When Honest Beef shipped out our first orders, our customers received styrofoam coolers sealed tight with packing tape and enough dry-ice to last safely to the final destination. 

While no one made a peep about it - presumably because they were distracted by the beautiful beef - we didn't feel right about using styrofoam.  Here's why: 

Styrofoam is the trade name for a petroleum-based compound called polystyrene, and gained popularity because of its ability to keep hot things hot, cold things cold, and all things safe during shipping.  All sounds kosher, right?

Look a little deeper.  Styrofoam is not biodegradable, and can sit in a landfill for centuries.  This, combined with the fact that it floats, means that it is now considered the main component of marine pollution. 

Additionally, the recycling market for styrofoam is diminishing.  In many communities, recycling companies no longer accept polystyrene products. 

So, we decided to make a change, and are supporting another local Nebraska company in the process.

Meet the Thermopod - an innovative insulator made in Norfolk, Nebraska that is made of recycled jeans and other recycled fabrics.  It fits snugly into a corrugated box, and performs at an equal if not higher level than styrofoam to keep your ribeyes, strips, roasts, and burgers safe and cold upon arrival to your doorstep.  They are waterproof, biodegradable, and compostable so they don't take up landfill space, and their competitive pricing allows us to pass on savings to you and to the environment.

At Honest Beef, we're committed to keeping our practices safe for our animals, efficient for our ranchers, high-quality for our customers, and kind to our earth.