FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Below, you’ll find answers to our most frequently asked questions:

Got another question? Phone or email us and one of the team will get back to you asap!

Is the produce organic?

Everything in your box is produced by farmers who are committed to ecological farming methods. Most of our farmers are certified organic. To encourage and support committed farmers, Food Connect Sydney also buys from growers who are not yet certified, but who do not use chemicals on their property. Food Connect Sydney works with these growers to assist them towards the most ecological farming practices. In Brisbane we are now trialling the Farmer Participation Assessment program which involves peer to peer and consumers to ensure the highest standards.

100% of all produce has been certified organic or chemical-free.

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What do you mean by local?

We buy from farms within about 250 km from Sydney. Where produce cannot be grown within this zone, such as mangoes and pineapples, we buy from the closest source possible within Australia.

Our average food miles are currently around 300 km.

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What is a fair price for farmers?

We believe a fair price is a price that takes into account the cost of producing the food, what they and the farm needs to go on producing the food in the future and what the farmer needs to live on.

We  pay at least 40c in the dollar back to the farmer.

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Will my box give me everything I need?

Some Food Connect subscribers supplement their box with produce from other outlets and we think this is just fine! Every box you do get from Food Connect goes towards creating a fairer and healthier system for all.

We buy local, in-season and sustainably produced food at a fair price. Therefore not all produce items are available for as long or as cheaply as from other outlets.

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What if I go away on holidays?

No problems at all, just log into your account and change your order. If you need a hand, just call us before the Friday noon deadline. Manage your Account.

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Can I order fortnightly?

Yes, you can order fortnightly, or any other time frame. Just log into your account and change your order. If you need a hand, call us before the Thursday noon deadline. Manage your Account.

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What if I have fewer or more people at home sometimes?

Easy! Just log into your account and change your box size to fit the number of people you will have that week. If you go up a box size you may need to pay a bit more to cover the additional cost. If you need a hand, just call us before the Thursday noon deadline. Manage your Account.

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Can I choose what goes in my box?

You can’t choose what goes into your seasonal box. We do this to help support our farmers by buying what is in season and available at the time. It also helps makes the boxes good value for money. However, at each City Cousin we have a “Swap Box” where you can put anything you don’t like in and take out something else that you do like that somebody else has put in there. We’ll also have recipes in the newsletter which will help you make something delicious out of what’s in your box!

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What’s a Swap Box?

The Swap Box has been created to help give you more choice about what you take home. If you don’t like something in your box you can swap it for another item in the swap box. But the swap box is also a great place to share any surplus that you might have in the garden. Feel free to share the bounty. Any week that we have surplus from the farmers, we put it in the swap box. This means you can often take out more than you put in.

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Can I find out what will be in my box?

Yes you can. Each Friday, our Produce Coordinator puts what she is ordering for your box on our website. Go to “In your Box“.

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What if delivery day is a public holiday?

Your delivery will be shifted to the next working day unless otherwise communicated.

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How do I renew?

Log into your account and click on “Add Order”. If you need a hand, just call us before the Friday noon deadline. Manage your Account.

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What is a social enterprise?

While the term has no strict definition in Australia, most agree that a social enterprise is an organisation that trades to achieve social (and environmental) outcomes.

In Australia, most people who want to start an organisation aimed at benefiting society or the environment follow a not-for-profit model.  Not-for-profit organisations generally rely on—and must continually seek out—grant funding or donations to stay afloat.  If the funding runs out, the good works stop.

For-profit companies, on the other hand, are designed to be self-sustaining in the sense that sales, not grants, keep the company going. However, for-profit companies are legally obligated to prioritise wealth creation for shareholders over other values, such as social good and environmental protection.

The social enterprise model is designed to address some of the flaws in traditional not-for-profit and for-profit models.  Social enterprises create a trading organisation that can sustain itself through sales, much like most for-profit organisations. But social enterprises consider well-defined social and/or environmental objectives equally important to their bottom line.  In other words, they cannot abandon their social or environmental goals for the sake of  increased profits.

To learn more about social enterprises, visit:

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What makes Food Connect a social enterprise?

Here are some of the features that make Food Connect Sydney a social enterprise:

Socially

  • We almost always buy direct from the farmer.
  • We buy locally (mostly within about 250 km of Sydney), which keeps money in the local economy and helps small farmers in our community stay in business.
  • We support small/new farmers by having a flexible purchasing policy.
  • We work with community groups and encourage our Subscribers, City Cousins, and Farmers to become active participants in the community.
  • We choose to work with small businesses with similar philosophies.

Environmentally

  • We buy locally, which keeps food miles down.
  • We buy from ecological farmers, all of which are certified organic or chemical-free.
  • We reduce waste by buying more of the crop. We can do this because all high-quality food that doesn’t meet size or shape specifications is still suitable for our boxes.
  • We are actively working towards carbon neutrality.

Financially

  • We pay farmers a fair price. At least 40% of our box price goes to the farmer.
  • We increase sales to farmers by buying more of the crop. We can do this because all high-quality food that doesn’t meet size or shape specifications is still suitable for our boxes.
  • We purchase our products from local producers, rather than simply seeking out the cheapest product possible.
  • We do not pass on profits to shareholders.  Instead, any profits are channeled into initiatives that help our community and our environment.

For more about how Food Connect Sydney is giving back to our community, visit our Social Return On Investment page.

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