As a longtime product reviewer specializing in the food space, I‘ve covered everything from mainstream brands to upstart disruptors aiming to change the game. But few companies have grabbed my attention quite like Cooks Venture. Their bold mission to transform the broken meat industry by controlling every stage from farm to delivery cuts straight to the heart of modern food system challenges.
I decided to put their promises to the test by ordering one of their custom meat boxes. After grilling, stewing and snacking my way through the delivery, I‘m back to share an honest, hands-on review based on my firsthand experience as a Cooks Venture customer…
My Initial Skepticism Ordering Craft Meat From a Farm I‘d Never Visited
Full disclosure – I‘ve been burned before by fancy marketing lingo and idyllic pastoral images that fail to match reality. So when I first heard about Cooks Venture promising "regeneratively raised, ethically processed craft meat straight from our family farm," I rolled my eyes.
Call me cynical, but years reviewing products has taught me that when something sounds too good to be true, it often is.
But digging into their site, I appreciated the sheer amount of detail provided on their protocols. And their explanations on how they develop specialized heritage breeds with superior genetics caught my attention. Still, questions lingered…
- Would the end product live up to the ethical claims?
- Is the taste and texture noticeably different?
- Is it actually affordable compared to premium organic brands?
I ultimately decided to employ my personal testing methodology by becoming a customer myself.
Keep reading for the inside details on how the process works, what arrived at my doorstep and how all the assorted cuts and flavor held up when actually cooked!
Becoming a Cooks Venture Customer – My Ordering Experience
Ordering took about 5 minutes total from my phone. After creating an account, I selected the 12 item box to maximize variety.
Next, I ticked off my custom mix like an online grocer: bone-in chicken breasts, ground pork, sausages and more. I preferred having control to select specific cuts I planned to use, rather than pre-arranged bundles.
Checkout was smooth, no shipping fees applied, and I received a delivery ETA of 9 days.
Unboxing the Delivery
Right on schedule, I received notice that my Cooks Venture order arrived. I opened my front door to find a large insulated box on ice packs (in January no less).
Inside, everything was segmented into individual cryopaks, folded flat and lined neatly. The portions catered nicely to my small household. Plus having them individually wrapped lets you thaw only what‘s needed.
I cemetery the 12 items I selected, all tidy and organized:
The frozen packs went straight to my freezer. Now the real test began – finding out if the acclaimed taste and quality matched the transparent sourcing.
Putting Cooks Venture‘s Pasture-Raised Chicken to the Test in My Kitchen
With an ample supply of craft chicken and pork on hand, I set out to answer the core question – does meat from Cooks Venture really deliver on the promises?
I prepared several recipes over 2 months utilizing different cuts – testing the versatility across various dishes. For context, my household already pays up for high-end organic meat, so Cook‘s Venture seemed reasonably comparable.
Overall, both my partner and I noticed a richer depth of flavor and moisture compared to even premium brands we regularly purchased. The textures seamlessly took to all preparations from pan frying to braising to grilling.
Herb Roasted Chicken Breasts – Juicy, elegant flavor boosting vitality of classic herbs and spices instead of masking them.
Crispy Chicken Cutlets – Lean yet luscious fried cutlets with an audible crunch yet remarkable tenderness.
Chicken Posole Stew – Ultra lush shredded chicken broth punctuated the sweet corn and smoky peppers perfectly.
Sausage and Pepper Sheet Pan – Gorgeous char-grilling kissed the natural casings while dense, coarse ground pork stayed succulent.
Lemon Garlic Pork Chops – Stunning chops seared to a brilliant crust yet remained impossibly moist inside (and this from a guy who habitually overcooks).
With every recipe, I kept expecting to taste some overt earthiness or overly exotic flavor from the heritage breeding given how they trumpet it. But to my pleasant surprise, it was wonderfully more subtle – rather amplifying existing flavors versus introducing new ones.
Truly, the difference came through loud and clear in each satisfying bite. This certainly wasn‘t the standard chicken I‘d written off from childhood.
Bottom line, my palate graded Cooks Venture an A+!
Inside the Special Sauce – What Sets Their Chicken and Pork Apart
You may be wondering, what‘s so different about the way Cooks Venture produces meat? Surely terms like heritage breeds, regenerative farming and ethical processing are just gimmicky jargon.
That‘s what I thought initially too. But digging into their protocols and visiting family farms using similar approaches opened my eyes.
Here are 5 vital differences that set Cooks Venture apart from conventional meat:
1. Superior Heritage Animal Genetics
Commodity meat producers emphasize fast growth and lean tissue. By contrast, Cooks Venture breeds resilient heritage varieties selected for flavor, ethical living outdoors and strong maternal traits over efficiency alone. This preserves the integrity of their genetics over time versus breeds diluted for confinement efficiency.
2. Pasture-Based Regenerative Model
Their chickens receive 4x more space than standard operations. Rotating pens daily mimics patterns found in nature – allowing birds to express natural behaviors foraging while fertilizing diverse native grasses and soil. This also significantly reduces risk for disease outbreaks.
3. Ethical Protocols Minimizing Stress
Centuries of research confirm animal stress affects meat quality. By emphasizing ethical protocols around space, socialization opportunities and processing, Cook Venture meat contains lower stress-induced compounds. This translates to superior nutrition, texture and taste.
4. Naturally Nutrient Dense Forage Diet
When allowed to supplement feed with plants, seeds, grubs and insects from the regenerative paddocks, the meat develops increased Vitamin E, beta-carotene, healthy fats and antioxidants compared to conventional feedlot diets.
5. Consistent On-Site Processing
Because they process small batches on-site according to humane standards, Cooks Venture avoids introducing variability between farms and distant facilities. This ensures ideal freshness, quality control and minimal transport stress right up to cryopackaging.
When you connect the dots from their stewarded genetics through to processing, the net result is measurably superior meat.
Sure, it requires more land and labor. But by working directly with small multi-generational farmers like the Evans family of Arkansas, Cooks Venture unlocks an elevated craft product previously unattainable at scale.
Cost and Value Analysis – What‘s the True Price Premium?
At around $12 per pound all-in across an average order, no question Cooks Venture costs more than basic chicken and pork commodity equivalents selling for as little as $3 per pound retail.
But generic pricing often excludes hidden supply chain expenses offloaded onto society, such as carbon emissions, animal cruelty, farmer livelihoods and antibiotic resistance. It also ignores qualitative factors like taste and nutrition.
When we factor in these covert costs and benefits on top of sheer eating enjoyment, the value tilt towards Cook Ventures‘ approach comes into clearer focus.
Comparing my average monthly meat spend before versus after switching, Cooks Venture was only ~30% net higher for chicken and ~10% more for heritage pork cuts.
That relatively small premium brings a host of advantages:
- Full supply chain transparency
- Third party audited protocols
- Superior flavor and texture
- Nutrient density from pasture diversity
- Progress towards more sustainable models
- Preserving farmer livelihoods
I‘ll gladly pay an extra few dollars per pound for all that. To me, the proof is quite literally in the pudding 🙂
Insights From My Neighbors Who Also Order Cooks Venture
Ever skeptical, I wondered if others in my community shared my positive experience. Were we just getting swayed by slick marketing? Or was the consensus aligned around quality.
As I crossed paths with neighbors in my building, I started informally asking if anyone else had tried Cooks Venture. Sure enough, 4 other households I spoke with ordered from them previously.
Some choice quotes:
"We almost cancelled when we saw the price but honestly it‘s 100% worth it. I swear the chicken noodle soup I make with their broth cures colds!"
"We mostly get the monthly pork box for sausage. Having the kids help pick recipes makes it fun teaching where meat actually comes from versus the store."
"I was thrilled my mom with diabetes saw her blood sugar levels improve just reducing overall carbs. Their recipes made it easy sticking to more meat and veggies."
Clearly the subjective experience resonated beyond just my positive results. Hearing the perspectives of other busy families struggling to put quality food on the table reinforced my view.
If the primary obstacle preventing better meat options is cost, Cooks Venture makes real progress against that barrier to entry.
Cooks Venture Product Comparison
How does Cooks Venture stack up against the growing range of meat delivery competitors on attributes buyers value most?
Here I compare them across quality, sustainability and welfare metrics against several leading options:
| Cooks Venture | Thrive Market | Crowd Cow | Butcher Box | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Breeds | Yes | No | On Some Beef | No |
| Regenerative | 100% of production | No | No | |
| Antibiotic/Hormone Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pasture Raised | 100% | No Standards | No | |
| On-Site Processing | Yes | No | No | No |
| Carbon Labeling | Yes | No | No | No |
| Welfare Certified | 5-Step GAP | No | Step 1 GAP | ASF |
Referencing this comparison shows why Cooks Venture is a standout. When it comes to driving progress through measurably superior genetics, verification and transparency, they set the bar. The added cost directly fuels continuing that mission.
The Impact – Supporting a Template for Better Meat
When asking whether a 30% higher price point justifies buying from Cooks Venture, I encourage folks to consider more than just dollars and cents.
This quote from their founder Matthew Wadiak resonates when he explained their mission:
"We set out to preserve delicious, nutritious meat that‘s better for people, the planet and animals. If we simply focus on pricing parity to broken systems, we lose sight of real progress."
Source: Future Food Podcast interview
Fundamentally, I don‘t believe consumers should carry the full burden for funding more ethical practices. But every small dollar we reallocate aids incremental systems change.
Cooks Venture proves a workable framework for the future is possible today. As consumer demand expands for differentiated quality and transparency, so too will their ability to extend impact up the supply chain.
From heritagebreed preservation to securing farmer livelihoods to incubating regenerative models, they embody genuine innovation disrupting the heart of modern meat production.
Price alone discounts the complext, multifaceted business equation required to deliver change. When we value proper stewardship of animals and environment, companies like Cooks Venture deserve our support.
The Verdict – The Real Deal Backing Up the Hype
Too often trust is betrayed when idyllic meat branding crumbles upon scrutiny. But I‘m pleased to report that Cooks Venture delivers the goods backing up their ambitious vision to convert conventional meat production into a force for good.
- Their protocols and practices align fully with stated claims
- The heritage breed meat performed wonderfully across all preparations
- Value against other premium brands proved justified
- Their stewardship drives incremental supply chain improvements
Do prices remain a hurdle for budget-minded shoppers? Sure. But put in full context of our food dollars flowing to crappy industrial farms versus regenerative family operations, I argue Cooks Venture makes for money wisely spent.
Obviously pasture-based models can‘t fully supplant commodity meat demand now. But by supporting Cooks Venture with our wallet, each order places another brick in rebuilding a better food system.
So if you find yourself doubting the feasibility that craveable meat can also catalyze animal, farmer and climate welfare, go ahead and take the Cooks Venture leap of faith. Just be sure to savor the exceptional taste experience that awaits!
