I went to Honeyville Farms retail store on Friday ... very cool place. Honeyville Farms has 4 retail stores in the USA ... 2 in Utah, 1 in California and 1 in Phoenix. Given that I wanted to start expanding my storage to include freeze dried and dehydrated foods, I thought it wise to take advantage of a long-term company like Honeyville's retail store in Phoenix, even though the car ride was 45 minutes. A few observations of their store:
Online vs Store Prices: I noticed and actually talked to them about the difference in prices between their website and the store. They said their low shipping price ($4.49) to anywhere in the US is off-set by higher prices compared to their store. There was a big difference in price and I would recommend (if you have the opportunity) to purchase in their store versus ordering online, especially if you are buying larger quantities. Where you really see the price difference is in their bulk foods (i.e. rice, beans, wheat, etc...). For example, their shipping may be $4.49 but their online price for a 50 lb bag of hard white wheat is $50.99 plus shipping; in the store I could get that same bag for about $13. Here's some other differences in prices that I noticed because this is what I bought in freeze dried and dehydrated today:
- Dehydrated Carrots - $14.25 (store) vs $18.69 (online)
- Dehydrated Onions - $9.98 (store) vs $13.29 (online)
- Freeze Dried Peas - $15.45 (store) vs $17.89 (online)
- Freeze Dried Powdered Whole Egg - $15.99 (store) vs $19.69 (online)
- Dehydrated Banana Chips - $9.46 (store) vs $10.69 (online)
- Freeze Dried Mango - $18.25 (store) vs $21.59 (online)
- Freeze Dried Apples - $19.85 (store) vs $22.89 (online)
- Freeze Dried Peaches - $25.97 (store) vs $30.79 (online)
What isn't included that further reduced the store's price was a 5% reduction I received. I bought 12 total cans today and the savings in the store versus online was tremendous. Additionally, they gave me a small pocket-sized can opener for free (Black Friday I guess :roll: ) and another 15% off for 6 or more cans on my next visit (which I will be going back).
For what it's worth, I plan on using freeze dried and dehydrated for specific fruits, veggies or any individual items (powdered eggs, powdered tomato, etc...) that can be added to meals or eaten separately ... I don't plan on getting complete meals (i.e. Mountain House Chilli Mac) at this time though that could change in the future.
Helpful/Friendly People: it was refreshing to have face-to-face discussions with people about storing food for the long-term. We usually have to keep quiet about our business but that wasn't necessary here because they know why you are there. That was cool. They were honest, knowledgeable people and brought up some good discussion points. For example, I talked to one of the ladies about the FD Powdered Whole Egg. She agreed that it didn't stick well for scrambled eggs and would probably be best if mixing it with other things. She said the Egg Whites were probably a better product for scrambled eggs but she was really impressed with Ova Easy Whole Eggs. She said Ova Easy eggs were tremendous and those were the best/closest thing to real scrambled eggs. Unfortunately, they didn't have any in #10 cans and I chose not to purchase the pouch.
Variety of Products: they have lots of variety (even had MH #10 cans), products, tools, etc... that made this store cool to shop in. I actually picked up a couple of 6 gallon buckets and gamma lids too and had a great conversation with one of the younger (18-20 years old) kids about storage in buckets.
Bottom Line - if you ever have the opportunity to visit their store it is worth the trip, both in cost savings and product. I would highly recommend this store and I would recommend visiting and receiving food directly from a company on their premises versus online if you have the option - especially for heavier items like rice, beans, and grains - because it will be cheaper.