It's easy to be fooled by industrial organics in the supermarket.
That's why our farm is dedicated to only high integrity foods.
You deserve to eat every meal with confidence!
How did you invent such an interesting, efficient food delivery system?
Well... the truth of the matter is that I didn't. Joel Salatin of Polyface farm in VA did. Everything from the shuttle buses repurposed as trucks to the reusable coolers was his idea. So if you want to thank or praise someone... Joel's the man. :)
So what's the point of repurposed shuttle buses?
The point is that we can keep shipping costs low and our carbon impact very small. We purchase our average bus at 10 years old with 150,000 miles for about $9500. We run them for another 150,000 miles and still are able to sell them for about $3000. How is that for low cost delivery service and for keeping our carbon footprint small?
Note: We do need to use box trucks on a few of the largest food loads but they are still very economical since we are able to deliver so many tens of thousands of orders in a vehicle life-time. :)
How long has your family been delivering to Pickup Locations?
I learned the system from Joel Salatin in December 2008 and we started our first location at Yardley PA in March 2009. We've refined the system quite a bit since then. Every year gets smoother and easier for us and our customers. We are all learning!
So... Should I bring a cooler to the Pickup Location?
Yes, please bring a cooler or an insulated shopping bag. (Unless, of course you live 5-10 minutes from the pickup location and will be going straight home...then you'll have to decide.) The cooler that we use to deliver your food needs to go back with our truck.
Should I bring my own ice?
Actually there is no need to bring ice. We pack your order in ice at the farm so you simply transfer the ice from our cooler to yours. If you need extra ice, there is usually plenty available at the pickup location because some families who live near the location don't need the ice that was with their order.
Is it OK if I come early to the Pickup Location?
Absolutely! At least 5-10 minutes early is fine. That is so much better than arriving late. Folks who are regularly late we put on a 'Do Not Smile At' list. So if you'd really like your farmer to smile and be happy... be on time or early. :) (Seriously we don't have such a thing as a "Do Not Smile At" list. I'm just kidding... but please don't tempt me to make one!)
How long does your truck wait at the Pickup Location?
Well, that's kind of a loaded question because it usually implies that you're thinking to arrive after the appointment time! Not good! :) Just remember this: The posted meeting time is an appointment. And it's always best to arrive early for an appointment. We do. Our truck is almost always at the meeting spot 15-20 minutes early. We appreciate if you also are either early or on time. That way if you hit traffic or another snag you'll still be only 5-10 minutes late. If you see you are going to be later than that, please call our office number (717-491-4004). I will say this. If you arrive 15 minutes late and haven't called us, the driver may still be there, but we can't promise that, so you do risk missing your food.
Why can't I pay with cash?
That is a great question. One we've thought long and hard about.
The short answer is, we stopped accepting cash at the pickup locations a few years due to driver safety. Read more here.
So, if I miss a pick-up and had already paid for the food... then what?
Rest assured, we'll fully credit your account with the amount that you paid. One Note: We warn customers that there may be a $10 restocking fee for missed orders, but in reality, our protocol for this type of situation is forgiveness and understanding. So no worries...we won't add any fees.
Of course, if the same person were to miss too often...we would have to initiate the restocking fee but that's only in extreme cases. We've probably only had to use that motivation two or three times in the past ten years. And that's the way we'd like to keep it. :)
May I buy EXTRA food from the driver at the Pickup Location? You know... like, if I forgot to order or decide I need more than what I ordered.
I really wish you could, but honestly, for a variety of reasons (some of them zoning and township regs) the answer needs to be a firm no. The important point to remember is that the drop point is not a point of sale. It is simply a delivery and pick-up spot for food previously ordered, invoiced and shipped direct from our farm.
But... I'm sure I saw the driver get extra milk for another customer!
You probably did! LOL... I'm sorry this is so confusing! We do send a small amount of milk and eggs on each truck as replacements. If eggs get broken during shipment or we accidentally pack 4 gallons of milk when someone ordered and paid for 5 or maybe we even missed packing an order...obviously we need to replace the eggs and fix our mistake. But other than these replacements, we do not carry extra food on the truck. We bring none to sell to walk up customers without an order. Please don't even ask the driver if he'll make an exception. It just makes a difficult situation because we are kind-hearted farmers and it really does make us feel bad to say no. :)
How does winter weather affect Pickup Location deliveries?
The short answer is that we watch the weather and road conditions closely and we cancel the delivery or move it to another day if the conditions are too bad.
IMPORTANT: We always communicate this type of announcement via email, so especially if the weather is questionable, check your email often in the day leading up to delivery (and the morning of delivery). If you do not, you may miss a very important notice.
Here is one thing to keep in mind. We rarely cancel based on weather predictions. Rather, we wait until the last 12 hours or less to make a judgment based on actual conditions. Weather predictions are too often subject to substantial media hype.
We appreciate your trust in our judgment. We have been doing this for over 10 years.
But, if at any time, when it comes right down to the time and you simply don't feel comfortable being on the road, yet we have not canceled... no worries. Your driving decision is totally up to you. Just send us a note or give us a call if you cannot make the food pick-up.
If you're not sure whether you will be able to make it or not, please do not cancel your order. If there's a chance you could come, we'd rather take your order along just in case. If you can't pick up due to road conditions, we will totally understand. These things come with winter! There will be no restocking fees.
Above all... we just want everyone to be safe!
Can I order for a different Pickup Location without creating a new account?
Sure, near the top of every page you will see your current delivery method with a little "CHANGE" button beside it. Click "CHANGE", enter your zip code and select the pickup location you want to meet us at.
Or during checkout, simply choose the pickup location you wish to order for. This will be saved as your default pickup location until you change it again.
What if there is a problem with my order?
No worries, we will make it right. Just contact us and let us know what we can do to help. We care about you and the quality of our food.
Real Farmers. Real Caring. Real Foods.