hb ground beef vs. the grocery store

Hi Bräu Beef Co.
Dec 9, 2025
3 min read

Back in the day, everyone knew someone with a farm. Maybe it was a neighbor, a cousin, or your own family. Today, less than 1% of Americans work in agriculture, and most people are generations removed from how their food is raised.

That’s why education is such a big part of what we do at Hi Bräu. We don’t just sell pasture-raised beef; we share what makes it different, better, and worth knowing about. And today, we’re talking about one of our most popular products: Ground Beef.

What’s the real difference between Hi Bräu Ground Beef and the stuff in the grocery store? Let’s break it down.

what makes hb ground beef different?

Our grass-fed ground beef is:

From a single animal, not a blend of dozens or hundreds
Raised on our 3rd-generation family farm in Newberry, South Carolina
Always hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and pasture-raised
Sourced from known breeds, with traceable age, diet, and location
Dry-aged, for better flavor and consistency
Clearly labeled as grass-finished or grain-finished, your choice

You’ll know what it ate, where it lived, and how it was raised. That’s something industrial processors can’t say.

let’s talk grocery store ground beef

Here's what you’re actually buying in the store:

Sourced from dozens (or hundreds) of animals, blended into one batch
Often includes imported lean beef from countries like Brazil, Mexico, or Argentina
Mixed with excess fat from U.S. cattle to achieve a desired fat ratio
May include brine, gas, or additives for color and shelf life
Labeled as “Product of the USA” even if the beef was raised overseas

Yes, you read that right: As long as the meat is packaged in the U.S., it can legally be labeled “Product of the USA.”

can you trust grocery store beef labels?

Sometimes, but not always.

Organic or Grass-Finished (if USDA-certified) → Yes, regulated
Angus, Natural, or “Local” → Often unregulated and unverifiable
Breed, age, pasture access, and antibiotic use → Almost never disclosed

You’ll rarely know:

What breeds were used
How the animal was treated
If antibiotics or growth promoters were used
What kind of feed they received
The age or quality of the animal at harvest

That’s a long list of unknowns in something you're feeding your family.

why Imported beef gets used in ground

Here’s the industrial logic:

Countries with low-cost labor and minimal feed resources (like Brazil) export lean beef to the U.S.Because that meat lacks fat (“finish”), U.S. processors blend it with excess fat trimmings from domestic cattle. It’s efficient, cheap, and fast.

But it’s also:

Lower quality
Less traceable
Nutritionally inconsistent

It’s the opposite of what we do at Hi Bräu.

Our honest take on ground beef

At Hi Bräu, we believe there's room for many approaches to beef. We’re not here to knock every grocery store steak or roast, but when it comes to ground beef, we just can’t get behind it.

It’s the one product we won’t eat unless we raised it ourselves.

And the kicker? Our pasture-raised ground beef is priced comparably to grocery store meat, with none of the mystery.