Farm fresh produce delivery services have become more and more in demand in California. It is becoming an increasingly popular way to buy produce, organics directly from local farmers, and the convenience that comes with it.
Today I'm going to share with you my experience with the subscription. Hopefully, after reading my Farm Fresh To You review, it can help you decide if this delivery service is right for you.
What Is Farm Fresh To You?
Farm Fresh to You is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) based in California. It is a family-run, USDA-certified organic farm based in Northern California. The second generation now runs the farm, and they continue to carry their parent’s vision of growing well and taste great. By subscribing to their service, you will stay up to date on what is happening at the farm and fantastic resources like recipes, how to store your produce to last longer, etc.
Besides fruit and veggies, the subscription also offers other grocery needs like meat, baked goods, hand-crafted farm products, pasture-raised eggs, and even fresh flowers from other brands and farms.
How Much Does Farm Fresh To You Cost?
Farm Fresh To You does not have membership fees. As long as you meet their minimum order quantity of $35 fresh produce each time, you are all set to get your produce box. There is no delivery fee, and you can cancel your subscription at any time.
How Does Farm Fresh To You Work?
- To start, you will want to go to their website and enter your zip code to see if they deliver to your area. If they deliver to your area, it will say which day of the week they deliver to your location.
- Pick your box. They have six boxes available for you to choose from: Mixed fruit and veggie, no cooking, fruits only, veggies only, traditional CSA, or snack pack.
- Start shopping. Farm Fresh To You will pre-select a variety of fruits and vegetables in the cart to meet the minimum order quantity. But don't worry, you can add or take out the items you don't want. You are all set as long as your produce chart meets minimum order. Besides produce, there is also a great selection of artisan farm products add ons.
- Once you completely customize your order, all you have to do is hit save. If you don't hit save and exist, you will lose everything you added to your chart.
- You will have a window period as to when you can edit your cart before your delivery. You will also know when you can start customizing your next box.
Farm Fresh To You Review
Pros:
All fruits and veggies are certified organic.
This usually is a make-it-or-break-it-for-me. I genuinely believe eating organic is better for you, better for the farmer, and better for the environment.
When farmers go through with the certification process, they can claim it is certified organic, which means they took their time to go through the lengthy process of getting approved and meeting the standard.
You will find many farmers out there will say their products are "organic" but aren't certified, and you will just have to take their word for it. In some cases, some of these farmers aren't actually organic, and they only want to charge a few extra from you.
The bottom line is if you are going to pay a premium price for organic, you will want to make sure it is actually certified unless you know the farm personally.
Customizable
Whether you are a fruit fanatic or veg head, there are plenty of options for everyone. The box is fully customizable by you.
Farm Fresh
It truly is farm-fresh produce delivered to you, just like its name. Oftentimes, there is still dirt on some of my fresh produce when it is delivered.
If you buy any perishable items, Farm Fresh To You will pack them with a reusable ice pack. This way, if you were not home when the delivery happened, you don't have to worry about anything going bad.
Always Have Your Staples
Based on my needs, Farm Fresh To You always have my fruit and vegetable staples like banana, apple, lettuce, carrots, etc. If you like having some consistency, this subscription is perfect for you.
Beyond Produce
The subscription service offers beyond just fruits and vegetables. I like to utilize this type of subscription to limit the number of trips to the grocery, especially when traffic and parking in LA are horrific.
This subscription offers other products that you need daily, like eggs, yogurt, bread, meat, juice, etc. All of which are also organic and healthy.
User-friendly website
User-friendly website. Signing up to the service and picking out your weekly groceries is super easy, and you get to choose a delivery frequency and which week you wish to get your delivery.
No Delivery Fee Or Subscription Fee
Even though there is no delivery fee, there is a minimum order amount of $35 per order on produce. This minimum amount is super easy to meet.
Cons:
A lot of plastic Usages
Farm Fresh To You uses a lot of plastics, and I find that they typically separate the fruits, veggies, and misc and bag them separately. Not mentioning if you were to order strawberry, blueberry, or apricot, they come in containers or another plastic bag.
Minimum $35 Per Order
There is a minimum of $35 per order. But this will depend on what package you select, every delivery as a minimum.
No Status Update
Unlike some other services that will update where your delivery is or when it's delivered to your doorstep, you don't get a text notification.
However, delivery usually happens between 8 pm (the night before your delivery date) – 8 am (your delivery date). You most likely will wake up to a box waiting for you at your door. The con for me is you could be going to bed, not knowing your box is already at your door, when you could be putting things away rather than going to bed. This could also be an issue if you live in an apartment or an unsafe neighborhood where your box could get stolen.
Expensive
Prices can be higher than the grocery store. Since all the products are grown in California, I do find that some of the item prices are more expensive than grocery stores. In some cases, locally grown is not always the cheapest.
What Do You Do If You Have Issues with Your Box
Mistakes and accidents happen. I rarely experience missing items, wrong items, or have quality issues. I can't tell you when was the last time I had a complaint.
If you experience something, you can report it right in your account without having to deal with the awkwardness of calling their customer service or waiting for them to email you back. Always take a picture of what you are unhappy about.
What Does Farm Fresh To You Offer?
Besides produce, the subscription offers other add on products such as:
Meat/ Seafood/ Vegan Protein/ Deli meat
Eggs
Artisan olive oil
Small batch honey/ local honey
Cheese/ Vegan cheese
Dairy/ yogurt/ Nut milk
Fresh Juice
Baking needs (cake mix, sprinkles, sugar)
Bread
Baked goods
Pre-made food like nutrient-dense soup, ravioli, ramen, spinach pie
Grain, rice, beans
Handmade products: soap, lotion
Fresh Flowers and seeds
And more! You will have to check it out yourself.
Farm Fresh To You Vs. Imperfect Foods
I have been using both Farm Fresh To You and Imperfect Foods subscription services for years, and they are very different services, and both meet my needs in different ways.
If you are not familiar with Imperfect Foods, it is a grocery delivery service that offers produce, groceries, and snacks up to 30% less than grocery store prices. You are getting real food that may be "imperfect," according to grocery stores' standards.
Now, why am I using both services?
I use Imperfect Foods because it helps me save on organic groceries while helping reduce food waste. You can save up to 30% compared to grocery stores while using up food that could end up going to waste. It is a feel-good service that allows me to save.
If you have read my Imperfect Food review, you will know that my complaint about the service is the lack of organic options and availability (nature of the business). For these reasons, and as someone who primarily eats organic, Farm Fresh To You made up my remaining needs, more consistent organic options. This subscription is another feel-good service for me as it allows me to support local businesses and small farmers in California.
Would I Recommend Using Both Services?
I highly recommend signing up for both services for people who mainly focus on eating organic. While Imperfect Food does have organic options, it's not always available, and it could lack variety depending on the week. With Farm Fresh To You, you know they will always have more organic product options for you.
Plus, both services have no subscription fees, and you can skip a week when needed or cancel anytime if you don't end up using one.
Farm Fresh To You Review Summary
Overall I enjoy using Farm Fresh To You because it is super convenient, and it carries all my essentials from organic produce to baked goods to beauty products. With the subscription, I can really cut down on the number of trips I need to make to the grocery store because they carry all the basics I need.
In addition, all the products are farm fresh and organic. If you want to eat more healthy, farm-fresh produce and convenience, then give the subscription a try! If you are unsure if Farm Fresh To You is right for you, take advantage of this link and get $15 off your first box (enter code EATFRESH15). If you don't like it, you can cancel the subscription at any time.