Santa Cruz Local Foods

I have only ordered 2 times and loved everything. I absolutely love fresh produce. I came to give my rave review of the beautiful bouquet of produce I got in my box over 1 year ago.
I wanted to order more but now with reading Unilocal I am sorta concerned about the food arriving to me at all. I dont have the time or the patience to chase down food. I will order and post an update soon. Hope I am still as impressed!

Love the food, fed up with being shorted every single week, and now sadly looks like I will have to quit because I can’t get my credits for missing items over last 2 weeks. What’s going on with that Zane? If you’re gonna charge a delivery fee, just charge it and give me my order — don’t short me items and keep the money. I believe that’s called a rip-​off. Did I mention fed up? Not ordering this week.

I hate to do this to them but their customer service is horrible. Went to pick up my order and 2 dozen eggs were missing. After leaving 2 voice mails, Zane finally called me back. He stated that the eggs didn’t make it to my pick up location. No sh*t. I mean, seriously? After telling me this he just sits there silent on the phone. Doesn’t. Say. A. Word. I finally asked them when he could drop the eggs off to me. He asked if I could come to him during the middle of the day. Umm no, I work full time. He didn’t even volunteer to bring them to me. I had to ask. He finally agreed. And then…*drumroll*…he doesn’t show up. No call. No nothing. After two unanswered emails and phone calls over the course of an entire week, I decide to call again. Zane picks up this time. Doesn’t acknowledge his lack of contact or not showing up. I have to, again, initiate a time and place to finally get the eggs. He asked me to come to a pick up location. I realized this is my stubbornness but I said no. He can bring them to me. I confirm that we did have a time set a week ago. He acknowledges this. Still no apology for the inconvenience. We’ll see if he shows up this time. I wont5 let this go. I want my eggs. This is a horrendous way to treat your customers and a great way to ruin your business!

I’ve ordered 3 boxes from them and received 2, the 3^rd box is why they get 2 stars. The first two boxes were very nice, and a good value. Today’s box didn’t show up. It was supposed to be at the pickup site between 4:30−6pm. I arrived at 5:30 to find no one there, no note, no box. After leaving voicemail and texting the owner, and calling him again, he finally picked up and said he’d contact the delivery person and call me back. 10 minutes later, no call back. I called him and was told «I told them to call you.» Nice customer service from the owner, do I really care who «them» is or what you told them? No. When I got home there was a message on the machine from the delivery person, time stamped 6:05PM saying he was running late and he’d be heading to the pick up site now. Right, he’s just heading there now, 5 minutes after pickup time is over, and 1.5 hours after pickup time started. I also received a newsletter from them an hour later saying they were restructuring. I guess they need it.

I really hate to drop the rating, but seriously every single order I’ve received has the incorrect item, the wrong size, wrong type, or an item is just missing completely.
If the place was just around the corner for an easy pickup it would be one thing, but when I’m rushing out of my way over in bumper to bumper traffic for 45 minutes and 20% of my order is not there each time, it starts becoming ridiculous.
Once again I have an account credit for the last order of missing items, but am considering just asking for a refund bc it’s not worth the hassel when Whole Foods carries the same items right next to my house. Even though it will cost more, at least I won’t waste anymore time and gas stressing if I’ll get to the pick-​up location on time or not, and if I’ll actually have any of my order there (especially if I’m planning a dinner with the items that night).
Two stars still for having quality items, and good customer service crediting my account properly (even if I have to email them sometimes to get the credit bc they forgot to apply it to my account).

I guess I’m going to be reviewing all of my favorites first…
How do I love thee Santa Cruz Local Foods, let me count the ways… first off I love the CSA model but am allergic to too many common foods to be able to be in one without either inconveniencing them or sacrificing a lot of the items in my basket. This is completely flexible and lets me decide from week to week exactly what I want. They will even deliver to my door by bicycle if I want, though since they’ve added a delivery location within walking distance I no longer use that. I used it before they added that location, though, and thought it was great. If you do a pickup, either bring your own bags or remember to bring back their sturdy waxed boxes next week so they can reuse them. They’ll also take back egg cartons and milk bottles, etc. (Mark anything with a deposit on it so you get credited.)
Prices are often a little above going to the farmers market, which seems perfectly reasonable to me because of the convenience. We go to the farmers market too; I just love being able to order heavy staple items like potatoes, Claravale milk, brown rice, onions, and winter squash through here. (Hopefully not all at once; I AM walking with it, though I’ve had a few occasions where I waddled home with several shopping bags full, milk bottles clinking, and a half flat of something.)
The selection is a little more limited than most of the local farmers markets but it’s no-​brainer local (they clearly mark anything that’s not local), and they will leave something off your order (and not charge you for it) if it’s not up to their standards, which I really appreciate. It’s also rare for them to leave something off an order and always for good reasons like bad weather that made a crop unexpectedly not work out. They generally have extra things that you can buy a la carte at their Mission pickup, too, which is very handy for picking up an extra bunch of greens or pound of potatoes or something.
Oh, and bulk local olive oil? Yes, please! Also I love their orange-​yolked eggs, and just wait until strawberry season… I often get strawberries from all of their farmers and have a strawberry-​off and it’s hard to choose which I like best. Last year they had wonderful obscure varieties of citrus like rangpur limes; I’m very excitedly waiting for this year’s selection. They usually have some special somethings that I can’t find at the local stores or farmers market. The avocados I get through them are always wonderful no matter which farmer I pick, too.
They also usually carry ice cream and sorbet from places like Mission Hill Creamery and Scream Sorbet (I am addicted to the nut sorbets, personally.) The raw almond milk is also great; I get it every now and then though I also drink the super-​delicious Claravale because it is delicious in its own right.
If they don’t include the ingredients on the website they’ll find them for me when I ask. Because of celiac disease and multiple food allergies, I have to be super careful with what I eat so this is very helpful.
Also, the people who run it are SUPER friendly and incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their food.

Since my last review, their customer service decided to honor my groupon so I’m happy it didn’t go to waste and to have the opportunity to try their produce. I enjoyed the variety of fresh veggies given but thought some bunches were small and wished there was more fruit (only a few pieces of citrus items but it is still winter so I guess it’s slim pickin’s). The groupon was a good deal but I think their regular prices are average. I do love their business model of farm-​to-​table and would recommend giving them a shot if you live near one of their pick-​up locations… otherwise, it can be challenging to get to them to pick up during their limited hours. Currently, it is inconvenient for me to use them but hopefully, as they grow and expand their business, I will try them again in the future.

LOVE this place! Having been shopping here since the beginning.
I also find the website very easy to navigate.
Which also has a lot of great recipes as well.
I just think it’s the greatest idea.
Order your food online, from the farmers that you choose.
And pick it up at your selected location. Ped Ex is even available to deliver your food to you for a small fee.
A great way to get pasture-​fed eggs (my favorite). Several farms to choose from too.
The selection is wonderful and seems to grow every month.

I found the website easy to navigate. I too got a groupon special and enjoyed the box of produce very much. The pickup was in a very convenient location. I plan to order again from them.

We recently signed up via the Groupon offer that they did. Loved loved loved the sampler box that they gave us — enough to ask if they would do such a box every week. They did! They now have an Abundance box, which is a pre-​made box of veggies. We are looking forward to buying that every week and supplementing with other locally sourced offerings.
Things we like:
— Like a CSA, but far more convenient. We have no commitment; order each week.
— You can order pre-​made boxes or a la carte. Think of it like an online Farmers Market (but more convenient)
— They have more than veggies.
— Convenient pick-​up locations, including one in Los Gatos.
We are fans! Looking forward to the next box.

Where to start?
First of all Noah and Eleanor brought this AWESOME idea to our area! It was big and ambitious and they just jumped right in and made it happen for us. They are probably the nicest people I have met! They remembered my name after the second week and always have my box ready to go and sometimes even offer free samples when they have extra!
Oh, and the one time that a farmer didn’t deliver, they gave substitutions to make up for it. The produce is amazing, but that’s not the thing that I love the most. The thing that I love the most is that they are committed to community and have a passion for sharing good healthy food while supporting our local farmers. I have completely stopped buying produce in stores. Either I grow it or get it at SCLF. I feel good knowing that I am supporting my neighbors/​farmers. All week my kids look forward to Tuesdays when we can go and pick up our box of goodies. It’s like Christmas!
N&E are my heroes and inspire me to follow my heart!
Please join them, you’ll love it!
Oh ya, and the foods you get are fabulous! :-)

Finally, a customizable farm box in Santa Cruz! Of course all the veggies are amazing, but what’s extra special about SCLF are all the locally-​sourced, non-​vegetable offerings that round out the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Eggs? Check. Cereal? Check. Soup? Check. Cookies? Check, check, check. You get the picture…
Our favorite meal of the past few weeks, all from SCLF, has been a pile of gnocchi with pesto atop a bowl of sautéed, garlicky rainbow chard and followed by fresh almond gelato. Thanks, SCLF! Can’t wait for tomatoes to start rolling in…

New locations! Now at Soquel Village and Cabrillo College.
Brought home an order of blueberries, broccoli, green onion, garlic, avocado, rainbow chard, sugar snap peas and frozen minestrone soup.
My wife and I started sampling our goodies, and she immediately hoarded the blueberries. These fat, juicy, sweet berries from are far better than anything from New Leaf or Whole Foods.
Broccoli from Sprout’s Garden (the SCLF’s own farm) was crisp, fresh and full of flavor. The sugar snap peas are almost as good as my own, but I have a hard time growing them.
Haven’t tried the green onion or garlic yet, but they are very aromatic. The avocado sampler has yet to ripen fully. And we’ll try the rainbown chard tomorrow night in a braised recipe.
Their website is easy enough to use. They are very good at communicating and serving their customers. They had sold out of broccoli, but I put a request in the comments field of my order to add some if they had any left over or unclaimed. Noah (the owner) brought a big bag from his own farm. Also when they were delayed in traffic, they called my number to let me know.
They also offer a bicycle delivery service operated by PedEx for $ 7 per order.

This is a great concept! Thank you to Noah and Eleanor. The fruits, veggies, mushrooms, milk, and bread I get each week are fresh and delicious. I appreciate being able to choose what to order each week, it is much more personal and efficient than my experience getting a CSA box — I couldn’t always use everything I got each week. And as part of a busy family I have found it more convenient than going to the farmer’s market.

I’ve gotten some great produce and goods from this new venture: fresh raw milk from Claravale Farm, huge carrots from Everett Family Farm, thick, sweet Toyon berry honey from Snyders, lush lettuce mix from Happy Boy Farms, tasty kale chips from SuperHero Snacks and grass-​fed rib steaks from Paicines Ranch, among others. Owners Noah and Eleanor only work with local growers and producers, so I know my money is going back into the community, and I’m getting great stuff in return.
One excellent note about Claravale’s milk: I’ve always had issues with dairy, but after consuming their raw milk with cereal and with tea, I didn’t notice any physical problems. You can also bring back the bottle for reuse.