Red Feather has finally appointed a US Distributor for their canned butter, and the Kraft canned cheese.

The company will also sell retail.

http://www.mrewholesalers.com/cannedbutterdetails.html

Title was supposed to be canned butter and cheese distributor.

Oh well.

Here is the press release:

MREwholesalers selected as Exclusive Agent in the United States for importing Red Feather Brand canned butter

Plans involve the first container of product arriving in the Los Angeles area by the middle of September, 2006

SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA – August 9, 2006 – FTF Technologies, Inc (DBA MREwholesalers.com), a leader in the Disaster Preparedness Products, MRE’s and other Shelf Stable Foods market, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Ballantyne Foods Pty Ltd to exclusively supply the U.S. Market with the Red Feather Brand Canned Butter.

Ballantyne is the world’s largest producer of canned butter. Sealed airtight for maximum freshness, their canned butter delivers convenience in the form of extended shelf life and easy distribution without the necessity of refrigeration. It has also proven ideal for disaster preparedness, camping, boating and remote areas where refrigeration is not freely available.

Revenue from the definitive agreement does not carry a specific value but commences with an initial shipment of a container of more than 1,600 cartons in September 2006. The value of the agreement will arise from the mutual market success of the parties.

Bump renamed thread.

Hmmm… I have a case of butter coming Monday from internetgrocer. I wonder if they will no longer be selling it after they sell off the shipment they got in. I’m just glad their is a source for it, hopefully the price will remain the same.

Kinda strange that mrewholesalers.com doesn’t list any prices on their site. You have to have them contact you with information. Anyone dealt with them before??

nopower—I think the mrewholesalers is internetgrocers source. I think they will have it from now on.

mrewholesalers.com also sells on ebay

Broadsword and Dijon (screen names) run Group Buys (GB)at warrifles.com. You must sign up to be a member. No fee or charges. Very pro gun and conserative. VERY kind and friendly folks (just like here). They just wrapped up a GB for cheese and butter. Saved about $20+ per case. They will be doing another for Mountain House freeze dried products in a short while in which they get 40 to 50% off of retail prices.

SCW AZ

I checked with Broadsword, but wasn’t sure how the transaction would be handled? Do you know the process?

Thanks

no name -

I participated in the group buy at warrifles.com on the butter and cheese offer they just ended. They get a head count at the site as to how many would be interested, go to the company that offers the product, presents the potential amount of buyers as a group, and gets the discounted price. They then turn back to the people that have expressed interest in the product, tell them the price that has been offered, then take exact orders at that point. The product company figures out the shipping charges for each individuals order, then broadsword/dijon email you with the total, and you forward your payment by check or gearpay to them, they pay the company, the company ships the order to you.

While this is my first time as part of their group buy, several people that I know quite well have participated in other group buys and have been very appreciative and happy with the the process and final shipments. For me personally, thus far, I hafta say that Broadsword’s promptness and attention to detail with any questions or concerns I have had has been exemplary.

As with all things, one must do their own research make their own decisions, as to whether or not they wish to participate.

Shad.

no name – at 20:50

shadddup – at 21:43 got it right.

Payments via gearpay or US postal Mail Order. NO worries because Broadsword and Dijon are TOP flight people. They do it to help people be prepared. Those who are appreciative add 1% to 5% extra for their great service and karma bonus points. I participated in the last Mountain House buy and am thrilled with service and product. My cheese and butter are on the way. Will stock up on more MH next time they put together a Group Buy

I also took part in the group buy at warrifles.com on the butter and cheese offer. Ditto SCW AZ & shadddup. Broadsword has been kept in touch via email on what is going on at each stage. This was my first group buy, and I was very nervous. There are serveral people from this site on that site!

SCW AZ – at 23:12 Are you willing to tell us what the price was for the butter that you paid through the group buy? I contacted MREwholesalers, and was referred to their Web site where they sell the butter, etc. directly. I’m curious to compare.

For anyone who wants to check out the MRE site, it’s www.mredepot.com.

You can can your own butter. I’m going to try it!

http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/canbuttervertex.htm

• How to can butter*

By: Vertex 17 December 2003

1. Any butter can be used but the higher quality butters will be easier to work with. There isn’t as much separation.

2. One pound of butter is a little more then a pint so it is easy to figure how many one pint jars you will need.

3. First clean your jars thoroughly and put them in an oven at 250 degrees F. for about 30 minutes. Put your rings and lids in a small pot and simmer for ten minutes.

4. Next melt the butter slowly until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

5. Then pour the melted butter into the hot jars. I use a large pyrex measuring cup. Make sure you keep the butter stirred so that it doesn’t separate.

6. Clean the tops of the jars with a cloth and put on the lids and rings. Tighten securely. Leave about one half of an inch space at the top of the jars.

7. As the jars start to cool you will need to shake them several times. It isn’t a necessary step but the butter will look much better if you do.

8. When the jars are cool and SEALED put them in your storage. They should keep for three or four years if kept cool and dark.

ColdClimatePrepper – at 11:33

I tried that about a month and a half ago. I used a store brand butter that was on sale. My canned butter came out really salty. I don’t know why but I figure I’ld get better results with land o lakes or something like that. So next time it’s on sale I may have a go at canning butter again. I also received my order for canned butter from the internet grocery and it’s nice and creamy, I opened a can last night to try it out and really liked it.

Evidently there are some potential problems with home-canned butter. See this site: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#33 and go to the last question under “miscellaneous.” I canned some butter a few weeks ago and have been trying out one of the cans with no problems, but the mention of “botulism” in the above article makes me very nervous.

I didn’t participate in the group buy, but I looked at the terms - I believe it was $79 per case with actual shipping charged instead of the standard $20 per case shipping.

I ordered a case of each directly from Phyllis at IG. Supposed to be delivered Wednesday.

Oh - and by the way - I refuse to run the risk of botulism poisoning by canning my own butter. I can’t imagine many things worse than making myself deathly ill trying to save money during a pandemic. I’d feel stupid (but that’s just me).

I would much prefer to use commercially canned butter, than risk botulism by canning my own. The risk is very real.

Sure, you may have 299 people who have had no problem. With my luck I would be #300 and get botulism.

MUCH SAFER to use a commercial process canner.

I’m going to inquire on quantity pricing on the butter at the retail level, and inquire as to their minimums at wholesale.

Their MRE prices are about the same as I can get through the fire department off the GSA purchasing schedule for the state.

I hear good things about warrifles.com as well.

Bird Guano at 17:13 - Ditto. It is kinda pricey, but worth it to me if it eliminates the worry of “canning” my own and you can’t beat that indefinite shelf life. And, as with many things it’s either your time or your money and I’ve got lots of other prepping to do yet! Before I found FluWiki I didn’t know there was such a thing as canned butter. The things I’ve learned here :-O

25 September 2006 Edna Mode – at 10:56 Are you willing to tell us what the price was for the butter that you paid through the group buy?

Clawdia – at 17:08 “. . . I believe it was $79 per case with actual shipping charged instead of the standard $20 per case shipping.

SCWAZ - Clawdia’s pricing info is correct. Broadsword and Dijon have an IRONCLAD rep for being dependable. Everyone has to have a comfort level about sending $$$ (money order or gearpay) to a stranger on the internet. Many good things said about them on many sites. I went with my gut feeling that they were NOT internet scammers and was rewarded with not only food, but most importantly their friendship.

The folks at warrifles are prepping for ALL possible events were as the folks here are mainly focused on panflu. Many current and former military and LEO’s (law enforcement officers) are members there.

Thanks SCW AZ and Clawdia.

I am ordering the canned butter and cheese from www.MREdepot.com, thanks for the info. They are having a 10% discount on everything on their site for the next 5 days. At check out, just type in the code take10 to get the discount.

I was just searching for canned butter and I found it for $80.00 per case plus shipping. It’s www.internet-grocer.net. They said it is a sale that ends Oct. 2.

Buy direct and eliminate the middle man.

It is my understanding that Broadsword and Dijon are facilitators, not middle men (women?:-) Up until now, there was no direct source for the butter and cheese supply.

Buy from whomever you want, but I had a very positive experience working with Broadsword, and would not hesitate to do so again.

I stumbled across this website from Wisconsin State University Creamery that sells various types of canned cheeses (not cheap, but quite an assortment of flavors!)

http://www.wsu.edu/creamery/cougarcheese/1orderinform.html

Kim – at 12:58 From their website: How should the cheese be stored? Cougar cheeses must be stored under refrigeration.

SCWAZ: Kraft canned cheese needs no refrigeration

Jefiner – at 12:56 It is my understanding that Broadsword and Dijon are facilitators, not middle men (women?:-)

SCWAZ: Married couple. WONDERFUL folks. They are ramping up for ANOTHER Mountain House Buy in mid - October

SCW AZ, boy do I feel stupid! Not only do they recommend that this cheese be kept refrigerated constantly, it’s also from WASHINGTON State University, not Wisconsin. Duh! Should’ve known it was too good to be true.

Kim – at 15:43

Don’t fell bad. Who’ld a thunk cheese and WSU would be Washingington and NOT Wisconsin. . .

The Kraft canned cheese is Mmm, mmm, good.

anybody accually gotten a price on the butter and cheese from MRE? I’ve emailed for a “quote” but haven’t gotten a response.

I just received my case of butter and one of cheese from Internet Grocer! I wasn’t expecting it until tomorrow, but the UPS guy showed up with it this afternoon. :)

I got my cheese from Internet grocer a couple of months ago and I love it, and I just today received my butter. I think this is one of the best deliveries I have ever received. I am going to order another case I think. I do know the cheese is wonderful and butter is something that everyone would miss. I feel so much more secure and ready now. yup…

FYI www.internet-grocer.com is cheaper than www.mredepot.com on both the Kraft cheese by case and the red feather butter by case. Their shipping is also lower.

You may want to try canned real cheddar from the University of Washington. While they recommend refridgeration I am sure stored in a cool place would be fine. I have ordered from them and they are terrific!

http://www.wsu.edu/creamery/cougarcheese/1orderinform.html

I did look into the internet grocer for the canned Kraft and I was shocked by their ridiculous shipping charges.

I really think the wsu is the way to go!

Belarusmama, Washington State says their canned cheese has to be under refrigeration constantly (40–50 degrees F). This was something I didn’t notice when I stumbled on their site. I’m still trying to figure out why you’d put ANYTHING in a can that has to be in the refrigerator even before it’s opened… makes no sense.

I sent an email to WSU asking point-blank if their canned cheeses had to be stored under refrigeration both before and after opening the can. If/when I get a response I’ll post it here.

For what it’s worth, I ordered a case of the butter from mredepot.com last week, and it shipped the same day. Looked on the bottom of each can when it got here, and it has mredepot’s name printed on each one. Wish I knew about the 10% discount mentioned on this thread before I placed the order, but I checked shipping with internet-grocer.com before I ordered, and it was almost three times as much so I still came out ahead of the game. I’ll stick with buying from the importer direct and next time I’ll take advantage of the 10% off (thanks highdesetAZ – at 20:25 for the tip!!)

WSU is Washington State University, not University of Washington (UW).

mredepot listed at $88.95 for a case of 24 with $19.66 for (my)shipping to Chicago internet grocer at $80.00 for a case of 24 with $14.56 for (my)shipping to Chicago

I went with internet grocer, two cases with 29.12 for shipping for a total of $189.12

code for 10% mredepot is take10

I would check shipping at both sites; mredepot is coming out of california and internet grocer is coming out of texas.

I got a (very fast) reply from WSU answering my question…

Q “Do your canned cheeses require refrigeration both before and after opening the can? Your FAQ doesn’t make it very clear. Thanks!”

“Yes the cheese does need to be stored under refrigeration both before and after it is opened. It is ok to be unrefrigerated for up to ten days at temperatures that are less than 70 degrees, this means that although it does require refrigeration it is ok after it is shipped as long as it is not too warm outside.”

I still don’t understand the reasoning for putting something that requires refrigeration in a can, but OH WELL…

I don’t understand either - but I do understand that the refrigeration requirement makes it a no brainer which kind of cheese I’ll buy, and that ain’t it.

I wonder if they have a clue about the large number of people who might buy their product were it not for the need for refrigeration.

On shipping

Yes check which is close to you and go with the better deal.

The MRE place is closer to me, and I’m going to call them tomorrow for the minimums for a wholesale order.

I have a couple of CA businesses, so resale is not a problem.

As an FYI, the canned Kraft cheese does have an expiration date on it. The ones I received are stamped “Best by Aug 07″. The Red Feather Butter does not have any sort of expiration date on it.

banshee - Appreciate that info. May only order half a case now instead of the full case. Too bad they don’t give up that information on the web sites.

lady biker at 17:06 -

We FluWikians sure have our priorities right, huh? Butter and cheese…yummmmm…lol!!!

OKbirdwatcher – at 13:17, Fortunately I only ordered 4 cans.

The Internet Grocer address the date on the cheese cans, the cannery is required to put the best by date on the can by the FDA, they assured the purchaser that it was good for years after that date. So chill a little and order some more.

Chesapeake – at 13:48

+1

The date on the cheese is a recent addition due to US Gov Reg’s. Never had one until recently. . . Order up and ENJOY!!!!!

Chesapeake – at 13:48

+1

The date on the cheese is a recent addition due to US Gov Reg’s. Never had one until recently. . . Order up and ENJOY!!!!!

I purchased 2 dozen Kraft cheese and a dozen of the butter over at mredepot.com just yesterday morning. My order was shipped later that day and I received it today! Wow, that’s less than 24 hrs. The company is in S. Ca. and so am I, but still..My order came to a total of $117 including about $13 shipping cost. I did use the 10% off code and it did worked.

The reason I bought more cheese is that I have the 6 cans of dehydrated eggs that I read somewhere only being okay-tasting by itself. So I thought if I add cheese and onions (I have cans of those dehydrated as well) in there, it’ll pass with my very picky kids. At least I hope.

Here is the real joke - the only country where you cannot buy the canned butter is the very one it comes from - NZ - it is all exported!

AnnieB – at 20:04 “Here is the real joke - the only country where you cannot buy the canned butter is the very one it comes from - NZ - it is all exported!”

That wouldn’t surprise me, but I think they have it under a different brand for NZ consumption. The manufacturer (Ballantyne) has like 5 different kinds listed/shown on their website; Golden Churn, Red Feather, Wood Dunn Dairy Maid, Blue Triangle & Hammer - and they only list Red Feather as being for export. Also different sizes. Here’s their website; http://tinyurl.com/nb7pd

I contacted them 2 months ago because Internet Grocer ran out, and they referred me to mrewholesalers.com as their exclusive agent for all the butter in the US. mrewholesalers tells me they are bringing in a new canned cheese from the same company in NZ in the next couple of months, but the kraft stuff is fine for me for now.

I had the same experience on delivery too yougmom - ordered from their retail site at mredepot.com and UPS was knocking on my door with it the next day - I live in CA too, but you can’t beat the quick turn around.

I’m getting ready to place my next order as soon as funds allow, but someone earlier in the thread I think said the 10% was only good to Monday or Tuesday, so I guess I better get off my butt!

youngmom; That is an amazing turn around for sure, thanks for sharing.

I’m curious though, as I’m getting ready to order a couple of cases of the cheese & butter before the 10% discount ends, and just wondering how it was packed. Did you have any touble? I’ve seen what UPS can do to boxes, and cheese/butter cans have to be susceptible to dents and dings. Did they pack it well? And did you have any problems at all?

Thanks!

Thanx Lasiker for the link - Ballantynes is an Australian company .. I will keep trying here in NZ.

Thinking about ordering Butter and Cheese also. Can’t imagine what the cans (if not very well packaged) would look like coming from CA to MD knowing UPS is very rough on packages at times.

We just received a case each of butter and cheese, and they arrived in very good condition. Our Wonderwasher, however, arrived with the box lid torn (thanks UPS!!) and the top missing. The company is sending me a new one, thank goodness.

We haven’t tried the butter and cheese; we’re saving it till we really need it. I hesitate to open any of the cans because they were so expensive!

First time posting, but wanted to let mom of 3 1/2 know that I ordered a case of the butter and a case of the cheese from www.mredepot.com (got the 10% discount, thanks highdesetAZ – at 20:25!!!) earlier in the week, and not only did they ship it the same day, but it was packed inside of another box and completely surrounded by peanuts. Good thing too, as the box looked like UPS paid soccer with it - you gotta love UPS… But, I checked every can, but not a single dent, scratch or ding on a any one.

So although I am very impressed with their fast turnaround, I am even more thrilled with how well they packed it (and my cat loves all the packing peanuts)!

I ordered a case of the butter from MREdepot on 9/27 and received it yesterday 9/29. Packed in a single box with peanuts…no damage. That had to be the quickest turnaround of any supplies I have ordered off the net. Thanks to all on the Wiki for finding these merchants and posting your feedback. I have purchased numerus supplies now online and never had a problem with any of the merchants.

I participated in a Mountain House group buy facilitated by Dijon last year. They are not middle men. They make no profit unless those who benefit decide to send a monetary or other type of thank you which many MANY do given the amount of money they are saving. There are good people who have an excellent track record. They moved to a new forum after the original one began to make group buys difficult. I’ve not followed to the new forum as I’m not into guns, but I will now that I know they are doing cheese and butter buys, I’m heading over.

I ordered the butter last night from MREdpot, the discount worked—already ordered the cheese and some butter from internet-grocer awhile ago. The cheese and butter were good, no dameged cans and they tasted great. The people at internet-grocer were fantastic.

that was me, sorry

We’ve all been talking about the canned butter and canned cheese from www.mredepot.com, but I’m just curious if anyone has tried their MRE’s? Are they a good item for long term food storage? Looks like they have built-in heaters and they’re not freeze dried so in a pinch you could just eat them right out of the pouch. Anyone have MRE’s in their preps?

yes, but I havent tried them since they are kinda expensive, saving those for when I run out of everything else.

I’ve tried MRE’s before - actually quite a bit. They are no doubt on the high end of the dollar-per-calories scale, but we use them for hiking and camping because they need no preperation whatsoever. You literal just tear the pouch open and eat. They even have a flameless heater, so you just pour an ounce of water into it and in 8 minutes you have a steaming hot meal. Each meal is about 1300 calories, so you could live comfortably with 2 a day. For us, we keep a handful of them in each of our cars in case something happens when we are away from home and have a difficult/lengthy time of getting back. Then they are a big part of my preps - the first things we will eat, then the last; The first because I’ll wait to dig into my bulk stored foods (which will spoil sooner once opened) as I wait to see how long we will be impacted/how bad it will be, then the last because as we get a few months into our stores, we’re going to be kind of tired of beans and rice I would imagine - and having a full homestyle meal with no cooking will be invigorating after just eating to survive.

I’ve looked around a lot for MRE’s - and you can find them on eBay as well as with a number of merchants online. Just make sure you are buying from a reputable source so you know they are fresh, and don’t pay more than $70 or $75 per case.

Thanks Headliner1215 – at 09:05, I order some mres from mredepot.com, and we’ve tried every menu already. Kids loved them, and you’re right, you can’t beat the convenience. 10+ year shelf life, and plenty of variety - crackers, spread, entrees, desserts, snacks and the heaters for each meal. Outstanding item for me preps, perfect addition to the canned butter and cheese.

Just curious if anyone has tried to contact mrewholesalers to try and work out a wholesale price for larger quantity. I’m getting ready to pick up more canned butter and canned cheese (as funds allow), and saw somewhere here that others have done group buys on things like this in the past.

Is there anyone inerested if I can work out some kind of wholesale price for us fluwikians? I don’t want to get into collecting money or be in the middle, but I have a business in California, and I can work on the pricing if there is enough interest.

What do you think? I’m always up for saving money…

Fully Prepped In SoCal – at 15:09 Is there anyone inerested if I can work out some kind of wholesale price for us fluwikians?
I am not sure how it could be arranged withOUT you collecting money and operating as a middle-man but I am interested.

I just got off the phone with them - they say they can probably work something out where we get a different price on certain items through their website when we enter a password or something. Then I guess you just purchase it like anyone else with a credit card, and I have nothing to do with it.

The problem is going to be trying to figure out what pricing. I was pretty straight with the guy I spoke to, and he was familiar with what I was trying to do. Of course the first question he asked was what kind of volume, so I told him to give me a day or two to get some feedback from others and then I could give him an idea. That will work for me andI don’t mind putting a little time into it, as I just want the benefit of saving as much as possible too.

What do you think? Anything else I should be asking them?

Fully Prepped In SoCal – at 18:10 I wouldn’t be a large volume buyer, but am interested if you can work something out with them!

I’m almost ready for a case or two more - count me in!!

FULLY PREPPED (jealous if you are fuly prepped BTW;-)

I wouldn’t be a larger volume buyer either on the canned cheese and butter - but if you are already talking to them, see if you can work something out for the MRE’s too. I know I would be good for a dozen cases if the price was right!

Thanks for thinking out of the box - great idea!!

nebraska cats; I wouldn’t be a large volume buyer by myself either, but maybe if enough people are interested we can negotiate and all take advantage of volume pricing - so thanks for your support, it’s a good start.

Headliner 1215: Thanks for the response. I didn’t think of the MRE’s, and am not looking for any myself - but I will definately be sure to have them included. I’ll keep you posted on the price as soon as I hear from some more folks so I don’t wind up spinning their wheels. Oh, and although I consider myself fully prepped for sure, I would say only on the bare basics for survival. You probably know how it is - my family and I could survive on beans and rice for probably a year and a half, but now it’s time to fill in the items that will make a year and a half of the basics a little more enjoyable. Hence the canned butter and cheese.

So, how about some more feedback from others - anyone else out there interested?

If the money holds out (ie, no emergencies come up) I’d go for a case each of butter & cheese. (And yes, I have home-canned butter, but after the many comments about it possibly containing botulism I’m considering buying commercial canned butter).

May I suggest that you start a new thread titled —

Join in with Group Buying Canned Cheese Butter and MREs

and you’ll get some responses from the rest of the masses. I would be interested and just happened to stumble onto this thread again after several days and hadn’t realized you were trying to put together a group buy.

I’d be in for a couple of cases!

Of MREs that is….

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 08:50; excellent advice, thank you for the idea!

I just started the new thread (“Join in with Group Buying for Canned Butter Cheese and MREs”) - you can find it here; http://tinyurl.com/ync9ul

Kim – at 08:36;

 and 

moho - at 09:06;

I appreciate the support, and thanks for starting us off! If you don’t mind, would you post again to the new thread, as that will help me show the distributor our collective strength as a group.

Wish us luck, as every penny saved is a penny earned (according to my mom anyway;-)!

Closed in defference to the newer thread linked above, and to increase Forum speed