Azure Standard Orders

If you are not familiar with Azure Standard, please go to their website and click on “About”. There you will find the following topics:

• Who we Are
• Our History
• Core Values
• Product Standards

Possible Negatives:

First off, I will tell you the negatives with ordering from Azure Standard. I will also say that I have been 100% happy with the service and my orders. There is a Facebook group – “Azure Standard Customers Nationwide”. There are complaints posted there and I understand that not everyone has the same needs, wants, desires, patience level, flexibility – typical life circumstances. Honestly, it’s kinda like the post office for me. I get frustrated with them from time to time but I have no idea how they do what they do. Azure is sending trucks out all over the United States and when you think about how many orders are going out, I can’t imagine how they keep up with all of it.

My understanding of how it works is this: My next pickup date is the week of May 22. I won’t get an exact date and time until the truck is ready to leave Oregon. Usually the say before the truck’s arrival, I’ll get a text from my local coordinator confirming the time or giving us a new time. My cut off date for ordering is May 17. I can shop, pay for my order, add to it, delete things and the final charge doesn’t happen til May 17. Say my drop off date will be May 26 and the truck with my order will be leaving Oregon on May 24.

I go to their website and I’m looking for 50 pounds of hard white wheat.They show that they have 700 bags. I order two bags. It appears that I will be getting my wheat.

Your cut off date for ordering is May 15 and your drop date is the week of May 22. Your actual drop date ends up being scheduled for May 25 and your truck leaves on May 23.

Others have gone in and ordered hard white wheat.

You go in at some point before your cut off date and you order the last two bags of hard white wheat. Since your cut off date for ordering is before mine, even though I ordered before you did, you’re going to get it and I am not.

Some people get really frustrated with that but that’s just how it works. We all know that, or should know it, before we order from Azure.

On my upcoming order, I had a 25 pound bag of brown lentils ordered. They were in stock when I ordered. They are no longer in stock and there’s a note that they do not know when they will get more. It’s fine. I’ll find something else to order.

The first time I placed an order, I ordered sunchokes and they ended up going out of stock before I got mine but the second time, I again ordered them and got them.

Another complaint I’ve heard is that drop dates/times get changed – sometimes at the last minute. I can understand how that’s frustrating, especially if you’re driving a long way and have already started on your trip and find out the truck is going to arrive two hours late. From dealing with the truck drivers only twice, I feel like if they’re late, there’s a reason that’s beyond their control. I’m sure you’ve all traveled – by car, by air, by bus . . and you think you’re going to arrive somewhere at 10 a.m. and something happens and you end up arriving at 11 a.m. I’ve only had two pickups but the truck was 10 – 15 minutes early both times. The truck drivers are helpful, efficient and seem to take care of our packages.

Sometimes I want to say . . maybe ordering from Azure isn’t for you and you know, it isn’t for everyone. When we lived in Texas, I wanted to order so badly but the drop location was at least an hour away and the drop was late in the afternoon so it was a trip to get there and if the truck would have been late, we could have been driving after dark, even in the summer, and since neither of us drive after dark, I never ordered.

Just be aware that I’ve heard those complaints.

Positives:

I have been 100% pleased with everything I ordered. I am not determined to buy 100% organic 100% of the time. I do try to buy organic for root crops but if organic lettuce is going to be $5 per head and regular lettuce is $2, I’m probably going to buy regular lettuce and hope for the best.

I’ve ordered purple sweet potatoes twice, 25 pounds of carrots twice, beets twice. Their grain prices, for the most part, are the best I can find anywhere. I’ve ordered wheat, oats, spelt, dried corn, turmeric root, brussels sprouts, blue cheese salad dressing, leeks and Italian Dressing Mix.

My third order, which I have not received yet and do not yet know what will be shipped, has the following:

• Hard White Wheat
• Carrots
• Parmesan Cheese (wedge)
• Dried Apricots
• Hulled Barley
• Green Lentils
• Black Barley

Placing An Order:

For orders under $50, there is a $5 fee added. There’s also an 8.5% surcharge added for shipping. My guess is that will be going up soon due to transportation costs. On a $200 order, the shipping will be about $17. That’s not much considering the cost of gasoline/diesel these days.

If you’re wanting to order, check the Azure Standard website to see where the closest drop location is. You will probably get the name of the coordinator and I’ve found them to be very nice and responsive. Send them an email with any questions you may have and they will probably be happy to help you.

When I’m ordering, I look at Azure’s prices, then I look at prices on the Walmart app and Sam’s Club online. Then I make my decision about where I’m going to order what I’m needing.

I will say that Azure’s produce is about the freshest I’ve found anywhere.