Frequently Asked Questions
Deliveries
These are the Frequently Asked Questions for our Deliveries. If you want to read up the FAQ for Click & Collect please click here.
Can I choose the content of my bag?
The nature of this box scheme is that it is seasonal, therefore you cannot choose what veg will be added to your main order. You can, however, add extras to your bag as an addition to your order. This is because we plan, grow and harvest a variety of seasonal veg throughout the year and we would have to import large amounts of externally sourced vegetables if every customer was to choose their own items (and we would go out of business).
Can I pause my order for when I go on holiday?
Absolutely! The best way to do this is by logging in on the My Account page and clicking on “View” beside the subscription (vegetable subscription) you want to pause.
Click the PAUSE button on the subscription page. Remember to do this for all your orders if you have several of them (e.g. if you have alternating orders). When you are back from your break, log back in and hit the same button which should now say Resume.
Please bear in mind that all orders are processed on Tuesday for that week. This means you should pause it before by Monday by Midnight the week your delivery is due. If you don’t want a delivery arriving to an empty house.
You can use our contact form or phone to let us know you want us to pause your order(s) and when to resume. You need to do this by 4pm Monday the week your delivery is due.
We may contact you after a month if we haven’t heard from you, just to touch base!
When is the deadline for cancelling / changing my order?
You must make any changes/pauses or cancellations to your order by Monday 4pm the week of your delivery. When paying by card as payments come out on Tuesday morning so it is crucial you let us know before then. Any changes thereafter will be made at the discretion of customer services and may be subject to a charge based on Terms and Conditions.
We pack and harvest the day before your delivery, so we must stress that it’s important to let us know before these times as not to let food go to waste.
Can I change the options of my order online ?
Yes you can. And we would encourage you to do so to relieve some admin work!
To do this simply log into Your Account and click on “View” beside the subscription you want to change. On this page, scroll down and select “Change your order“. From here you can change your order and this will bring you through the checkout process, make sure you go through to the very end!
If you are swapping bag sizes (between Regular, Large or RAW) you will have to cancel your order and place a new one as these are separate products.
Can I be sure it′s Organic?
We are licensed to EU organic standards & with IOA. We have to pay a fee to be inspected annually.
In fact we have two licences – one for growing the produce and the other for packing. An audit trail on everything we supply has to be kept and we are subject to an annual spot check on this audit trail. We are committed to organic production techniques and only buy from farms and our wholesaler who are similarly licensed.
Besides all the paper stuff, we are a team of dedicated workers who aspire for health and we personally don’t want to eat anything nasty with lots of chemicals! Pesticides and insecticides are really bad for your immune system.
How local is our produce?
Between our farm in Helen’s Bay, Roy Lyttle’s in Newtownards, Culmore Organic Farm in Kilrea, and Orchard Organics in Armagh we supply about 65% of all the vegetables we distribute over the year.
About 10% comes from farms in England and the balance through a Dutch organic certified wholesaler.
Our aim is to chip away at this import figure to reach 75% local. But the reality is we have to import some produce – especially in the traditional hungry months of May and June.
We have yet to persuade any Northern Ireland fruit producer to go organic. This will come when there is more demand. We planted 20 of our own fruit trees in 2011 and we are planning to plant more. All our free-range eggs are produced in Northern Ireland. We even have an arrangement that the hens’ manure is part of our fertility building program for our land – further closing the gap.
Fun fact: If we placed all the organic leeks we have grown in over twenty seven years end to end – they would stretch from Belfast to Kilkeel and a bit beyond with their retail value equivalent to a full time job for one person for 10 years. Local produce producing local employment supporting the local economy!
Can I get extras?
We already provide a number of extras through the website but are always happy to make up extra amounts of your favourite vegetables or fruit either weekly or as you order. You can only change your extras by either contacting us using the form on the website (or our email if you have it) OR by deleting your current order and creating a new one by Monday 4pm the week of your delivery.
Can I choose when to get my delivery?
The short answer is no. Because we cover a large area and need to be fuel efficient when it comes to making deliveries. Each area is associated with a delivery day and our drivers will deliver your organic fruit & veg based on your address. We will inform you of your delivery day.
How do I Pay?
Our veg and fruit scheme is a weekly or fortnightly reocurring order. You can pay by card through the website. We are no longer taking cash during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Are the eggs free range?
Animal welfare is one of the cornerstones of organic standards and we hold those values dearly. All the hens producing our eggs are free range and fed with organic meal. In fact, “free-range” still does not guarantee that they have much space to run about, but organic free-range does!
Why are vegetables delivered in nets?
Our reusable nets cost 12p while a box would cost £2. This reduces the overall price of your order. Our nets are washable, recyclable, and good for 10 to 20 re-uses. A cardboard box might only last 4 to 5 times at most and the affordable process of manufacturing them is less sustainable. It is simply a matter of cost and balancing the more sustainable way which, in our experience, matters to most of our customers. It is a responsible disposal solution to our packaging needs. We constantly monitor this and are always seeking to improve what we do. In fact, why don’t you help us by leaving your net and packaging out for the drivers to collect on your delivery day?
Why do we still use some plastic bags?
We are mostly using 100% compostable bags to pack our produce!
However we do use plastic only when absolutely necessary, if we run out of compostable bags or because some vegetables will lose their water content and wilt very quickly and so need to be wrapped for transport. It is a fact that plastic has a lower carbon footprint and energy demand to produce than paper or waxed papers by a factor of 1 to 3.
However it is the disposal of plastic that represents the risk to the environment. We recycle all our plastic and cardboard waste so we ask you please do the same. Biodegradable plastic still poses a problem because of the chemicals used in the production process.