Last Updated on January 23, 2026 by Kieran Beckles
Are you thinking about making the switch to a fresh dog food brand, but you can’t decide between The Farmer’s Dog and Ollie?
As a father to a toddler and two Alaskan Klee Kai dogs, I don’t have time to make homemade dog food, but I truly believe in the benefits of a fresh food diet.
We were using a fresh dog food service in the UK, but since returning to California, we’ve been searching for an American equivalent that can cater to Copper and Skye’s needs.
Quick verdict  | The Farmer’s Dog Overall, The Farmer’s Dog is my top pick for fresh food if you want high-quality ingredients and the convenience of pre-portioned pouches. It’s the easiest way I’ve found to feed fresh without the guesswork. |
In my research on the best fresh dog food in the USA, I came across the Farmer’s Dog and Ollie, placed two orders, and tested their food on my picky Alaskan Klee Kai dogs.
We’ve kept this comparison article up to date by regularly placing orders with Ollie and The Farmer’s Dog each year since we first wrote this review.
I’m going to take a look at these two fresh dog food brands, explaining how they work, what recipes they offer, how they customize their food, and then providing our verdict.
The Farmer’s Dog vs Ollie: Comparison Table
Brand | The Farmer’s Dog | Ollie |
Subscription | Yes | Yes |
Available in stores | No | Yes |
Meal customization | Fully personalized | Customized |
Recipes | 3 fresh recipes | 5 fresh, 2 baked |
AAFCO compliant | Yes | Yes |
My daily cost | $3.24 per dog | $5.13 per dog |
My monthly cost | $194.40 | $310.80 |
Cold storage required | Yes | Yes |
Picky Eater approved | Loved it | Mixed |
Best For | Fussy dogs | Fresh + dry lovers |
The Farmer’s Dog Vs Ollie: Our Recommendation
I’d encourage readers to pick The Farmer’s Dog over Ollie. The Farmer’s Dog is my Klee Kai’s preference ahead of Ollie, while I preferred them from a consumer perspective.
The Farmer’s Dog provides a more pleasant experience on their website because it’s easy to navigate, and their sign-up questionnaire is simple to use.
Critically, The Farmer’s Dog passed the Klee Kai taste test with no leftover food. Copper and Skye have remained motivated to eat The Farmer’s Dog food at mealtime.
We tested The Farmer’s Dog and Ollie over the course of a month, and there was a clear winner when it came to mealtime excitement with my Klee Kai.
From a dog owner’s perspective, I appreciated that The Farmer’s Dog followed through on their pre-portion promise, unlike a lot of fresh dog food brands.
This made my life a lot easier. Copper and Skye’s meal pouches were individually labeled with a guide on how much food to feed per meal.
While Ollie food is still better than traditional kibble or wet food, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. I do like that Ollie offer fresh and dry food options.
So they’re a good choice for dog owners who want flexibility or the option to feed both pet food formats simultaneously.
Ollie and The Farmer’s Dog do a good job of providing a container for the remaining food to go in the fridge. So you’ll need freezer space, but your fridge won’t get messy.
The Farmer’s Dog costs $6.48 a day or $194.40 a month, while I paid $10.36 a day or $310.80 a month for Ollie’s fresh dog food.
The Farmer’s Dog
The Farmer’s Dog is one of the leading fresh dog food brands in the USA, and I decided to give them a try after reading a lot of positive reviews online.
They only use human-grade ingredients in their recipes, which have been formulated by veterinary nutritionists. This provided me with peace of mind that Copper and Skye were getting a balanced and complete diet.
The Farmer’s Dog offers beef, chicken, pork, and turkey recipes, which are four different options for picky pups like Skye. They also provide grain and grain-free recipes.
I found The Farmer’s Dog sign-up process to be easy and seamless, thanks to the simplicity of their website design.
It felt good reading that The Farmer’s Dog doesn’t use any additives, nasties, or preservatives. There are no meat meals, brown pellets, or mislabelled recipes. Just fresh, healthy ingredients.
The Farmer’s Dog stands out from the 30+ dog food brands I’ve reviewed when it comes to pre-portioning.
Whether you’ve got one dog or two like me, The Farmer’s Dog has a helpful graphic on the front of each meal pouch to display how much to feed Copper and Skye at mealtime. This makes their meals truly pre-portioned, unlike some other fresh pet food brands.
Crucially, Copper and Skye really enjoyed The Farmer’s Dog meals. It was a case of empty bowls and full Klee Kai dogs throughout the month, testing their food. We’ve had a consistent experience every time we’ve reviewed their food.
Copper and Skye’s meals would cost me $6.48 a day ($194.40 a month), making them the most affordable fresh dog food brand I’ve reviewed.
Ollie
Ollie is another dog food brand that offers pet owners a fresher approach to their pet’s nutrition. They’ve created a range of recipes formulated with veterinarians to ensure your dog’s needs are met.
You’ll need to complete Ollie’s questionnaire to get started with the fresh food brand. Once you’ve provided your dog’s age, breed, weight, activity level, and more, Ollie will be able to recommend a meal plan.
Ollie also offers four fresh food recipes: beef, chicken, pork, and turkey. It’s worth noting that they also offer baked recipes if your dog likes multiple textures in the bowl. But we’ve stuck with their fresh food because it’s comparable to The Farmer’s Dog.
Your Ollie dog food will arrive with a container and a scooper (which isn’t customized to their portion size), which are two useful tools to make storing your fresh food less messy in the fridge once thawed.
While I thought the container and scooper were thoughtful inclusions, I was disappointed that Ollie’s packaging didn’t appear to be pre-portioned like The Farmer’s Dog. Having filled out their details, I wasn’t sure how the customization worked if you have two dogs.
Just to look at it, Ollie’s dog food didn’t look overly appetizing. It was more like a slab of pâté rather than an enticing, fresh dog food meal. Ollie food packs had the shape of a brick rather than pet food.
When it came to feeding Ollie to Copper and Skye, it was hit and miss. Copper showed a lot of interest at the start, but as the weeks went by, he started to show less interest. Skye wasn’t really a fan of Ollie, and she was slow to go to her food bowl and even slower to finish her meals.
Ollie is more pricey than The Farmer’s Dog. I paid $10.36 a day or $310.80 a month. Even a half-fresh plan cost $184.80 a month!
Common Concerns & Counterpoints
The biggest concern with The Farmer’s Dog and Ollie for many pet parents could be the price.
With the cost of living constantly rising, figuring out how a dog food subscription fits into your budget can be a real headache.
The Farmer’s Dog is the more affordable of these two dog food delivery companies, but if you’ve got big dogs, it’ll be expensive.
Both Ollie and The Farmer’s Dog meet the AAFCO guidelines for dogs of all life stages. However, they don’t meet the WSAVA criteria.
This is something dog owners might want to discuss with their vet when choosing the best dog food for their pup.
Who Should Pick Which Brand
The Farmer’s Dog Best for:
- Dog owners who want a custom meal plan
- Pre-portioned guidelines
- Picky dogs
- Individually labelled meals if you’ve got multiple dogs
- Overall value
Ollie Best for:
- Convenience
- Dog owners who want fresh and dry options
- Bigger budgets
- Pet owners who don’t want a subscription
The Farmer’s Dog Vs Ollie FAQ
The Farmer’s Dog has a slight edge on Ollie in my experience testing it on my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs multiple times in the past few years.
It has great customization, personalization, and is more affordable. I’d consider The Farmer’s Dog better than Ollie based on these three categories.
Every dog is different but my picky eater Skye preferred The Farmer’s Dog ahead of Ollie when we pitted these two fresh dog food brands against each other.
The Farmer’s Dog and Ollie both offer grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes to cater to the different needs of dogs and preferences of pet owners.
The Farmer’s Dog is cheaper than Ollie. Their fresh-food recipes cost me $194 a month, while Ollie’s cost $273 a month.
The Farmer’s Dog offers better customization and personalization than Ollie. My Klee Kai’s recipes were tailored to each of their needs.
Alternatives You Should Consider
The Farmer’s Dog and Ollie offer fresh dog food recipes, but there are other options available if you want to stick to fresh.
Spot and Tango is a good choice, and they’ve got transparent labelling so you can clearly see what goes into each meal pouch.
Alternatively, Get Joy provides fresh dog food recipes with a specific emphasis on gut health, if that’s an area you’re interested in.
Should you prefer to switch to dry dog food, Sundays offers air-dried options that Copper and Skye really enjoy.
But my Klee Kai’s clear favorite is We Feed Raw. They’re responsible for turning my fussy Klee Kai into a food-motivated dog.
Wrapping Up
We’ve reached the end of our The Farmer’s Dog and Ollie comparison dog food review.
I would recommend The Farmer’s Dog to any dog owners ready to try a fresh dog food diet for their canine companion.
Having tried The Farmer’s Dog for multiple months, they offer great fresh dog food and a seamless dog food delivery service.
While you won’t go wrong if you choose Ollie, I do feel like The Farmer’s Dog is the superior fresh dog food brand.
Kieran Beckles is an NCTJ-qualified journalist, a former pet nutrition student, and co-founder of Life With Klee Kai. He has been reviewing pet food and products since 2018, testing over 50+ brands, and has raised his dogs, Skye and Copper, since 2017. His work blends hands-on testing and nutrition knowledge to help pet owners make informed decisions.