A couple weeks ago, the team from The Produce Box reached out to me about trying their services. I am super familiar with the company but never had tried it before, so I jumped at the chance to try out some of their boxes! I wanted to share my experience with you and answer any questions since I think a lot of you local peeps would love their service.
What is The Produce Box?
The Produce Box is a North Carolina company that offers a subscription service that delivers fruits and vegetables from local farms to your doorstep.
Where does the produce come from?
The produce comes only from North Carolina farms. The graphic below shows statewide areas where the farms are located.
What comes in a Produce Box?
There are several boxes to choose from and all of them contain local and seasonal produce. Each box is based on the amount of people it is feeding as well as any specific requests. The smaller boxes feed 1-2 people and the larger boxes feed 3-5 people. There are also boxes that contain ONLY organic produce, boxes that contain only fruit, and boxes that contain meat and/or cheese, etc. You can also create your own box and choose all of the contents. There is a menu, but there is definitely flexibility when ordering a box.
You do have the option to add items to a pre-designed box, such as additional produce, meat, and cheese.
Pictured above is The Sprouts Box, which was the second box I ordered. The first box I received was the Harvest Box and it was about double the amount of produce. The Sprouts Box is definitely more manageable since it is just for myself. The delivery of the Harvest Box came at a great time, though, because I needed to bring a side dish for a cookout so I ended up using a good amount of the produce in that.
How do you order a Produce Box?
Each week, the menu for the following week goes live Fridays. You have between Friday and Sunday at 9pm to place an order. During this time frame, you can select which box you would like if it’s different than you “Default Box” listed in your profile or make any changes or add any items.
However, if you do not go into your account and hit ‘Skip’, you will automatically be sent the box that you listed as a “Default Box” in your profile. It’s similar to the Fabletics VIP program (in a way) – you have to log into your account and skip so you are not charged and sent an item. Fabletics is once a month to skip; The Produce Box is every weekend.
When are the boxes delivered?
All orders are delivered either on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays. It is all based on your neighborhood location and when your Neighborhood Coordinator makes deliveries. For me, my deliveries happen on Wednesdays. Even though it is dropped off in the middle of the week, I know what is arriving the weekend before so I can still prepare and run to the store for other things.
Note: When you have a box delivered, leave it outside your door the following week and they will pick it up!
What are the prices for the boxes?
In my opinion, the two most popular boxes are The Harvest Box ($27+) and The Sprouts Box ($24+). The can become a higher price based on anything you add or change to the box.
Click here to get $10 off your first TPB!
To learn more about the pricing of the other types of boxes, click here.
Is there a fee for joining?
There is a $20 enrollment fee and is valid for 1 year. The enrollment fee with automatically charge each year on the sign-up date.
What if I am out of town? Can I pause my delivery?
Yes! You can skip deliveries a couple months out. I am out of town next weekend so I skipped for that week. I also skipped for Thanksgiving and Christmas and a couple other weeks during the remainder of the year so I didn’t forget.
What if I get a spoiled item?
The Produce Box stands by the high quality of the produce from the North Carolina farmers. If something does not meet your standards, email your Neighborhood Coordinator to work on getting a product credit. These products credits can be applied to produce that is added to your future box to replace the spoiled fruit or vegetable.
For other commonly asked questions, visit the FAQ page.
Based off of my experience, I wanted to share the pros and cons of The Produce Box:
Pros-
- HIGH QUALITY PRODUCE
- Saves you a trip to the farmer’s market
- North Carolina produce instead of out-of-season produce from the other side of the country or world (this is a no-brainer 😉 )
- Supporting local farmers and businesses (!!!)
- Reasonable prices
- The Produce Box team is super connected with the farmers and farms they work with
- TPB team communicates efficiently and professionally. Last week, I was supposed to be getting all yellow tomatoes in my box, but due to flooding, the farm could not provide the amount of yellow tomatoes that was originally planned. They replaced them with red tomatoes, and TPB notified me ASAP
- Just like most things these days, you get your own referral code with your account, so you can earn credits for future boxes
- Recipes and storage tips via email using the produce that is arriving in your Produce Box
Cons-
- People may need to adjust their grocery shopping schedule based on the delivery of TPB- this isn’t a con for me, but may be one for some people
- If you forget to skip, you still get a delivery. If you forget to place an order, you have to wait a whole week
In my opinion, the pros truly outweigh the cons. For me, I don’t feel like I make enough of an effort to go to the farmer’s markets in Charlotte, so TPB is super helpful because I’d really prefer to eat local produce and support NC businesses.
How I Used My Produce
Fruit Bowls
I received a ton of peaches and plums in my first box. They were delicious!
Corn, Cherry Tomato, & Mozzarella Salad
I’ve received corn and tomatoes in both boxes. Nothing screams summer like corn and tomatoes!
Personal Watermelon as a Snack
Stacked Caprese Salad
Zoodles
Homemade Apple Sauce in the Crock Pot
I’ve received gala apples in both boxes, so I have a ton on hand!
Overall, I’ve been pleased with The Produce Box and their wonderful staff. I definitely plan on continuing receiving more boxes. If you are NC resident and are interested in trying out The Produce Box, click here to get $10 off your first box! If you live along the NC border, please reach out to TPB customer service to see if a box can be delivered to you.
[Note: This post contains affiliate links. I was compensated with free boxes in exchange for this post. My opinions are, as always, my own. Thank you for supporting the life of this blog.]
