Azure Standard - bulk, organic food and homestead supplies

Dec 19, 2016 16:47:25

At wheaton labs, we generally get monthly deliveries of food and supplies from azurestandard.com. Azure offers bulk organic food, homesteading (feed, seeds, fertilizers, canning, etc.) and general grocery supplies (including herbs, vitamins, soaps, toilet paper, etc.) and it works almost like wholesale or a buying club.

Azure now has a $25 kickback for us if you are a new sign up! If you sign up through the Azure link above or here, azurestandard.com, that gives us a $25 credit for wheaton labs food and supplies!

Here's the quick low-down:

minimum total of all orders is $550 in order for the semi-truck to make a drop - there is a section on the website to find a drop near you, or info on becoming a drop site

each individual order in the drop must be at least $50 to avoid a service charge

orders are placed by your route's cut-off date, then "picked" out of the warehouse usually on the next following business day. Your credit card or account will be charged after the items are picked. Once in a while the website says they have something it turns out they don't when they go to pick it (though this is continually improving), so if that happens and your total orders fall below the $550 they will still make the drop.

rarely, an item picked and shipped was incorrect or gets lost somehow or was damaged, etc. Azure is EXCELLENT about always crediting for these things.

I highly recommend Azure and almost everything they carry. Azure brand bulk foods have been top notch - very fresh and high quality. In some natural foods groceries, or co-ops, I've bought bulk bin items that are not so fresh - already a bit rancid or beans that are so stale they take forever to cook. I've never had stale goods from Azure. Some tender produce, however, does not like making a 3-day trek to our rural location in a chilled semi-truck. I've stopped trying to buy tender produce, but 40-pound boxes of onions, 20-pound boxes of apples, etc. are excellent.

Azure is out of Oregon, and they grow quite a lot of the food they offer. Their delivery areas covers a lot of the U.S., though there are some limits to where they go. When I lived in the Seattle area, the truck route was just a day or less, so the more tender produce was more likely to make it.

Dec 20, 2016 03:52:46

Okay, I'm looking at the drop location map. There seem to be large drops as far south and west as Florida. On the larger map it looked like there was a big dead space in Central Texas, but as I zoomed in closer as whole ton of smaller drop sites popped up all across the state, including in my own town. I'm still going to have to work up the nerve to join, but it looks much more doable than I would have expected from a company based in Oregon.

It's also probably a great opportunity to meet people who are willing to step outside of normal behavior to make positive changes in their life. They're actually putting their time and money behind their values.

I just have to force myself past the fear of contacting strangers to participate. I'm gonna go browse their shopping site right now.

Dec 22, 2016 15:21:19

Nice! I'm glad you're checking into it, Casie! I hope the drop does lead to meeting some nice folks. The drop that I participated in before moving to Montana was run by a homeschool family with 8 or 11 kids (I lost track - seriously!). One of the homeschool kids managed the drop as an educational project, and she was only 10 or something but did an amazing job - very professional. Plus, drop coordinators can get a kick-back if the total drop orders are a certain amount, (I've lost track of the details), so I imagine that helped with a family of that size.

Azure carries such a massive list of products, that their bimonthly sales are also massive. We eat differently than most people, so I've kind of given up on sale shopping for food because the savings usually isn't worth my time.

To see what I mean, here's the link to the .pdf of Azure's Jan.-Feb. 2017 sale catalog, which is 188 pages dense with product listings (not many pictures here!): azurestandard/docs/2017-janfebsalesmag.

The way I prefer to use Azure is to keep a BIG list of favorites, and that list will have a little notation if something is on sale. Then, even if I'm not running low, I might stock up because of the sale price. I do check the bargain bin and produce listings for sales, because these are easier to quickly skim through for items that we'd want.

When they have organic juicing apples at $14 per 20 pounds, well, that is the kind of bargain I love! The juicing apples have a few blemishes here and there (see this post on ugly apples and produce), but are generally good eating, baking or cooking apples, too.

Jan 03, 2017 07:11:25

Yes, I'm slow. I've been having a hard time selecting items that are both things that we actually use that aren't readily available from my local vendors. Our diet tends to be meat, eggs, fresh fruit, and vegetables with little dairy or grains. Oranic, grass fed, pastured ect. are all already in my grocery store (which while a huge chain is local, family owned, and ethically run). I want to keep supporting them and their decision to sell these items.

Does anyone have suggestions for things that they would like to buy (or can buy, but don't think most people have access to) if they were food shopping? As an example of things that have made it to the list, duck eggs (to help decide if we want to raise our own) and cheese made with raw milk. Ideally, I will be able to build up a regular list of items so that I can just place a regular order each month.

Oops, another option that wouldn't become a regular order, fresh tumeric root to plant in the garden.

May 11, 2017 12:43:31

And now, the county where Azure is located, Sherman County, Oregon, is threatening to file a court order to spray toxic herbicides to control "noxious weeds" on Azure farms, which would remove their organic certification.

The situation is described here: https://hl.azurestandard.com/healthy-living/info/azure-farm-moro/.

Azure is asking for public protest, as described in the link above, prior to May 17, 2017. Here's what I wrote:

From: Jocelyn Campbell
Date: Thu, May 11, 2017 at 12:28 PM
Subject: Do not spray the certified organic farm Azure Standard!
To: lhernandez@co.sherman.or.us

Hi Lauren and Sherman County officials,

I have been a loyal customer of Azure's for decades now. First when I lived in Washington State, and now from our homestead in Montana where we buy food for dozens of people each month.

We want toxin-free food and if you spray Azure's farm with herbicides, we will be forced to find our clean, organic food elsewhere. Which would mean an income reduction for Azure. Which then would reduce Sherman County and Oregon State tax revenues.

Multiply this by the thousands of customers who rely on Azure for the high-quality, toxin-free, delicious and nutritious food it provides, and you're looking at HUGE revenue losses.

Do. not. spray. this certified organic farm.

Jocelyn Campbell
Missoula, Montana

Another option is to call Lauren at 541-565-3416 to log your objection.

Jocelyn Campbell · May 11, 2017 12:48:13

Jocelyn, I just sent them this after seeing your fb post

to lhernandez

re: possible court order to spray Azure Farms with weed chemicals
Please do not allow this to happen to a farm that has been certified organic for 18 years or any organic farm for that matter.

We think that the precedent set by allowing this could put many organic growers in jeopardy. Think of the repercussions if this major organic farm loses it's organic status.....at the minimum it would cause the farm to lose a lot of business and income and be assured, those of us buying organic or better won't stoop to gmo and round up sprayed crops...our business will still be with organically raised food.

I am sure there is some way to allow an exemption from this 'clause' for an organic farm that has worked to control noxious weeds without toxic remedies and at the same time successfully grow organic crops.

Thank you.

Jocelyn Campbell · May 13, 2017 10:18:00

I added my voice.
Sirs and Madams , I have recently become aware of your plan to force the good people of Azure Standard farm to spray toxic chemicals on their private property. Using the force of law to compel the owners of private property to bend to your will . This is against all standards of morality and is obviously serving the interests of corporate pesticide and non organic farm lobbyists. The chemicals you will be using are far more noxious than any weed on your noxious list. In fact many of these weeds are edible and fill extremely important niches in our environment. Please educate yourselves in permacultural practices and the role these weeds play in nature. Do not fall prey to those who would damage our lands and your constitutes health for profits ! Be aware that by enforcing this action you will be personally responsible for the sickness of your neighbors and the destruction of one of the better , tax paying, businesses in your district. We need our organic farms ! We need to stand with those who work with nature. Please reconsidered this dastardly action.
Thank you,
Miles Flansburg

Mar 24, 2019 18:20:41

Today I placed another monthly order with Azure for wheaton labs and plenty of wholesome food for the bootcamp.

And I have a couple updates.

A. There was a HUGE viral response to the county's threat to spray Azure's farm! The good news is that Azure worked out a weed control plan that the county agreed to, so I think they are safe from spraying for now. Thanks to those of you here who also made your voices heard!

B. Our Azure account will now give us a $25 kickback if you sign up through this link! Woohoo! I updated my first post to reflect this new awesomeness.

This oven full of goodness shows frittatas made with eggs from Azure's pasture raised chickens, and some incredibly delicious potatoes, too. I was trying to make full use of the oven being on and cook ahead a bit!

Apr 24, 2022 16:16:07

This very recent article says Azure's headquarters burned to the ground overnight.
just search for the word Azure on here:
https://www.dcclothesline.com/2022/04/21/food-production-is-going-to-be-substantially-lower-than-anticipated-all-over-the-globe-in-2022/

Apr 25, 2022 12:49:28

Jenn Lumpkin wrote:This very recent article says Azure's headquarters burned to the ground overnight.
just search for the word Azure on here:
https://www.dcclothesline.com/2022/04/21/food-production-is-going-to-be-substantially-lower-than-anticipated-all-over-the-globe-in-2022/

Yes, Azure wrote their members about the fire. The fire has been deemed an accident, somehow a tote of corn ignited and started the fire, and even at the initial loss, Azure wrote:

The loss of the facility and the impact on company-wide operations is being assessed and expected to be limited and temporary. No other Azure Standard facilities were affected.

Which means most of their warehouses and growing operations were not affected. Only some liquid manufacturing/bottling and carob candy manufacturing will need to be relocated per the attached press release.

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