How (And Why) To Order from Azure Standard. Ordering from a food co-op may seem daunting at first, but is actually a very simple process!
When I first heard of Azure Standard, I was a little skeptical. The idea of buying in bulk from an online source seemed like a complicated process. However, I was interested after perusing their website and comparing prices to local bulk food stores. After two months of deliberation I jumped in and placed my first order from Azure Standard.
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Why Order From Azure Standard?
One of the major aspects of Azure Standard that drew me in was the variety of products they carry. All kinds of groceries: frozen, canned, dried, high quality dairy products,fresh produce, and even natural personal and household products! Living in a rural area means that finding quality and organic options at my local grocery stores can be difficult. For instance, organic rice is hard to find where I live. Some stores in my area have tried to carry it, but ultimately stopped because there wasn’t enough demand. I was so excited to buy 5 lbs of organic brown rice in my first order from Azure Standard.
Another reason I enjoy ordering from Azure Standard is their commitment to supporting small farms and independently owned companies. I like the fact that less of my money is going to support huge conglomerates and mono-culture based farming. Growing up on a small dairy farm, I experienced the impact of the market favoring large corporate farms. Although buying from local sources is important, it is not always practical or available. I choose to order items from Azure Standard that I cannot find locally or that is superior to what is available to me.
How to order from Azure Standard:
Let’s move on from the WHY to the HOW! Joining Azure Standard is completely free! Creating an account only takes a few minutes. Once you have created an account, you will search to see if there are any “drops” near you. A drop is simply what Azure calls the locations where their delivery trucks meet customers. Every drop has different delivery frequencies, but most are on at least a 4 week schedule. There were 2-3 drops within my area and it was easy to find one that I could easily drive to. At the time of writing this post, Azure is working to expand into the NE states, but deliver all throughout most regions of the US including AK and HI!
Can’t Find A Drop In Your Area? Start One!
As long as you are able to meet up along the established routes, starting a drop is fairly easy according to the Azure Standard website. Each drop has a volunteer coordinator who organizes the drop and communicates with drop members on changes in delivery schedule and meeting order requirements. You can even start a private drop just for yourself as long as you meet the order requirement of $550.00 each time you order.
Are There Order Minimums?
Yes, but not for each individual customer, only for each drop. When you have a group of people participating it is fairly easy to reach the minimum of $550.00 for the entire drop. As long as your drop has regularly participating customers you shouldn’t have any problems! The drop location I participate in has grown rapidly each month over the past year. We have nearly 40 different orders with each drop. Even if each order was under $100 we would still easily reach the minimum order amount. Ordering every month is NOT a requirement. However, You will probably find that Azure’s prices and quality can’t be beat elsewhere.
Start Your Order!
Now that you have created a free account and found a drop location, you are ready to place your first order from Azure Standard! The first few months of ordering I was so excited by all of the options! I wanted to try ALL. THE. THINGS. Over the past 2 years I have found my staple items and I also continue to try a few new items with each order. I like the fact that most items from Azure have multiple options for the quantity you would prefer. They break down the cost per quantity, so you can easily compare prices and make the best choice for your budget and space.
Once you have found a few items you want, place your order. You will not be charged until the order has been placed on the truck. This is so that if an item in your order is no longer available at fulfillment time, no one has to worry about refunds. They only charge you for the items in your order that make it on the truck. You can continue to add or delete items from your cart until the specified cut off time for your order. Azure will email you with all of the info you need to know : approximate delivery date and time, what is in your order, and the total charged.
Picking Up Your Order: Meeting The Truck
This is the most exciting part of ordering from Azure Standard! Azure Standard does a great job of keeping their customers updated on shipment and delivery. Due to road and weather conditions the delivery time or date may be shifted. I have found in the past 5 months of ordering that this does not happen regularly. If you ever encounter a problem with picking up your order, contact your drop coordinator to work something out. When the truck arrives, everyone gathers around and helps to unload the orders. My drop coordinator grabs each box and reads the name on the label out loud and has the owner claim it. Others may have their own unique system. Just watch what the others are doing and go with the flow.
It is important to refer to the email that Azure Standard sends you with your order information. This email tells you exactly how many boxes you are expecting as well as if you have any frozen items. The truck driver will unload the refrigerated portion of the truck first. Then everyone who has frozen items will move to the passenger’s side of the truck to finish collecting their order. This whole process is generally over very quickly. If your delivery will take place after dark, I highly recommend that you bring a flashlight!
Final Thoughts:
Every once in a while, something in your cart may go out of stock before your order is filled. Although this can be frustrating, Azure Standard does this to keep costs low. They do this to keep stock from going bad by getting it out the door as soon as possible. It also keeps them from being stuck with items that someone took out of their cart at the last minute. I recommend checking on your order every so often if you place your order a few weeks in advance like I do. If something you needed is no longer available, a comparable item to replace it can usually be found.
A lot of items also reward you with “Azure Cash” which is like a rebate or cashback program. You can allow your azure cash to build up and use it towards future orders. Depending on how often you order and how large your orders are, this can build up rather quickly! I have been able to use my azure cash to cover shipping, which is always an added bonus!
The cost to have your order shipped via truck to a drop location is based off of the total of your order. Azure charges 8.5% of your order to cover shipping. I have found Azure often beats the shipping charges of other companies.
Now That You’ve Learned The Basics…
Do you feel ready to give Azure Standard a try? I am so glad that I did and I hope that you will too!
One more thing before you go:
If you feel that reading this post was helpful in learning about Azure Standard and want to place an order, would you consider using my referral link? When you click on this link and place a qualifying order of $100.00 or more, I receive a small credit towards my next order at no extra cost to you. This is a huge blessing to my little family and helps offset the costs associated with running this blog. I only recommend products and companies that I use and love, and I hope you will too!
Follow this link if you want to set up a free Azure Standard account and place your first order using my unique referral code at no extra cost to you.
Happy Shopping!
Shalom,
Olivia
