Does Thrive Have Refrigerated Items? Your Guide to Their Fresh and Frozen Offerings

December 11, 2025 •

5 min read

While Thrive Market is well-known for its comprehensive selection of shelf-stable goods, they currently do not offer standard refrigerated items like fresh produce, eggs, or most dairy to all members. The online retailer does, however, provide a wide variety of flash-frozen items, including meat and seafood, which are shipped separately and with care.

Quick Summary

Thrive Market currently focuses on shelf-stable and frozen products, excluding most refrigerated dairy, eggs, and fresh produce, though company expansion is noted. The frozen category includes high-quality meats and seafood. Special packaging ensures frozen items remain cold during transit.

Key Points

Limited Refrigerated Items: Thrive Market generally does not carry standard refrigerated goods like fresh produce, eggs, or fresh dairy.
Extensive Frozen Selection: They offer a wide range of frozen products, including organic meats, sustainable seafood, and other frozen foods.
Separate Shipping for Frozen Goods: To ensure freshness and safety, frozen and shelf-stable items are shipped separately using insulated, eco-friendly packaging.
Focus on Shelf-Stable: The majority of Thrive Market's catalog consists of pantry staples, household items, and specialty goods that do not require refrigeration.
Future Expansion Planned: The company has indicated plans to potentially expand its offerings to include refrigerated items for more customers in the future.
Consider Alternatives for Fresh Goods: For fresh fruits, vegetables, and daily refrigerated dairy, customers should supplement their Thrive Market orders with purchases from a traditional grocery store.

Understanding Thrive Market's Perishable Offerings

Thrive Market operates on a membership-based model, focusing primarily on shelf-stable, pantry-ready goods, along with a significant selection of frozen items. This business structure allows them to minimize costs and pass savings on to members, but it also dictates what types of products they can feasibly ship and distribute. Because of the complexities and logistical challenges associated with shipping truly fresh, temperature-sensitive refrigerated items, Thrive Market has traditionally opted to focus on long-shelf-life and frozen products that can be shipped efficiently and safely.

What Thrive Market Does Offer

For members seeking perishable goods, Thrive Market provides a robust lineup of frozen products that ship in specially insulated packaging to ensure quality and safety. This includes:

Frozen Meats and Poultry: A wide range of organic, pasture-raised chicken and grass-fed beef is available.
Frozen Seafood: Sustainable and wild-caught options, such as Alaskan sockeye salmon and wild shrimp, are featured.
Other Frozen Foods: This category also includes a variety of frozen prepared meals, plant-based frozen foods, and frozen fruits and vegetables that hold up well during transit.
Shelf-Stable Alternatives: For items typically found in the refrigerated section, Thrive often provides high-quality, shelf-stable alternatives. For example, instead of fresh milk, you can find a selection of organic nut milks or other dairy-free options.

What Thrive Market Does NOT Offer (Yet)

Based on numerous reviews and direct statements from the company, most refrigerated products are not currently part of the standard Thrive Market inventory. This typically includes:

Fresh Produce: Items like lettuce, fresh fruits, and vegetables are generally not available. For these, members often need to turn to local grocery stores or other specialized delivery services.
Fresh Dairy Products: This includes items such as eggs, fresh milk, butter, and most yogurts. Shelf-stable and frozen plant-based alternatives are provided instead.
Deli Items: Perishable cold cuts or deli cheeses are not part of their current offerings.

Thrive Market vs. Conventional Grocers: A Perishable Perspective

To better understand how Thrive Market fits into the grocery landscape, here is a comparison of its offerings with those of a standard, in-person supermarket.


Feature	Thrive Market	Traditional Grocery Store
Availability of Fresh Produce	Limited to frozen or shelf-stable alternatives.	Extensive range of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Availability of Dairy & Eggs	Primarily offers shelf-stable or frozen vegan/plant-based options.	Full selection of fresh dairy products and eggs.
Availability of Meat & Seafood	High-quality, flash-frozen meat and seafood.	Typically offers both fresh and frozen options.
Shipping Method	Separate shipping for frozen and non-frozen goods, using special packaging.	In-store pickup or local delivery via refrigerated vehicles.
Sourcing	Strong emphasis on ethical, sustainable, and organic sourcing.	Varies widely depending on the retailer.

How Thrive Market Handles Frozen and Perishable Shipping

Thrive Market's logistics are built to handle two primary shipping categories: standard and frozen. This ensures that the quality and safety of products are maintained throughout the shipping process. Frozen orders are typically shipped separately from pantry items to prevent temperature fluctuations. They are packed in insulated boxes, often with eco-friendly, biodegradable, and recyclable materials to keep items frozen until they reach your doorstep. The company only ships frozen goods on specific days of the week (usually Monday through Wednesday) to prevent packages from being held over a weekend in a non-temperature-controlled facility.

The Future of Refrigerated Items at Thrive

While refrigerated items are not widely available today, Thrive Market has expressed an interest in expanding its offerings. In the past, they have run test programs in specific regions, and they continue to work on logistics that would allow them to scale refrigerated options to more customers. This could mean that in the future, members may have access to a broader range of fresh produce, dairy, and other chilled goods. However, for the time being, the focus remains on their core offering of high-quality frozen and shelf-stable products.

Conclusion

For shoppers asking, "Does Thrive have refrigerated items?" the short answer is no, but the complete picture reveals a sophisticated online grocer that has mastered the delivery of frozen and shelf-stable organic products. While a trip to the local store is still necessary for fresh produce and traditional dairy, Thrive Market offers a valuable and convenient way to stock up on sustainable meat, seafood, and specialty pantry goods. Members can trust the quality of their frozen items, thanks to separate and insulated shipping practices. As the company continues to grow, it is worth watching for any future announcements about expanding their selection to include more refrigerated products. You can read more about their meat and seafood sourcing here: Meet Our Meat (and Seafood) Program Is Creating a Better....

Comparison Table Markdown


Feature	Thrive Market	Traditional Grocery Store
Availability of Fresh Produce	Limited to frozen or shelf-stable alternatives.	Extensive range of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Availability of Dairy & Eggs	Primarily offers shelf-stable or frozen vegan/plant-based options.	Full selection of fresh dairy products and eggs.
Availability of Meat & Seafood	High-quality, flash-frozen meat and seafood.	Typically offers both fresh and frozen options.
Shipping Method	Separate shipping for frozen and non-frozen goods, using special packaging.	In-store pickup or local delivery via refrigerated vehicles.
Sourcing	Strong emphasis on ethical, sustainable, and organic sourcing.	Varies widely depending on the retailer.

Conclusion Markdown

Frequently Asked Questions

No, Thrive Market currently does not offer fresh produce to its members. For items like fresh fruits and vegetables, you will need to shop at a different store. They do, however, offer a selection of frozen produce.

While Thrive Market does not carry fresh refrigerated dairy like milk, eggs, and most cheeses, it offers many shelf-stable and frozen plant-based dairy alternatives. A customer seeking a specific refrigerated cheese brand, for instance, would have to look elsewhere.

Thrive Market ships frozen items separately from dry goods using special insulated packaging and cold sources like dry ice or ice packs. This process ensures the products remain frozen and fresh during transit.

Yes, frozen shipping often has a separate fee and a different minimum purchase amount for free shipping compared to standard grocery orders. This is due to the specialized handling and packaging required for temperature control.

The decision not to offer most refrigerated items is primarily due to logistical challenges and cost. Maintaining and shipping a cold chain for perishable goods across the country is complex and expensive, so the company focuses on frozen and shelf-stable products instead.

According to the company, they are working on expanding their selection to include more refrigerated products and potentially offering them to all members in the future. However, no specific timeline for this expansion is currently available.

Frozen items are flash-frozen and shipped in special insulated boxes to maintain their temperature. Refrigerated items, which are generally not available, require constant chilling and have a much shorter shelf life. Thrive focuses on frozen, shelf-stable, and pantry items to ensure quality and efficient delivery.