Monday, July 18, 2011

Testing Chicken - Thanks Zaycon Foods!

This great company out of WA state contacted me a while ago to test some chicken for them.  Chicken?  Yes!  Chicken!  What person doesn't like chicken?  Let me give you a little background about this company:  Zaycon Foods.

Zaycon Foods was founded in 2009 to bring fresh meats and other products direct to consumers at wholesale prices. The founders have extensive experience in sales, business management and the grocery industry


So what does this mean?  I'll give you the basics:  You order bulk food from Zaycon.  Zaycon has events set up in different towns and cities - so when you place your order, you'll have to go to your event to pick it up.  Say you live in Hingham.  You place an order - and next month, they might be having their event at a parking lot somewhere in Hingham on the second Saturday of the month from say 9am-12pm and you go there to pick up your pre-paid order.  Kind of like a CSA.  Only - you're dealing in bulk - and mostly meat:  chicken, beef, turkey, pork and fish.  Different areas offer different products. 
 
Right now, Zaycon has events in WA, OR, ID, AZ, & TX.  They have 17 more states slated for testing in 2011 and the future. 
 
You might be saying, "But Becky - you live in MA!  Why are you telling me all of this?"  Well Zaycon just delivered 40 lbs of fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breast for me to test out on Friday.  40 lbs is the quantity of boneless, skinless chicken breast they sell.  Currently, this box of chicken goes for about $65 - or about $1.59/lbs.  GREAT DEAL!  Remember though:  Prices fluctuate and these prices are no way a guarantee of anything - things change, markets change, chickens go on strike - so you never know what the actual price may be.  I'm just giving you a current price point so you can see the value in a service like this.  The chicken is not deemed "organic" - but it is 100% natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients



I tried the chicken for the first time last night - and it was fabulous!  I cooked my portion on my trusty George Foreman Grill and I was not disappointed at all.  The chicken was moist and tender.  Absolutely divine!  I'm not just saying that.  It really was good.
 
Zaycon is thinking of testing the Boston area market this fall with this unique service.  So that is why I am telling you this.  Would you be interested in a service like this in the Boston area? 
 
If you were to purchase something like this - you would have to set aside about an hour after you get the chicken for prep.  And have a lot of ziploc baggies on hand!  I personally made up about 25 1-lbs packages and 3 5-lbs "party" packages with my chicken.  I always weigh my meat into portions before freezing - whether I buy it at the grocery store or some other outlet so this was pretty easy for me.  I just never dealt with 40 lbs before.  I think the most I ever did was 10 lbs of meat. 
 
Check out the Zaycon website for more information!  I'll also inform you later on in the fall when they will be testing out the Boston market and all the info you might need to place an order.  Oh and psst....I MAY be doing a Chicken Giveaway in the fall with this information - so keep your eyes peeled! 
So once again - I would love to hear your comments about this type of service!  Or if you are a person who has actually used the Zaycon service in another part of the country and would like to share your comments and experience, I'd love to hear them as well! 

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