cuts of meat at both stores.

Philly Food Co-ops
We have some great food co-ops in Philly who also work with local farmers to source packaged cuts of meat. My go-tos are the South Philly Food Co-op on Juniper Street, the Weavers Way Co-op (which also has their own farms) in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill, and the Mariposa Co-op in West Philly. I appreciate that all of these co-ops allow non-members to shop and have access to their many fresh, local food offerings. But if any of these locations could become your neighborhood grocery store, consider supporting by joining the co-op as a member-owner.

Philly Farmers’ Markets
The best way to support local farmers is to buy direct from the farm whenever you can, and the farmers’ market is a great way to do this! A lot of farmers will harvest the whole animals they raise in a group several times per year, and store and sell packaged frozen cuts from coolers at farmers markets in the months that follow. If Primal taught you anything, be open to try the cuts that are available and you will be rewarded by getting to know your farmer! There are 2 organizations that manage Philly’s farmers’ markets: The Food Trust and Farm To City. Check out their websites to find the market near you.

Lancaster Farm Fresh
LFFC is a cooperative of local farmers that is responsible for so much of the local produce you’ll find on restaurant menus around town, and for much of the seasonal, fresh offerings we had in our butcher shops. In addition to their wholesale program, they also have a CSA (aka Community Supported Agriculture) program you can join, including a meat share! It’s not too late to jump in to the summer season with pro-rated CSA shares that run through late October. 

Philly Foodworks
You can shop à la carte or choose subscription options from the Philly Foodworks online store for delivery in Philadelphia. They work directly with local farmers and small producers and have a variety of local and pasture-raised cuts of meat available. And soon they’ll be selling grass-fed lamb from our farmer Henry at Gobbler’s Ridge Farms!

North Mountain Pastures
North Mountain Pastures in Newport, PA is where I spent the season working in 2012 to learn about pasture-based farming, which would eventually be my foundation for Primal’s sourcing practices. For several years NMP supplied us with whole pigs, and today Brooks and Anna have grown their local meat CSA to include an online store where you can order pasture-raised pork, beef, and poultry shipped directly from their farm.

Grand View Farm
Grand View Farms was also a member of Primal’s farmer network supplying us with pasture-raised whole hogs over the years (and hosting multiple farm tours), and has since built up their business to sell direct through online mail order. You can order pork and poultry from their farm, as well as grass-fed beef they source from our long-time partner farmer Keith at Wild Rose Ranch.

Horseshoe Ranch
I know you are going to miss the Gobbler’s Ridge golden yolk eggs, but fear not, there are other great pasture-raised eggs for sale in Philly! I’m recommending you buy them from Horseshoe Ranch. You can find their eggs at Riverwards Produce, at Mighty Bread Bakery and Cafe (walk, don’t run if you’re in South Philly and not already a regular here), the Weaver’s Way Co-op, and at the Headhouse and Fairmount farmers’ markets. 

GROCERY & PANTRY GOODS

We had a beautiful selection of local and small-batch food brands on our butcher shops shelves. Many of these products can be found for sale at other stores in Philly, and a some of these businesses will also ship their products directly to you. If you’ll be missing these producers in your kitchen, check their website for online ordering options and for stockist lists of where to shop.

Baba’s Brew Kombucha
Bill’s Best BBQ Sauce (and brewery!)
Birchrun Hills Farm Cheese
Brine Street Picklery
Boonville Barn Collective
Castle Valley Mills Stone Ground Whole Grains
Conebella Farm Cheese
Enzo Olive Oil Company
Fat Gold Olive Oil
First Field Tomatoes
Fishtown Pickle Project
Fishtown Seafood
Food and  Ferments
Hank Sauce
Harper’s Ice Cream
Keepwell Vinegar
Lancaster Farm Fresh
Mad Dog Farm Black Garlic
Melissa’s Sourdough Crisps
Merzbacher’s Bakery
Mill Creek Apiary Honey
Mom Mom’s Kitchen Pierogi
Morganics Family Farms Oatmeal
Movement Labs Kombucha
Mycopolitan Mushrooms
NY Shuk Middle Eastern Pantry
Nutty Novelties Nut Butters
Oasis Grassfed Dairy
Poi Dog Sauces
Primary Beans
Rival Bros. Coffee
Samuels Seafood
Severino Homemade Pasta
Soom Tahini
The Pasta Lab
Third Wheel Cheese
Three Springs Fruit Farm
Vellum St. Soap Company (maker of Fat Marshmallow!)
Whitehouse Station Hot Sauce
Zone 7