How our Paper Bags Work Harder

Paper or plastic?

Remember the days when a real live person running the grocery checkout lane would ask that question?

Plastic was always my answer. No grocery store run was complete without the final self-issued challenge of bringing all my bags from car to kitchen in one trip. I needed those plastic bag handles.

But when it comes to Blue Silo, the answer is always paper.

Since the first pound of Blue Silo beef sold back in 2017, our customer orders are sent out in thick, brown paper bags.

It's one of many ways we're not like the grocery store. Our paper bags work harder, making your shopping experience better in ways you may not realize.

Paper bags are recyclable & compostable

Add the bags to your compost pile where they break down quickly and provide a good source of carbon. Easily store them flat to reuse or to recycle.

Please tell me I'm not the only one with a plastic bag stuffed with other plastic bags that always falls out of the laundry room cabinet

Paper bags trap cold air better than plastic

Direct exposure to warm air causes the vac pac on our frozen meat to loosen, or "pop", creating the opportunity for freezer burn to develop. Our bags are stapled closed to keep that warm air out during transport and home delivery.

Paper bags are stronger so we use fewer

Each paper bag holds ~10 lbs of product. By comparison, 3-4 plastic bags would be needed for the same quantity, and double bagging may be needed to prevent the thin bags from ripping. When packed in bags, odd shaped cuts stay contained and pack tighter in your freezer.

Paper bags save freezer space

A Blue Silo 1/2 Beef is pre-sorted and delivered in ~20 total paper bags. We encourage customers to keep the meat in the bags in their freezers. It's easier to move around in chest freezers. It packs tighter making better use of the space in upright freezers. Plus, it makes putting the beef away at delivery simple, taking just a few minutes. Change your mind? Reorganization is faster and easier with the cuts still in paper bags.

Paper bags are easy to label

Customers picking up curbside orders from the farm simply scan the bags for their last name and check the bag count to ensure they have their entire order.

Insider tip - Bulk customers easily gauge how much meat is left to plan a re-order by counting how many bags are still in the freezer and comparing it to the original bag count listed on the outside of every bag.

Paper bags are sold locally

SPC Company (formerly Springfield Paper Company) is a local source that keeps our thick paper bags in stock so replenishing is easy. The large 4" Blue Silo stamp we use on the outside came from Springfield Stamp & Engraving,

Paper bags are more affordable than insulated boxes

We ask home delivery customers to leave out their own cooler for home delivery. That simple request means we don't have the cost of single-use, insulated boxes for home delivery, which helps us keep our costs - and prices - lower. Plus, there's no bulky boxes to deal with after the delivery.

We are small family farm in America's heartland. Our customers all live within 100 miles of Springfield, Missouri. Here in our little corner of the world, we know that the little things can make a difference.

We'll never be as convenient and cheap as the grocery store.

But we're here to put that human touch on your shopping experience.