Valley End Farm

Clint is great. His produce is always fresh. He is extremely accommodating. Also offers eggs/​bread and will deliver for a small fee. You can’t get that anywhere else!!!

Very unprofessional. At 5 pm my first delivery day no vegetable at my door. I called the business and could easily hear the delivery person and son compla

As many of the other reviews point out, this farm is suspect. I received a 1 month subscription as a gift and Clint was very responsive. He sent me text messages to find out what I wanted in my bag each week. Each bag I received had perfect looking produce — not what I generally see at the farmer’s market — more like what you find at the grocery store. It was not unusual produce either — standard carrots, potato, apple, melon, etc. So, I decided to not continue with a subscription. I received several text messages from Clint that became progressively more aggressive trying to bully me into continuing the deliveries. I actually was a little nervous since he now had both my husband and my cell numbers and knew where we worked since they delivered the produce there. It was quite uncomfortable.

I love Valley End Farms! They want to make you happy. They deliver. They ask you what you want in your CSA box ! I recently had to stop my delivery because I am drowning in vegies with no time to cook yet they decided to comp me a box of salad and easier to prepare stuff! I cannot say enough about how kind this family is. Try the eggs too. I am hooked!

CSA is supposed to be local by definition (community supported agriculture). The community is not supporting a local farm when Clint & Sharon pass off store bought produce (very likely non-​organic).
If you want someone to do your shopping for you, and you don’t care if it’s organic or not, this might work for you.
I think it’s fraud.

I was a member of Valley End Farm for over two years. Clint was always great to work with– friendly, willing to «swap» one product for another, flexible about pick up times, and really responsive. Initially, the products were terrific– clearly local, in season, near ripe/​ripe. I still covet the buckets of cherry tomatoes that we bought in the summer of 2012! For a while, we also bought eggs from Valley End, too, and we were often able to go get them directly from the chicken coop. And, then, at some point last year, things began to change. As others noticed, we were getting items out of season and with stickers on them. If anyone has another CSA option, I’m all ears!

I am a former Valley End Farm CSA member. At first, I was impressed with the produce and really enjoyed eating the fruits and veggies from my box every week. Then, things got really fishy.
First, I noticed some of the veggies looked commercially grown. For example, the carrots look just like Costco organic carrots. I asked Clint multiple times and could never get a straight answer about where the produce was from, which things were grown on their farm, etc. To me, it was fine if the carrots were organic ones from Costco — but I want full disclosure.
Also, Valley End Farm is on a huge plot of land… but none of their fields are planted with crops. What gives?
My suspicions were confirmed when I received pears in my box one week, and one of the pears had a 4-​digit PLU sticker on it. Organic produce normally has a 5-​digit PLU code, starting with the number 9. I asked Clint where the pears came from, and he said, «Well if it grows on a tree, it’s not from our farm. We get our fruit from other organic farms.» But he would NOT tell me WHERE it came from.
My suspicion is that they buy lots of their fruits and veggies from Costco and pass them off as «from local organic farms.» One of my friends even saw Clint leaving Cash & Carry with a bunch of potatoes one time. Suspicous.
Lastly, I 100% agree with all the other reviewers on how unprofessional and inappropriate Sharon was when I cancelled. I felt like a victim of bullying by the time I was done. Yikes.

I am a new member but I am very satisfied already. Clint really cares about his clients and is willing to customize your box any way that you request. It is extremely good value. I am a student at SSU in my last year and I only wish that I had started years ago.

I noticed a road-​side sign for Valley End Farm and thought I’d try their organic produce service. I signed up on their website, an easy site to use. I was able to choose the size and frequency of deliveries, and make note of the types of produce that I prefer. The delivery charge is minimal. It’s also possible to pick up orders and avoid paying the small delivery fee. Prices for the produce are very reasonable. Clint, one of the owners, got in touch immediately and I received my first box of produce within days. I continued with the service for a month. Most of the produce from Valley End Farm arrived fresh and in good condition, though some items weren’t close enough to being ripe, such as avocadoes and some of the fruit.
Then I had an opportunity to share a similar service with my daughter, so I sent an email stating that I needed to cancel the Valley End Farm deliveries, and thanking the owners for the great service. That was yesterday. Since then I have received 4 emails from Sharon Grossi, who attempted to talk me back into membership. The tone of her emails became increasingly insistent to the point of annoyance. I had planned to resume deliveries if the arrangement with my daughter doesn’t work out, but now there is no way I would reinvolve myself with Valley End Farm. It is not good business or good manners to pressure customers.

Looking for quality produce delivered to your door? Absolutely recommend Valley End Farm!!!
We tried other «fresh» produce delivery services only to get rotten fruit!
Valley End Farm delivered gorgeous fruit and vegetables and they totally personalized our order! The grapes were like little drops of honey! And everything was fresh! They also have awesome add-on’s! Sign up! You will be glad you did!
***The negative reviews on here all have indications that the posters confused VALLEY END FARM with the other so called «Fresh» produce service we had tried which delivered rotten fruit and veggies! They are NOT the same people! This is a completely different company! Don’t confuse them!

I love VEF! Our family of 4 gets an extra large veggie box. It has the perfect amount and variety to feed us all week (sat-​fri). The organic veggies that we receive each week are consistently fresh and look appealing.
Clint and Sharon are both extremely nice people. Clint is very helpful explaining how the CSA works and always follows-​up on the weekly box to ensure we are satisfied.
The add-​ons are local and organic (bread, dairy, and eggs) and although we have yet to add them, I think that it’s cool that they have the option.
I honestly don’t know why anyone would give this CSA a bad review and before you get worried about the negative things you’ve seen, I would honestly recommend sampling a box before joining to experience things yourself. Trying it out certainly won’t «break the bank» and you may be glad you did.

I’m actually not a member of Valley End’s CSA yet. I’ve been considering signing up, but we are in the middle of moving so not doing a lot of cooking.
However, I am a canner and noticed on their facebook page recently that tomatoes were ready. I asked if I could purchase a bulk box of tomatoes even if I wasn’t in the CSA, and Clint said that would be fine. I picked up the box at the farm and was very pleased with the tomatoes, enough that I picked up another box of them 2 weeks later. I have never spoken with Sharon, so can’t comment on previous folks experience along those lines. But Clint is always very personable and accommodating. We are planning to sign up for the CSA after we move next month.

I’ve been a member for over a year now. I get a «small» box of fruits and veggies and it is more than enough for me. The best part is the variety. I’ve been happily expanding the creativity of my cooking and expanding my knowledge about different foods and tastes. I agree with the reviewers that say Clint, especially, is totally accommodating in adjusting pick-​up times or switching out products, in case I need a little more or less of a certain item, especially if he knows I’m making a special dinner or cooking something for my coworkers to try. I have also bought yummy eggs, pickles, cheese and other products in addition to my box. I always have more than enough.
I think coming to the Farm (I happen to live close) to pick up my box affords me the opportunity to look over my produce before bringing it home. If there’s a problem (there hasn’t been) I can say so, but it is nice to ask about a certain veggie or fruit and they usually have it.
It’s true that the food is ripe and must be used promptly. On the afternoon of my pick-​up day, I happily go through what I have and start forming ideas of the recipes I’ll use. I might grab a thing or two at the market and I’m ready to cook the week’s meals within a day or two. It’s worked great.

I’m super satisfied with Valley End Farm. I signed up for a small box about a month ago and have been blown away by how good they’ve been so far…
The small box only says you get 4 – 5 vegetables or something like that. Every Bag I’ve gotten has been overflowing with amount and variety of produce, it’s not uncommon to get 8 or more types of produce, which is a big benefit.
I have never been disappointed with the quality of the produce either, it seems to be fresh and nothing that I’ve stored properly has gone bad within the week, and a lot of it has been usable for longer than that.
They have cool recipes that they include with the delivery. Most of the items needed to cook the recipe are included in the delivery. They also always seem to include one or two fruits, even though my standing order doesn’t necessitate that they do.
This CSA seems to always go above and beyond and I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

I have been a CSA member with Valley End Farm for a shade over two years and have always been very pleased with the service rendered. I deal primary with Clint Grossi and have found him to be both amicable and accommodating.
The produce is always of a high quality and of a great variety. The farm goes out of its way to work with other local growers to insure that their CSA members get a healthy sampling of local produce. They have also reached out to local vendors and are striving to include finished foods in their service such as breads, meats, cheese and honey.
Clint is always prepared to deal with any customer concerns and will gladly postpone a box delivery if needed with merely a phone call. His attention to detail and general customer concern is top notch.
In short, I have been very pleased with not only the quality of the produce but also the business practice of Valley End Farm. Their price point is very fair and the new on line service has made ordering exceedingly easy. I hope anybody looking to source fresh, local produce year-​round will give this farm a fair shake.

We have been getting a CSA box from them for over half a year (maybe a year?!) and have been very satisfied with the service and produce.
EXTREMELY accommodating, we get personal deliveries directly to our house, the prices are also very good for what you get — I have had CSA boxes in other cities and they cost more for the same or less amount of produce. Another great thing is you can get additional organic products (dairy, bread, honey etc) from them as well.
They will always switch out produce if you want something different, I have my own garden and they get me lots of the things I don’t grow and none of the stuff I do, thanks Valley End Farm!

What a horrible business! I live in Petaluma and decided that this summer we should enjoy our local bounty and order from a CSA. I started doing research and just that day there was a Living Social Deal for 1 box of veggies. So i figured it was a great way to try it out and then i could sign up if the service was good.
I followed all the rules to redeem the groupon and waited. I received an invoice showing $ 0, as it should have and thought it meant everything had gone well.
Then nothing, until 4 days later i get an $ 80. So i emailed and said i was confused. I had redeemed a groupon and already gotten a $ 0 invoice so to please let me know when to pick up the box and i’d be in touch about the next step.
No response.
So i emailed again, i called… nothing. Never spoke to a human, never received an answer. So finally i emailed living social who indicated i should be patient. But after a few days, i still had no resolution so they refunded my money.
I understand how these deals work and how difficult they can be for businesses. But you know what you are getting into and shouldn’t offer something you are not prepared to follow up on.
They guaranteed that i will NEVER join their CSA.

I didn’t have the opportunity to try the produce, but I am with the two Groupon users who found that Sharon has a thing or two to learn about customer service.
My husband and I have been toying with the idea of joining a CSA for a while now, but I travel quite a bit for work, and we have never decided to commit to it. When I saw a Living Social deal for a «Voucher for a Medium Box of Organic Fruits and Vegetables for Pickup from Valley End Farm,» I thought it would be a great opportunity to try out the CSA thing and see if it would be a worthwhile use of money for us. While I am new to Living Social, I have used Groupon and the like many times, and was sure to read the fine print MULTIPLE times before purchasing the deal.
I placed my order on the Valley End website, and was surprised to receive an invoice the next day for $ 80. I sent an e-​mail reply, stating that I hadn’t intended on joining the weekly CSA membership just yet, but was just looking to claim my Living Social deal. Her reply was the following. It was punctuated just as written, with no greeting («Hi E.K.») or closure:
«Why would you want to cancel something you havent even tried? So you do not want your box?»
My first reaction was, «Uhh.she’s trying to bully me into a membership!?» We went back and forth a couple of times, me explaining that the Living Social deal did not state that an ongoing CSA membership was required. It only said, «Sign up to Valley End Farm to redeem on website,» and I created a customer account on the website, thus meeting the requirement. Sharon’s response was the following:
” I hope you understand businesses do coupons to try to get new continuing business customers. That is why we are doing the coupon. We are looking for customers who want to try a CSA and hopefully continue on.“
Look, I’m not an idiot! I do understand that the intent of a company offering a deal on a site such as Living Social is to entice new, and hopefully ongoing, business. However, if I sign up for a deal that states that I am purchasing a «voucher for 1 medium box of produce» and not a «voucher for 1 medium box of produce, and an ongoing membership for a weekly medium box of produce, to be billed immediately,» I expect to receive what is stated. Furthermore, if Sharon had just apologized for the confusion upfront and assured me that I was under no obligation to continue into a membership if I wasn’t pleased with my shipment, this could have been dealt with extremely easily. I would have picked up my tasty box of locally grown produce and potentially been a repeat customer — or, at the very least, referred friends.
I ended up canceling my membership without redeeming my box, and am now working with Living Social for a possible refund. I am not here to try to knock a local businesswoman, because goodness knows it’s hard out there. From the other reviews, it seems like the quality of her produce is great. But, with several CSA’s in the area, I can’t say I’d recommend Valley End Farm to anybody.

I bought 2 groupons for a 4 week subscription to Valley End Farms CSA, One was for myself and the other for a 75 year old friend. The groupon expired August 16^th. My friend wanted to wait for the summer harvest so I did not to activate the groupon on the website until August 2^nd. as the experation date was August 16^th. I tried to actifvate both certificates on the website and I recieived a message that my certificates had expired and were no longer good.
Seeing that the expiration date was August 16 and I was trying to activate the groupon on August 2^nd., I thought that there was a problem with the website.
I called Sharon the next morning to clear things up and get our CSA boxes started.
Sharon tells me very rudely that there is no problem with the website and that we have forfieted 3 of the produce boxes and am only entitled to one box since I did not activate my groupon by July 16^th even though we paid for 4 boxes and the expiration date was August 16^th.
I tried to reason with Sharon explaining that I got a box for an elderly friend that was waiting for the late summer harvest and perhaps we made a mistake waiting to redeem our boxes on august 2^nd when the expiration date of the groupon was august 16^th and could she please give us the four weeks that we paid for.
Sharon tells me that everybody else knew to use thier groupons one month before the expiration date and I am the only one that did not know this.
She rudely told me no and when I got angry and informed her that my elderly friend was a retired attorney and that I was going to call groupon for a refund, backpaddled and tried to renegotitate 2 boxes with me, telling me that it was a very good deal for my money. I told her this was not acceptable as we paid for 4 boxes. and hung up.
I called groupon and explained the situation. They agreed that my friend and i were entitled to the 4 boxes that we had paid for and was clearly spelled out. They agreed we had until the expiration date of august 16^th to redeem the groupon for 4 boxes as clearly stated on the groupon. The groupon representative looked up the account and said that she can’t do this to you. «You have until august 16^th to redeem your 4 boxes.» This seems to be obvious to everyone but Sharon.
I was asked if I wanted my money back or the four boxes that I had paid for. I stated that I wanted my money back at this point as I was too disgusted to deal with Sharon again.
The Groupon reps called Sharon and obviously found her as flaky as I did as they refunded my money within ½ hour of my complaint.
This really really stinks as my 75 year old friend is upset over this as she has looked forward to fresh farmed veggies and fruits for the past 2 months. She asked me to wait until August as she wanted fresh tomatoes.
It’s so cheesy and I am so very angry over this. You cannot sell a four week service with an expiration date and decide that everyone that did not get this service four weeks prior to the expiration date loses out. It’s not only sleezy, it’s commiting fraud.
What happens to the people that bought Groupons and use the week of august 16^th. Is Sharon going to tell them that they are expired and fraudently keep thier money? Sickening. If I could give Valley End CSA a negative star I would.

I was looking for a CSA to join and was thrilled to see that Valley End Farm was offering a 50% off Groupon. I joined, and had four weeks substandard produce. I did not opt to renew. For the next several weeks I received e-​mail after e-​mail from Valley End telling me it was time to renew, with the e-​mail not BCC’d so a dozen strangers gained access to my e-​mail address.
I finally e-​mailed and requested I be taken off the mailing list. This is the conversation that followed. I have not edited any of Sharon’s typos or misspellings:
Sharon Grossi: I am bummed to here that. Could you take a minute and share what you like and didnt about the boxes. We would love to improve and take your comments seriously. We would love to help you out in anyway thanks.
Me: The first box was very nice and we were very excited about possibly continuing. The next three boxes were pretty horrible. Most of the time there were replacements for what «should» be in the box. I understand this happens, but the replacements were rarely of good quality. Lettuce came wilted, peaches were moldy, cucumbers were bitter. I would have been really unhappy if I had paid full price. If the produce wasn’t spoiled when we brought it home, it was rancid within 24 – 48 hours. So much of the produce went to waste. It was very disappointing.
Sharon Grossi: Wow! I have no idea. We have not gotten any complaints from anyone! Everyone has renewed and been very happy. I don’t know what to say except those in the regular program are guarenteed so if something is not great we replace it.
Me: Well, one of my friends who did the Groupon didn’t renew and she reported the same problems to me. If you’re looking for something to say, «Sorry you had such a bad experience» might be a good start.
Sharon Grossi: It would have helped if you would have said something right away. We went over the items with your husband each time and he said everything looked fine. We have no control on how the produce is handled after it leaves here. We guarantee our produce up to 24 hr for exchange if something is wrong. If something is not up to par we will replace it for free.
We try very hard and have a very high satisifaction rate as well as renewal rate. If your husband wanted something switched out we would have been very happy to do so for him. Once he asked for more fruit and we gladely gave it to him. I am not sure how it happened since it was checked before it was received but but I am sorry you are not happy.
Me: You must be mistaking me with someone else, as I am not married, and I picked up my own produce. Sounds to me like this woman and her husband (whomever they may be) are yet two more dissatisfied customers.
Since I brought my own bag each time, I know the items must have been inspected prior to them being put into the bag. It would have been impossible for whomever was packing the bag to not notice that the produce being given was moldy. There wouldn’t be a problem if the person packing the bag actually looked at what was being packed!
I take exceptional care of all the organic produce I buy. I never have problems with produce I purchase from the farmer’s market or the store. I should not have to drive back to the farm for a replacement as what I paid for should have been fine in the first place.
Sharon: There are not 2 other dissatisfied customers as the man was very happy as I said. I really dont know what you expect from any business that feel they are under attack. This could have come out much better if you would have been a little nicer and less hostile. If you presented yourself in a more professional light it would have changed the whole tone of this matter. The saying goes honey is better than vinegar.
FYI you wouldnt have needed to come back to the farm for a replacement. We make things right with our customers and go the extra mile if they let us know in a timely manner. We have a 95% retention rate and many have been in our CSA for years. If they get something that is not to their satisfication they simply let us know and we give them extra the next week that more than covers what it could have been. Our few hundred customers think that is more than fair even though it does not happen very often.
…
I don’t believe I was hostile. Regardless, Sharon asked why I was dissatisfied. I told her, and she became defensive. If I received an e-​mail from a dissatisfied customer, the first thing I would say is «I’m sorry.»