We supported a different farm for our bulk grass-fed beef for many years but decided to switch to…read moreKalon Farms last summer because they were closer to us and because the other farm, while having fantastic quality meat, weren't the best at butchering.
We tried Kalon beef a number of times by buying from their storefront but finally decided to buy half a cow.
It took a couple months to finish off the previous cow we'd purchased before getting to the Kalon cow but immediately knew something was wrong as soon as we tried our first steak. There was a subtle "off" taste to it.
Over the next month or so, we tried multiple different cuts and all the ones with any fat or marbling had the same issue. The leaner cuts were mostly okay.
I reached out to Kalon using the form on their website. No reply.
I reached out again via email. No reply.
I was very clear that I wasn't expecting a refund or reimbursement of any kind because I knew it had been a few months. I just wanted to inform them and ask if anybody else had reported the same issue. Still nothing back from them.
Eventually, a few months later, I remembered that I still hadn't heard anything back so I called and asked to speak to someone in charge.
They were super sarcastic on the phone. It started with "Are you sure you bought from us? I don't even recognize your name."
It progressed to "Many people complain about the taste because they don't know what real grass-fed beef tastes like; it's not like store-bought meat."
It ended with "We had another complaint a few months ago but our owner took the beef home and ate it all and it was fine."
I went there three days ago to drop off the over 240lbs of what remained.
Around 80lbs of assorted steaks and cuts.
Around 20-30lbs of roasts.
Around 100lbs of mince.
Around 30-40lbs of bones, tallow, organs, etc.
I was very polite to the person at the desk (it's not her fault, after all), we were respectful of the space and brought everything back in cooler boxes and placed them neatly inside.
I handed them a letter (pic attached) and included my phone number in case the owner wanted to call me back.
Still zero response.
There are a few other reviews online complaining about the same "off" taste but there's seemingly always some sort of excuse as to why it's the customer's fault or that the customer just doesn't understand what good beef tastes like.
I also saw some posts about their farming practices, stating that their animals were feeding on what used to be dump grounds. I didn't see that for myself so I can't comment but it was worth noting that it's being said by more than just a few people.
Personally, I've accepted the loss of, literally, thousands of dollars of meat. It would've just been the professional thing to reach out to me at least once to discuss the matter. Instead, I get complete radio silence.
I included a pic of the email I'd sent and the letter I left.
I also included a comparison pic of Kalon's mince to the mince from my previous farm. Theirs looks extremely pale and anemic in comparison.
It also doesn't match what they sell in their storefront.
I suspect their storefront gets meat from their healthy cows but bulk orders are not from the same batch but, obviously, that's purely speculation so take it for what it's worth. I have no evidence one way or another but the discrepancy in quality between bulk and storefront is visible/tastable.
