One of our favorite things about July is kicking it off with the biggest birthday party of the year. The smell of BBQ and the laughter of friends floating from neighborhood to neighborhood; the excitement of grand finales sparkling in the night sky. Independence Day is a reminder we’re all in this together, as we share in holiday traditions from Honolulu to Anchorage to Miami, and the Fourth of July staples of good food and good friends are what our family is all about. 

We like to say Happy Birthday America with the juiciest U.S.-raised, lifetime-grazed beef your party menu ever dreamed of! It was a long road to finding it, but we finally did, and in time for the biggest BBQ day of the year.

When we set out on our search for 100% pasture-raised beef, we knew two things:

1. It needed to be from a U.S. producer, which is no easy task because lifetime-grazed beef in America is usually imported.

2. It needed to pass our naturally-raised meat standard, which at its bare bones minimum is higher than other “natural” standards and always means:

NO hormones, NO antibiotics, NO animal by-products and NO inhumane treatment of animals.

Our search was rewarded when we discovered the Midwest-based Thousand Hills Cattle Company.  Unlike “grass fed,” which has become a happy-go-lucky, anybody can use it, kind of term, the cattle of Thousand Hills spend their entire lives on pasture, producing meat rich in nutrients and better for the planet. Now we have a variety of cuts and grinds in every Natural Grocers meat case, but that’s not the end of the story. We’ve made it our mission to source ethical, U.S.produced products to fit any preference, making it easy for you to get ready for your Fourth of July BBQ with the best beef, pork, poultry or plant-based options in town. Cleanest. Tastiest. Most affordable.

We haven’t forgotten about that other Fourth of July tradition either–the nostalgic comfort of sticking a hot dog, fresh with grill marks, into a bun, smothering it with condiments and letting the juices drip down our chins. But the junk that’s been put into hot dogs over the years… well, it’s appetite reducing to say the least. That’s why we only carry hot dogs without anything artificial, with ingredients you can identify, and with all the organic condiments you need to go along side. 

Now we must get back to firing up the grill and setting out the party games. We hope your month is filled with deliciously nutritious food and lots of time to hang out with whoever you call family, because they’re the best. Happy July, everyone! 

The Isely Family