Azure Standard: How Does it Work?
ByHere’s a little Q & A for you to let you know if it’s possible for you to order from my favorite food co-op, Azure Standard. You can see some samples of my monthly grocery orders here and here. Check out these jars of golden honey…YUM!
What is Azure Standard?
Azure Standard is a food delivery service specializing in offering top notch, organic and natural products. These folks provide my family with amazing organic produce and groceries each month. I am constanly blown away by their prices, especially for organic produce. Usually their organic fruits and vegetables are LESS EXPENSIVE than the non-organic produce I can find at my local grocery stores. They are SUPER easy to work with and incredibly nice. Read all about Azure Standard and what they stand for here. Are they awesome or what?
Who does Azure Standard deliver to?
Azure Standard has truck routes delivering to Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming! Plus, they are continuing to expand as much as they are able. If you’re from North Texas, read here about how you can encourage a drop point in the DFW area! And, if you’re from any of the above mentioned states, click over to read their delivery schedule specifics. Flip through the pdf file to find your state and see if there’s a drop location near you. If there isn’t one, you may be able to call and set one up. (That’s exactly how I did it a few years ago…I just called and set up a delivery drop point in my town!)
If Azure Standard doesn’t have a truck route to my area, can I still order?
Yes! If you are unable to be a part of a co-op/truck delivery route…you can still order (most items) and have them delivered UPS or by mail. They deliver all over the U.S. and the world (if you make special arrangements). Shipping costs may be high, but it’s worth a check.
How often do the trucks deliver?
Azure Standard delivers once each month. I place my order on a Thursday…I pick it up the following Tuesday. (Every route is different, that’s just how it works for me…but talk about instant gratification!) We all meet our truck in a designated location, unload our boxes and bags (squeal with delight over our pretty fruit and bags of oats), load our vehicles and go home. It all takes about fifteen minutes. Amazing. Here’s a little field trip I took my readers on a few months ago so they could pick up my Azure Standard order with me…
Is there a minimum order?
Yes…if you’re right along the truck route, there is a minimum $550 order…but that’s total, for everyone who is ordering. If you get a few families involved, your minimum is met pretty easily.
Your individual order must also be at least $50. If your order is under that amount, just combine it with a friend.
Their prices for these organic foods are incredible! Are there any hidden fees?
Hidden, no. But some states (like mine) are subject to a delivery fee. I DON’T mind the delivery charge at all. If I didn’t have Azure Standard, I’d have to drive 2 hours one way to get food like this, and then the food prices would be a LOT higher. My delivery charge is less than my fuel cost would be to drive the 2 hours, plus the food costs less. I happily pay the delivery percentage on my order.
Hey, I can’t see the prices on their website! How can I see their prices?
Call them and set up an account. (541-467-2230) They’ll give you an account number and password, then you can log into their site and see all their prices. You can also fill out the form here to request a free catalog.
Do I have to order in bulk? I don’t have much storage space.
You can order in bulk, but you can also order small amounts of a product. I love this feature! You can order 50 pounds of oats, or just five pounds. You can order an entire case of organic ketchup, or just one bottle.
Does Azure Standard have a nice selection of gluten free food?
Yes. Click here to see some of their gluten free products…then click around looking for your other favorites.
What am I forgetting here? What other questions do you have about Azure Standard?
Thank you so much for this fantastic info! This is just the direction and encouragement I need to get going on making some changes in our family food habits.
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I have yet to order from Azure yet but would like to. How is the quality of their fruit? I was thinking about ordering some apples and pears. Thanks.
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Laura Reply:
March 13th, 2010 at 11:25 am
The quality of their fruit is EXCELLENT. The do an incredible job trucking it across country without much bruising or squishing. I’ve always been SO impressed with their produce, especially the apples and pears.
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Laura,
My husband and I have a small farm in the Willamette Valley – there’s a large group of farmers in this area who have a hard time finding fresh produce and locally grown, organic foods during this time of year. We’re all too busy growing/concentrating on our own crops/animals that unfortunately – even though we know the dire effects of food on the body in general in the U.S. right now – we wind up buying junk from the grocery stores around here for convenience. Thank you so much for this information!! We just found out last week that I am expecting our first child and we could not be more thrilled!! This will help us eat right and give this new baby the best chance and great health possible!!
Laura S. Cherry
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Azure Standard is great! I also just called and set up a drop point for our town. The delivery charge for our area (Oklahoma) is 8% and the minimum drop order is $1000 ($1500. in some states). You don’t have to call to set up an account, you can do it all online. Very convenient. The produce is so cheap and very good quality. They have every product you can think of, from food to toiletries. Just like going to the grocery store. Also, in our area there is a yahoo group that orders items in bulk, and then the members split the items. Anyone could start a group in their area.
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I was really disappointed by the high shipping costs to my neck of the woods (VA) but then I found a great co-op here, called Quail Cove Farms. They are owned by a Christian family and they deliver to parts of VA and MD I believe. Worth a glance if you’re in the area. http://www.quailcovefarms.com/index.html
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Mrs Team S Reply:
May 15th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
I have ordered from Quail Cove before when we lived in Virgina and they are really good. We live in Texas now.
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Azure Standard is located in Dufur, Oregon, so the shipping costs for the East Coast are sure to be expensive.
Since we live in Oregon, delivery is free here and there are two trucks per month to our area -Southern Oregon.
It’s definitely the best option for folks in the Pacific Northwest. I appreciate their mission and that are owned by a Christian family. I love ordering from Azure.
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I’ve had to stop ordering from them due to the requirement to use UPS shipping. It has not been cost effective for us. We keep hoping they will eventually add Indiana to their service routes :0
heather
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AndiK Reply:
March 14th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Heather,
What region of Indiana are you in?
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Heather Reply:
March 14th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
I live about 20 minutes from Louisville, KY. It’s Southern Indiana–about 2 hours from Indianpolis.
heather
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AndiK Reply:
March 14th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
I’m in Southwestern Indiana–I was hoping that we’d be closer!
Thank you, Laura, for spreading the word about Azure Standard! Amazingly, I had to learn about them from you even though they are only about a 2 hour drive away! My first order arrives Wednesday, and I can’t wait.
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Laura,
Do they give you a specific time of delivery on your delivery day?
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Laura Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Yes, they do. They always deliver to us on a Tuesday. They call me on Monday to let me know the dop-off time, then I call all the people on our list (we have a calling tree of sorts) then we meet at the appointed time. The truck drivers keep a pretty tight schedule! It’s impressive!
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They also now deliver to Arkansas! It isn’t on your list, but I clicked on the pdf anyway…and there it says Arkansas. Thankfully, they also list a stop that is a normal 45 minute drive for me. :-) Now I will have to really check it out. Thanks for the info. I have looked at their site before but never made the time to call and get the info I needed.
Kori
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Laura Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Well, sure enough there’s Arkansas. I added it into the post. Thank you so much for pointing that out!
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Now I thought of another question! If I would be meeting them at one of their scheduled stopping points (They list Maumelle, AR on their route list) then do I have to have a $550 order or just a $50 order?
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Holly Reply:
March 14th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
If you are already using an established drop off point then you only need to mee the individual order minimum of $50.
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I live about 20 minutes from Louisville, KY. It’s Southern Indiana–about 2 hours from Indianpolis.
heather
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Does anybody know if there is something similar to Azure Standard that delivers to WI?
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Laura Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Here are a couple of links to posts talking about other co-ops and food resources. Read through the comments especially to read where readers have found great sources. Someone probably mentioned WI!!
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/feeding-the-family-more-organic-food-resources
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/feeding-the-family-food-co-ops-and-resources
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How about coming to eastern Iowa? Cedar Rapids and the suburbs actually have more people than the Des Moines area…….you could swing over to the Quad Cities and just head up along the Iowa/WI border :)
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I had a look at the delivery route you attached and it looks like they deliver in our area. I’m concerned about all that trucking though. I love organic products but try to also buy local as much as possible. I don’t mind paying more to support a local business or to make things myself to save money. Hmmm.. this will take some thought. Thank you for sharing all this great information with us :)
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Azure Standard doesn’t deliver to Tennessee, where we live, but there is a company that does. It’s called Bulk Natural Foods (http://bulknaturalfoods.com) and we get a lot of good stuff from them – mostly fresh organic fruit and wheat from Wheat Montana. You can contact them to find out if there’s a coop where you live.
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Does Azure have a brick & mortar store to shop from? We have family just minutes from Dufur. Thanks!
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Laura Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Not that I know of, but you could call and check to be sure!
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Paige Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Update! They don’t have a store front, but they said I could place an order and pick it up at their warehouse in Moro, Oregon! I’d bet good money know one here knows where Moro is :) so this info won’t help many people, but it makes me very happy!
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I order Azure Standard with a bunch of ladies around my neighborhood. Last week I was able to snag organic oranges for $19 for 35lbs. I have to say these oranges are the best ones I have ever had. So juicy! I just did a post on Azure Standard last week and was excited to see you did one too. Love these guys and love their rock bottom prices!
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when i get lazy cooking, i just order from food delivery services.’-’
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