I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing about Thrive Market everywhere, from YouTube sponsorships to Instagram ads. It seemed like half the population was opting for this healthy grocery delivery service in lieu of wheeling supermarket carts on a weekly basis.
As someone who loves to find new healthy snacks, brands and substitutes to cook and bake with, I knew I had to try the service. Not only can you hand-pick individual items and receive a box full of goodies but it’s a unique way to discover brands that are holistically better for you than the average in-store brand.
“Thrive Market is the health-first membership for conscious living — our e-commerce platform started in 2014 with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy, accessible and affordable to every American family,” Jeremiah McElwee, chief merchandising officer at Thrive Market, told the New York Post in an exclusive interview. “Thrive Market is a leading online marketplace specializing in a highly curated assortment of organic, non-GMO, and sustainable products. It focuses on democratizing access to healthy products for the contingent USA.”
So, it was only natural to order a box, try out the service and then outline my honest review.
First things first: a Thrive Market membership makes healthy and sustainable living easy, accessible and affordable — as McElwee mentions —delivering your order directly to your door with carbon-neutral shipping. If sustainability and healthy eats sound good to you, you’ll join a community of more than 1 million members.
What are the benefits of ordering from Thrive Market?
Ahead, McElwee outlines some of Thrive Market’s benefits. Once you realize Thrive Market is an all-you-can-grab, one-stop-shop for wellness and house cleaning products aside from nutritious finds, you’ll be hooked:
- Member-only prices on beloved brands like CHOMPS, Simple Mills and more
- A hyper-curated catalog of only high-quality healthy and organic products across a range of consumer categories, including Pantry Staples, Vitamins and Supplements, Home and Personal Care, Frozen Food, and Wine — in addition to wild-caught seafood & pasture-raised meat alongside newly-added frozen products, including desserts, breads, pastas and more
- Exclusive access to our owned-brand innovations, including Thrive Market’s best-selling brand of food and home essentials — Thrive Market Goods
- A health-first membership experience, including free consultations with one of our Thrive Market Guides to find the right products for your healthy lifestyle, point you toward our best deals and products, and answer any questions you have as a member, in addition to our 90+ filters and curated shopping lists to make it easy to shop by your values and lifestyle
- Incredible promotions on your favorite brands and free gifts with your orders
- Affordably-priced and award-winning organic, natural wines sourced from small wineries around the world
“Members can save up to 30% off MSRP, and for reference, the average order value for our members is >$87 and contains ~14.5 items (Q4 2022),” McElwee shares.
How does Thrive Market work?
Much like your typical add-to-cart online marketplace, Thrive Market allows you to discover, order and save.
“For $60 per year, our annual members gain access to a curated assortment of more than 5,500 better-for-you consumer staples, including more than 700+ innovative Thrive Market-owned-brand products, all at member-only prices,” McElwee notes.
More impressively, since Thrive Market’s 2014 founding, every annual membership sponsors a free membership for a family in need. “If you’re a family in financial need, including students, teachers, veterans, nurses, and first responders — you qualify for a free one-year membership through Thrive Gives. With it, you’ll gain access to members-only benefits from Thrive Market,” McElwee highlights.
Even better? If you don’t make your membership fee back in savings, Thrive Market will credit you the difference (how’s that for value-based grocery shopping during inflation)! “That means if your membership fee was $60 and you only saved $40 during your membership year, we’ll automatically add $20 Thrive Cash to your account after you renew,” McElwee explains.
Our Thrive Market Review
As you can imagine, I was like a kid in a candy store once I sat down with my laptop and perused Thrive Market’s offerings. Note: as someone who frequently makes a fully fledged granola bowl for breakfast — topped with fresh fruit, cacao nibs and granola — I couldn’t wait to see how the online marketplace would enhance my wholesome meals.
Ahead, you’ll find some key characteristics centering on the quality of Thrive Market as a service I’d recommend.
Its thoughtfulness to particular diets and dietary restrictions
I did find quite a few unique items that I’ve never tried before, like the BOOMCHICKAPOP White Cheddar Popcorn ($4) and Lakanto Banana Nut Muffin & Bread Mix ($10). Plus, it’s perfect for adding items to your cart based on any diets or dietary restrictions; with Thrive Market, you can filter by gluten-free, paleo, vegan, ketogenic and other granular options.
“We always start with finding products that we love and believe our Members will love,” McElwee says. “From there we taste, test and try them to have a direct experience with them. If they pass that crucial step we then begin to request formal documentation outlining their food & product safety guidelines, 3rd party certifications, and verification of labor & fair wage practices.”
Plus, if Thrive Market has any questions at all, its Food Safety & Quality Assurance team will dig in deeper to ensure our strict standards are met. That said, everything on its site is consciously selected.
Its impressive array of brand-specific offerings
Upon ordering my box, I loved how I was able to order Thrive Market-original products, like the brand’s Organic Wild Blueberry Fruit Spread ($3) — a shining star on toasted bread — and the Organic Robust Grade A Maple Syrup ($14) — a winner for breakfast pancakes.
Some other items that impressed me inside my box include the brand’s Organic Medium Salsa ($5) — used during a friends’ game night — and the Organic Dark Chocolate Covered Cashews ($18) — a bag that my father stole from me on Day 1.
Its quality, which helps you make healthier shopping choices
Whether you’re shopping for food or cleaning supplies, Thrive Market is simply perfect for the conscious shopper who likes to know the ingredients behind what they’re buying, along with how they’re sourced.
Above all else, its meat and seafood delivery were the most impressive. I had a surf and turf night with my family using the Thrive Market 2-Pack Grass-Fed Organic Boneless Beef Ribeye Steak ($38) and Thrive Market Wild-Caught Jonah Crab Claw ($28). It. Was. Phenomenal.
More recently, Thrive Market has continued to up the quality on its already intentional offerings.
“On May 9th, Thrive Market announced it is officially Climate Neutral Certified,” McElwee announces. “Thrive Market joins the growing movement of companies achieving the Climate Neutral Certified Standard by measuring its 2022 greenhouse gas emissions, taking action on reduction plans and offsetting their brand footprint with eligible-verified credits.”
All of Thrive Market’s offerings, explained
“Consumers aspiring toward more conscious living seek the most innovative and trusted brands, not an ‘endless aisle’ of various quality products,” McElwee shares. To meet their needs, Thrive Market offers a hyper-curated assortment of only high-quality healthy and organic products across a range of consumer categories, including:
- Food: Baking, Bars, Beverages, Candy & Chocolate, Canned & Packaged Food, Cereals & Granolas, Condiments & Sauces, Ghee, Oils & Vinegars, Grains, Pasta & Bread, Honey & Sweeteners, Nut Butters & Fruit Spreads, Snacks, Soups, Meals & Side Dishes, Spices, Seasoning & Salt — and more!
- Meat + Seafood: Beef, Poultry, Pork, Seafood, Lamb, Plant-Based Meat – and more!
- Frozen Foods: Appetizers & Snacks, Bread & Dough, Breakfast Foods, Frozen Desserts, Fruit & Vegetables, Meals, Pasta, Pizza, Prepared Meat & Seafood, Soups & Broths — and more!
- Wine: Cider & Hard Pressed Juices, Red Wine, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, White Wine — and more!
- Vitamins: Amino Acids, Antioxidants, Collagen, Herbs & Homeopathy, Hemp Extract, Letter Vitamins, Men’s Health, Minerals, Multivitamins, Omegas & Fish Oils, Probiotics & Digestion, Sports Nutrition, Superfood & Greens, Women’s Health — and more!
- Beauty: Skincare, Fragrance, Lip Care, Makeup, Men’s Skincare, Nails — and more!
- Bath + Body: Body Care, Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, Period Care, First Aid, Hair Care, Men’s Grooming, Oral Care, Sexual Health, Shaving & Hair Removal, Soap & Bath, Sun & Bug — and more!
- Babies + Kids: Bath & Body, Diapering, Baby & Kids Food, Moms & Maternity, Toys, Vitamins & Supplements – and more!
- Home: Cleaning, Fermentation, Home Accessories, Household Supplies, Kitchenware, Laundry, Yoga & Home Fitness – and more!
- Pet: Cat Food, Treats, Vitamins & Supplements; Dog Flea & Tick, Food, Grooming, Potty & Cleaning, Toys & Accessories, Treats, Vitamins & Supplements – and more!
According to Thrive Market, its three most-shopped categories are (1) snacks, (2) beverages and (3) condiments, emphasizing that shoppers are looking for convenience and elevated options to make their pantry more of a healthier, well-sourced space.
“Since 2014, we have delivered more than 18 million paid member orders, generated more than $2 billion of revenue, and grown to a community of 1.2 million paid members. “
Jeremiah McElwee, chief merchandising officer at Thrive Market
The bottom line
Thrive Market is an excellent online marketplace (quite literally, it’s Trader Joe’s, but online).
The one con? The Rosey by Thrive Market Lavender Laundry Detergent ($10) spilled within the box upon shipment. This is partly because the brand values eco-friendly packaging (which means a lack of traditional bubble wrap and other wrapping-style paper). However, when I alerted Thrive Market of this mishap, they sent me a brand-new one the next day. Needless to say, its customer service is outstanding.
For just $60 a year, you’ll be investing in (1) your health and (2) your finances with all the money you’ll be saving. I’ve never been one to shop for almond butter, açaà powder or the like because of how costly it can be, but with Thrive Market, I’m having more balanced, nutritious meals than ever before.
Check out the New York Post Shopping section for more content.