Berkshire Organics

FAQs page

• Where does your organic produce come from?
• Berkshire Organics works with local organic growers to bring you the freshest seasonal produce available. We purchase food from several small family farms throughout Berkshire County, the Pioneer Valley, and Columbia County. The content of each basket changes each week depending upon what is in harvest. In the winter months we partner with Enterprise Farm in Whately, MA to bring fresh produce from small, organic farms in the Southeast, U.S. Enterprise Farm is one of the oldest certified organic farms in Massachusetts and they have worked hard to secure their relationships with southern farmers during the off season. We also work with an organic distributor from New England to offer variety and ensure that your basket is full of produce all year long.
• How fresh is the produce?
• All produce arrives on Wednesdays. Deliveries are made on Thursdays and Fridays. Store basket pick-ups are available Thursday through Sundays. Store produce is put on sale starting on Sunday. Whatever produce does not sell by the end of Tuesday is donated to the local food pantry. We aim to be a zero food waste business.
• How does the produce compare to grocery stores?
• The quality is better because you get it fresher! The local produce is harvested from the field on Wednesday mornings and delivered to your door Thursdays and Fridays. Much of the produce travels less than 50 miles to your table. The produce that comes from the organic distributor doesn't sit on a store shelf out in the open. It isn't waiting to be purchased in an open refrigerator or in a stack of other produce piled high. It hasn't been poked or squeezed or smelled or dropped on the floor. In the grocery stores, produce is held in the back until the older produce is sold. All of our produce is received and delivered within 72 hours.
• Is everything organic?
• Most local farms in Berkshire County are not certified organic by the USDA. We work with those local farms that use strict organic practices- no pesticides or chemicals. We also work with several certified organic farms in the neighboring Pioneer Valley, MA and Columbia County, NY. All the produce that comes from the organic distributor is USDA certified.
• How will this service save me time, money, and gasoline?
• You will reduce the time you spend at the grocery store substantially by not having to shop and sort through all the fruit and vegetables that others have already sorted through. You will not have to drive to various farmers markets or farms to find the best produce because we do that for you. Our prices are highly competitive with grocery stores, co-ops and even supermarkets. We do price comparisons in our newsletters frequently throughout the year to show our customers the value in our service.
• What is the delivery area?
• We deliver to Berkshire County and parts of Southern, VT. If you live outside the Berkshires, please contact us anyway. We will consider making special arrangements.
• Can I pick up my order instead of delivery?
• Yes. You can pick up your order at our shop located at 813 Dalton Division Rd. in Dalton MA. Please see the Company Info page for store hours. If you pick up your produce basket, you will receive 10% off the basket price.
• What days/times do you deliver?

• Delivery Route Schedule:

  Thursday: 9am-1pm	Great Barrington, Alford, Egremont, Sheffield, Ashley Falls, New Marlborough, Southfield, Monterey.
  9:30 am-2pm	Lanesboro, New Ashfield, Williamstown, North Adams.
  12pm-2pm	Clarksburg, Stamford, VT
  1pm-5pm	Washington, Becket, Otis
  2pm-5pm	Cheshire, Berkshire, Adams
  Friday:
  8am-12pm	Lenox, Richmond, West Stockbridge.
  1pm-4pm	Lee, Stockbridge, Lenoxdale.
  9am-11am	Pittsfield (East)
  12pm-4pm	Pittsfield (West & North St)
  3pm-5pm	Hinsdale, Dalton

• On hot days, how will you keep the produce fresh?
• We recommend that you leave out a cooler with a couple ice packs. We will transfer the produce into the cooler. If you leave a cooler out, please let us know. We suggest you leave the cooler in a shaded location near your house. We are not responsible for produce that wilts after we make a delivery. We are happy to transfer it to a cooler, put it in a refrigerator, etc.
• What if I do not like what's in my basket?
• Please create a Registered User account on our website. Login to your account and click on Manage My Account (on the left of the screen). Select Change Dislikes/Likes so you can tell us what produce you prefer to receive and what you never wish to receive. We will substitute those items you do not like with something from your produce likes list. Please let us know by noon on Wednesdays so we can process your request for that week.
  You will receive an email from us on Tuesdays reminding you to log into your account if you need to make substitutions to your basket. Customers who order a basket can make up to three substitutions per basket.
  If you need to make more than 3 substitutions per basket, we ask that you order your produce a la carte from our website through the Fruit & Veggie Categories. Click on the Shop Tab and Click on either the Fruits or Veggies Categories to add items per lb or each to your shopping cart. The minimum order for delivery is $35. There is a $10.00 service fee for those orders without a produce basket. You can mix produce and grocery items to make the minimum. There is no minimum for store pick-up orders.
• Do you deliver anything other than produce?
• Yes! We deliver a full line of grocery items. To view all items available, click on the Shop Tab and Click on the Groceries Tab to view all the grocery categories. If you're looking for a particular item, please use the Search Box in the top right corner of the screen. We strive to offer as many locally made products as possible. We only carry local and/or organic items. We choose our grocery items carefully by researching the company and the ingredients they use. Our goal is to only offer GMO free items. For local products we offer bread, meat, cheese, yogurt, granola, eggs, maple syrup, jams, beauty products & much more.
  You can add items to your basket order or order grocery items only. Please let us know if you would like to add items by noon Wednesdays so we can process the request for Thursday and Friday delivery or store pick-up.
• How do I pay?
• We currently accept check, cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Foodstamp EBT/Quest cards and Berkshares. All delivery customers are required to have a credit card on file unless they make other arrangements with us directly.
  
  Payment is expected on the delivery day or at time of pick-up. If you forget to leave a payment and do not arrange to pay by credit card, you may mail the payment within five days of delivery. If payment is not postmarked by the fifth day after your delivery, a $10 late fee will be added.
• What about rainy days?
• All of our reusable 100% recycled containers are moisture and chemical resistant. They also have a lid to keep the rain and critters out.
• Can I order additional items without the produce basket?
• Yes. We will deliver additional items with a minimum order of $35.
• What do I do with the empty green container?
• When we bring your next delivery, we will switch out the container. If you pick up the container at our store, please bring it back when you come back for your next order or feel free to drop it off whenever you pass by the store. Please take good care of the container while it is in your possession. We provide these containers free of charge to our customers and we clean them weekly with an eco-friendly fragrance free cleaner. The containers are made from recycled materials and can be recycled when we are done using them. It took us a long time to research and find them. They are a cost to us that we do not pass onto our customers. We trust you will take good care of them. If a container is damaged or lost, there is a $15.00 charge. If the container is deemed dirty by our staff beyond what is reasonable wear and tear there will be a $5.00 cleaning fee. If you cancel service, just leave the empty container out for us on the regular delivery day and we will pick it up. The green containers are to be used for our service only. If you prefer to have your produce delivered in a cardboard box, please let us know.
• Is your service guaranteed?
• If you are dissatisfied with any of your produce, service, or delivery, please let us know, and we will credit you with extra items in your next basket. Our goal is to ensure that you are 100% satisfied.
• What if I am going away or want to cancel service?
• Please Login to your account and click on Manage My Account (on the left side of the screen). Customers can change their next delivery date, suspend their orders for a period of time, or suspend their account entirely. All changes or updates must be reported to us by the end of the day Monday for that Thursday and Friday. Cancellations made after Monday for that week, will receive a $10 cancellation fee.
• What is your privacy policy?
• All of our customer information is kept strictly confidential. We never release customer information. Credit card information that is entered through our website is protected by Authorize.net, a certified credit card processing company. If you do not feel comfortable creating an online account, we can take your order over the phone.
• During the summer, why isn't all local produce from the Berkshires?
• Berkshire Organics' goal is to work with as many farms in the Berkshires as possible. Currently we work with Equinox Farm in Sheffield, Farm Girl Farm in Egremont, Overmeade Gardens in Lenox and occasionally Indian Line Farm in Egremont and Holiday Farm in Dalton. It depends on what is available. We work with Markristo Farm in Hillsdale, NY because they are committed to being Certified Organic and grow a copious amount of beautiful produce for our baskets and market. We work with many farms in the Pioneer Valley (40 minutes East) because they have a different growing schedule being along the fertile Connecticut River. Many of the farms in the Pioneer Valley are also committed to being Certified Organic and have a large variety of offerings. Every week we speak with at least a dozen produce farmers to figure out what they have available, what numbers they can offer etc. Piecing it all together can be challenging but it's also very exciting to bring all this great produce from the area together for you to enjoy!
• How does Berkshire Organics define "local"?
• We define "local" as grown within a 50 mile radius of our location.
• Are the prices competitive with large stores?
• In many cases, we work directly with the farmer. We cut out the middle man or distributor so you will often find our produce prices are lower than what you find at the grocery stores. With the produce distributor we work with, we have increased our buying power because we offer a delivery service & market we are able to move a lot of produce each week. We have been working hard to establish better prices on our grocery items. With the recent expansion of our store we have been offered lowered pricing from our supplier because we have established larger volume and more consistency with our orders.
• How do I make substitutions to my basket?
• 1. Log in to your Registered User Account
  2. Click the orange Edit Order button. You should see your basket in the middle of the screen. Click on the Edit Basket button to make your substitutions.
  3. If you do not see a basket in your order, click on the shop tab to add one.
  4. Once you have clicked the Edit Basket button you can click Change Item to substitute a particular item.
  If you run into any trouble, please use the Send Us A Message link at the top of the screen. We will contact you within 24 hours.
• Can I just shop in the store?
• Absolutely! There is no membership to worry about. We are a public market. We are not a co-op. We are an independent business owned by a local family. The market is open 7 days a week!
• Why are deliveries only made on certain days & times?
• Our deliveries are eco-friendly because unlike a traditional delivery services where an order comes in and it goes right out. We make deliveries to certain towns on specific days. For example, on the Lenox route, we make 10-12 deliveries in an hour. That’s 10-12 vehicles that are not making separate trips back and forth to the grocery store or market. So please keep telling your neighbors about us!
• Can I order additional items or produce without the produce basket?
• Yes. We will deliver additional items with a minimum order of $35. There is a $10.00 service fee for any orders that do not have a produce basket.
• Why is there a $10.00 service fee if I do not order a produce basket?
• Repeat/Reocurring produce basket orders are the core of the Berkshire Organics service and the key to our success and continuation as a business. They allow us to plan our orders in advance and also plan with the farmers the amount of crops they need to grow. Customers who select a frequency and receive a basket help provide stability for Berkshire Organics and the local farms we work with. With a la carte orders (no produce basket), we do not know what customers will order week to week so this fee helps to cover the cost for packing, delivery, and in making sure we have all produce items available.