Albert & Eve Local Organics Co. Review
ALBERT & EVE
I have been subscribing to a variety of CSA programs in the Bay Area, one per week, and will provide a summary.
SELECTING MY NINTH PRODUCE BOX
It is hard to believe this is the ninth CSA I am sampling. Up until now, I have been impressed in one way or another with every single company I have subscribed to. This week, I had some difficulty committing to a company due to the fact that several of the ones I had my eye on only had the option for a yearly subscription, such as Ananda Valley Farm and Fifth Crow.
This led me to Albert & Eve, an online marketplace that offers a variety of local products including nuts, bread, pasta, meats, and of course, produce boxes.
THE WEBSITE EXPERIENCE
The website interface is set up like an online marketplace, with a wide variety of pantry, meat, and produce items sourced from local brands. There are tons of awesome options available. I had my eye on a few kinds of pasta and a miso paste. Albert & Eve partnered with Agricultural Land Based Association (ALBA), a non-profit that provides farmworkers and low-income individuals the resources and education they need to start their own organic farm business. It is nice to know that by supporting Albert & Eve, one is able to contribute directly to the education of future organic farmers.
GETTING STARTED
Albert & Eve distributes goods throughout the Bay Area via home delivery. I chose my delivery spot and started to build my produce box for my Albert & Eve review.
Farm Box Type:
Fruit & Veg Box
Veggie Box
Fruit Box
Office Box
Size:
Small: 2 fruits + 4 vegetables
Medium: 3 fruits + 6 vegetables
Large: 4 fruits + 8 vegetables
Frequency:
Every Week
Twice a Month
Just One Time
I chose a small fruit & veg box which totaled $27.50.
CUSTOMIZATION
I had a bit of trouble setting up a new account on the website; some aspect was faulty and I kept getting rerouted to the homepage when I tried to check out. I emailed customer service who responded back to me within 12 hours. He provided me with his phone number. From there he set me up with a new account and processed my order on the spot. I was very pleased.
Once my account was live, I was able to customize my box by making one-for-one substitutions for the fruits and vegetables. I swapped apples for mangos as well as kale and lettuce for yellow onions and potatoes. I immediately received a confirmation email listing the six produce items that I would receive as part of my delivery for my Albert & Eve review.
DELIVERY
The delivery went off without a hitch. I asked the customer service representative the time window that I should expect my delivery to take place, and the drop off did in fact take place during that time.
UNBOXING
I placed the bag of produce on my table and started to unpack it. Since I spent time customizing my order, I knew exactly what I was going to find. I pulled out the order form, and each and every item seemed to be accounted for - there was a checkmark next to each item, checked off by an Albert & Eve staff member to confirm those items had been added to complete my order. The company even threw in a complimentary head of red leaf lettuce since I had a difficult time operating the broken website when I ordered my box.
Sadly, the broken website was only a premonition of a slew of unfortunate events that took place once I received my order.
To recap, I confirmed the below when I placed my order:
1 pint strawberries
organic mango
organic Roma tomatoes
organic Russet Potatoes - one pound
organic yellow onions - one pound
organic broccolini
What I received was:
1 pint strawberries, molded
1 conventional mango (I could tell because the sticker that was placed on the outside of the fruit began with a number 4)
5 organic Roma tomatoes
zero potatoes
zero onions
1 small bunch organic broccolini
head of red leaf lettuce
I emailed the customer service representative once more. He was very apologetic over email, and told me that he would refund me for the missing onions and potatoes. When I told him I received one conventional mango as part of my order, he seemed embarrassed. He told me that when they ran out of mangos, they stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few. He said that they should have not been the conventional type. Strange nonetheless. I also told him about the molded strawberries. He thanked me for the feedback and assured me that this would not happen again.
PREPARING THE FOOD
I had some difficulty preparing the food that I received for my Albert & Eve review, mainly because two items never showed, one had mold, and one was a conventional mango that looked like it was about to rot. I managed to throw together one salad, using an almond butter and tahini based dressing that is quite satisfying!
MEAL #1: RED LEAF LETTUCE SALAD WITH ALMOND BUTTER-TAHINI DRESSING
I grabbed a handful of red leaf lettuce, cut the bottom off, and laid down the leaves. On top of that, I diced up broccolini and a Roma tomato, with a few parsley leaves and chives sprinkled on top of the greens. For the dressing, I whipped up a vegan and oh-so-creamy dressing consisting of equal parts almond butter and olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I thinned my dressing out with a bit of warm water until it reached the consistency I preferred.
RECAP
Thursday, June 14th, 2018, UPDATE: Albert & Eve customer service dropped off a bag of produce the following week. The bag was so impressive and included a ton of fresh and beautiful fruits and vegetables, including strawberries, white nectarines, potatoes, broccoli, onions, spinach, chard, and more. I was very grateful that they followed up in the way that they did. I would definitely give Albert & Eve's service another shot!
UNRELIABLE
DELIVERED ROTTEN PRODUCE
MISSING ITEMS
SUPPORT LOCAL FOOD ARTISANS
WIDE VARIETY OF FOOD PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
TIMELY CUSTOMER SERVICE
