Hive Brands Vs. Thrive Market

It can be hard in physical stores to purchase items from companies that have good practices or support their community. You may buy an item, thinking it is from a small, sustainable business, only to find out it is just another name from a big name brand.

Thrive Market and Hive Brands both work with companies that are dedicated to helping communities, the environment, and producing good-quality ingredients.

We will discuss the pros and cons of both markets as well as provide a side-by-side comparison. This will allow you to pick a company that will allow you to support causes you believe in while also providing you with the ingredients you need.

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Thrive Market	Hive Brands
Mostly non-perishable foods Membership Can sort products by preferences (non-GMO, vegan, keto, cruelty-free, etc) Gives back money to the community Low impact/zero waste Can choose delivery dates Orders ship fast Many sales throughout the year Veterans, low-income families, students, and teachers get a free membership	Low carbon footprint and recyclable packaging Can shop by cause Have 5 standards for every product Continues to check on companies No Membership Caters to dietary needs as well (dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, paleo) Recycling guides and partners Support small companies Only non-perishable items

Thrive Market Pros and Cons

Thrive Market has strict standards that they expect the companies they work with to uphold as well. Due to the number of companies that they support, there are many options for any buyer to choose from.

However, this also leads them to have so many companies that they do not have personal connections with every one of them.

Sometimes, a once good company may be bought out by a large company that people looking to be ethical don’t want to buy from. Since one company can have several brand names that they sell under, it can be confusing when one large company buys out another.

Thrive has been pointed out to have missed a couple of these sometimes, and still sell brands that have been bought out, much to the customer’s chagrin.

However, they do their best to provide great companies. They also give back locally to their communities and money from memberships goes back into helping out schools and nonprofits.

For a detailed deep-dive, including products, services and all the company information we could find, see our Thrive Market review.

Pros:	Cons:
Sells meats and frozen foods Gives money back to their community	Need a membership May not be up-to-date on when big companies buy out their partners

Hive Brands Pros and Cons

Hive Brands is only a couple of years old and still a relatively small business. They still have quite a few options, but not nearly to the level of Thrive Market.

This allows them to work closely with their partners at the cost of fewer shopping options. Also, most of their partners are smaller companies, which is a great way to support smaller businesses, but you may also find you miss familiar products.

Hive has 5 core values that they expect all their partners to represent. These are Ingredient Integrity, Recyclable Packaging, Low Carbon Footprint, Committed to Social Good, and Rave-worthy.

Since they are a smaller company, they can check back on their partners frequently to make sure that these are always being followed.

Pros:	Cons:
Put in effort to make sure partners are always following their principles Recycling guide and partners allow you to recycle the hardest of items	Only non-perishable items May be a little more expensive

Which One is Best For You?

Neither company sells fresh produce, so both stores will only be an addition to your shopping needs, instead of a one-stop shop. However, they can help you find household and snack options that can help people and the environment.

Thrive Market requires a membership, but they offer a lot of sales and discount prices, so the membership usually is worth it in the long run. They do sell frozen items like meat, so they cover a little more than Hive Brands.

Hive Brands, on the other hand, has strict regulations for their partners that they do frequently check back on. They also support small start-up companies that might have not been able to reach nationally without their help.

There is no membership, but items do cost a little more. Both are great companies that are working to help people and the environment.

They offer a lot of items, and you can shop by your dietary restrictions, or by a cause you want to support. It is worth checking out both to see which has the best products that you would use the most often.

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