Since Thrive Life has closed, many of us have been looking for quality alternatives for freeze-dried foods. After a lot of research (and taste-testing!), I’ve rounded up some of my favorite options. These are companies I personally recommend based on product quality, availability, and value.
🥦 Wise Harvest Freeze Dried Foods
- Best for: Everyday pantry staples & health-focused ingredients
- Food is equal or better than Thrive (helloooo amazing pineapple!)
- Huge product line will be available over time (they manufacture themselves)
- Prices similar to or lower than Thrive
- Ships to U.S. and Canada
- Currently selling only Mylar pouch sizes (pantry cans coming soon!)
- Subscribe and Save 15% discount
- Sample pack: $24.99 (Buy one get one free with coupon code THANKYOU)
👉 Click here to purchase a sample pack!
🥘 Thrivalist (Ready Harvest / Mountain House brands)
- Best for: Bulk preppers & jar meals
- Emergency preparedness focus with education + prepping supplies
- Available in #10 cans, may add other sizes later
- Full product line including meats and dairy
- Food quality: solid, but not quite Thrive level on most items
- Fills cans all the way to the top (not by weight like most companies)
- Subscribe and Save 10% discount
- Sample pack: $29.97 (includes free $597 preparedness course) use discount code “jodischroeder”
👉 Click here to purchase a sample pack!
🍚 Simply Food Storage
- Best for: Budget shoppers & unique items
- Bulk dry foods available on a rotating basis
- Always free shipping in my online store
- Local Utah manufacturer/producer
- Unique items in bags and buckets
- Currently selling Instant Rice and Bean Buckets!
🛠 Emergency Essentials
- Best for: Survival gear & large emergency supply kits
- Longtime trusted brand in preparedness
- Huge selection of survival tools, cooking gear, and water storage products
- Freeze-dried foods are decent quality, but not as specialized as other brands
- Great one-stop shop if you want food + supplies in one order
Which Should You Choose?
Each of these companies fills a slightly different niche:
- Wise Harvest = everyday cooking, wellness ingredients
- Thrivalist = preppers wanting bulk + variety
- Simply Food Storage = affordable basics + unique bucket items
- Emergency Essentials = inexpensive food and survival gear in one place
✨ My tip: start with a sample pack from Wise Harvest and/or Thrivalist, then see which food your family enjoys most. Once you know what you’ll actually eat, stock up from there!
➡️ Want to get a brand new Meal-in-a-Jar recipe sent straight to your inbox every month? Sign up for my Meals-in-a-Jar group today and get started actually USING your freeze-dried foods!
What about home freeze-dryers?
If this is something in your budget it can be a GREAT option as you can control the source of your food completely, and most likely save money over time. Here are the two products I am currently recommending. I have tried both and there are again pros and cons with each one.
🌾 Harvest Right Freeze Dryers
- Best for: Families or homesteaders who want maximum flexibility and don’t mind a little maintenance.
- Can freeze-dry almost anything — fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, and even full meals.
- Long-established brand with the largest user community, making it easy to find tutorials and troubleshooting help.
- Multiple size options available (small, medium, large, XL) to fit different household needs.
- Requires regular oil changes unless you upgrade to an oil-free pump, which adds cost.
- Known for being loud during operation and requires significant space and a dedicated outlet.
- Cycle times can take 20–40 hours depending on the food and batch size.
💙 Blue Alpine Freeze-Dryers
- Best for: Busy families who want a lower-maintenance, quieter machine with fun colors!
- Designed to address some common Harvest Right complaints, including quieter operation and higher energy efficiency.
- Comes standard with a premium pump.
- Sleeker, more compact design that works in modern kitchens.
- Offers app-based monitoring and alerts for added convenience.
- Product line is newer with fewer size options than Harvest Right.
- Long-term durability and support are not yet as proven.
- Often priced at or above Harvest Right models, depending on promotions.
Hi there! I’m Jodi. I share my preparedness adventures via the blog and social media so you can see what I’m working on day to day.