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About Our Certified Organic Produce:
About Our Delivery Service:
About Payment:
About the Fresh Box:
About Placing an Order:
Contacting Front Door Organics: |
About Our Certified Organic Produce:"Buying organic food promotes farming practices that really are more sustainable and better for the environment." Organic foods — "organics" for short — are grown and produced the way nature intended: without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, antibiotics or genetic modification. The results? Minimal impact on the environment, and better-tasting, naturally good food on your table. Producing, buying and eating organic food benefits both you and the environment. Organic agriculture promotes and enhances biodiversity; limits the amount of toxins we ingest; lessens water, air and land pollution; and reduces or eliminates illnesses experienced by consumers and by farmers and farm workers who work in fields where chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used. According to the National Organic Standards Board, the primary goal of organic agriculture is to "optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people." Here's what HORIZON Distributors, PSC Natural Foods and The Ontario Federation of Food Co-Ops have to say about organics: “Organic farming techniques have fed humankind for thousands of years. While it's true that agricultural development was by no means perfected before the advent of chemical agriculture — poor yields and crop losses were prevalent — we are discovering that chemicals did not really solve these problems but only covered them up for a while and at the same time caused environmental havoc on our planet. Organic farmers reject the philosophy that we must poison our environment to produce enough food for us all to eat. The time has come for modern agriculture to fuse the wisdom of ecological farming with modern techniques to create a high-yielding, sustainable farming system. Today, modern organic farmers are sowing the seeds of such a system.” 2. How do we know it's organic? We get asked this question frequently. We're proud to answer that everything in your fresh box is guaranteed organic by one of various third-party certification agencies with stringent standards. Individual produce will often bear the name of its certifying agency: have a look at the labels on your produce. 3. What is "transitional" organic produce and why do you include it in my fresh box? "Transitional" organic produce, as its name suggests, comes from farms that are in the process of switching to organic farming methods. In order to be certified organic, produce must come from farms and fields that have been farmed organically for three years. A certified organic apple, for example, is one that comes from an orchard where organic farming methods have been used for three or more years. Occasionally, we will call your attention to a "transitional" product in your fresh box. We include such produce rarely, but we do include it because we believe that farmers should be encouraged and supported in the decision to switch to organic methods of agriculture. 4. Where does the organic produce come from? Depending on the season, your fresh box contains organic produce from many different points in North America, and occasionally from further afield. Because of the high envrionmental toll posed by flying, however, nothing in your box travels to our Toronto warehouse by air. The closer to home your food is grown, the less it has to travel to reach your plate, thus reducing the impact of its production on the environment. Front Door Organics works hard to support Ontario organic farmers by including as much locally grown produce as possible in each fresh box. We have built strong relationships with many local farms and distributors, and work closely with them as we plan the upcoming season. We support Ontario organic farmers' right to fair wages and working conditions. Some of our farming friends include:
5. Where can I find out more about organic food and related issues? Here are some useful places to begin. Come across a particularly worthwhile link? Please let us know.
About Our Delivery Service:6. When will my fresh box be delivered? Front Door Organics delivers your fresh box weekly, or every second, third, or fourth week. Our delivery window is between 12 noon and 10 p.m. You don't have to be home to receive your delivery. Your delivery day depends on your address. Here's where we are each day of the week:
We're sorry that we cannot specify a delivery time beyond the noon-to-ten window. 7. What if I'm not home for a delivery? You don't have to be at home for Front Door Organics to deliver your fresh box. We can leave the box on your front porch, in your front vestibule, your apartment building lobby or another place you specify. It'll be waiting for you when you get home. Please note: in the colder winter months, the fresh box won't survive the night outdoor without freezing, so don't forget to take it indoors. 8. What if I'm going away on vacation or need to take a break for a week or two? To skip a delivery, please let us know by noon, at least two days in advance of your delivery. (For example, if you receive your fresh box on Friday, please notify us by noon on Wednesday that you’d like to skip a week.) If you need to miss a delivery with less than two days’ notice, we would be happy to donate the food we have already ordered for you to Anduhyaun Women's Shelter, but you will be charged for this delivery. (And have a great time while you're away!) You can arrange to skip deliveries online by logging in and selecting "Skip a delivery." Click on the date(s) you'll be away. Came back early? Simply modify your delivery schedule to resume when you're ready. You can also email us at info@frontdoororganics.com or phone us to arrange to skip deliveries: 416.201.3000. 9. Can I pick up my fresh box? Yes! And you'll receive a $3 discount every time you pick up your fresh box. We are at Unit 9, 415 Horner Ave., and you can pick up your fresh box Tuesday through Friday between 12 noon and 4 p.m. Phone us at 416.201.3000 to make arrangements. 10. How is my fresh box delivered? Front Door Organics delivers your organic groceries in a reusable, sturdy, sealed Rubbermaid container. You pay a one-time, refundable deposit of $10 on this container. Each delivery, we'll pick up your empty Rubbermaid and leave you with one full of fresh organic groceries. We ask that you rinse out your Rubbermaid containers before leaving them for us; we also clean them at our warehouse. 11. What if I forget to leave my Rubbermaid container at my front door? That's okay. We'll get it from you at our next delivery date — and we'll still leave your fresh box for you! Please put both empty Rubbermaid containers out for the next delivery. 12. What if I live in an apartment building? No problem. Front Door Organics delivers fresh boxes to apartments as well as houses. Because each apartment building is different, call us at 416.201.3000, and together, we'll make arrangements to get your fresh box to you. 13. Can I give Front Door Organics as a gift? Of course. Front Door Organics is a great way to honour a marriage or partnership. It's also a welcome housewarming present, a godsend to new parents strapped for time, or a thoughtful get-well present. Parents: it's a terrific way to make sure your kids are eating well away from home. If you'd like to give the gift of a week's or month's worth of fresh boxes, give us a call at 416.201.3000, or e-mail us at info@frontdoororganics.com. About Payment:14. How can I pay for my fresh box? Front Door Organics accepts cash, personal cheques, MasterCard and VISA. Paying by credit card is the easiest method: Simply call our office to give us a credit card number. We'll bill your card automatically on the day of your delivery. You never have to think about it. If you're paying by cash or cheque, please leave your first payment in an envelope, taped to your front door, on the day of your first delivery. For subsequent deliveries, please put your payment inside your empty Rubbermaid container, and have it outside your front door by 12 noon on your delivery day. If you pay by VISA or MasterCard, your payment is automatically debited to your account. If you forget to leave cash or a cheque in your empty Rubbermaid container (or just plain forget to leave your Rubbermaid at your front door), you have three options:
16. How do I know if my payment went through? Login, and go to "Review Your Account" to check to see if it has been listed as a Credit to your account. Your current payment will appear within 5 working days of your payment. 17. How do I know if I was invoiced correctly? Occasionally, certain items on your standing or current order may be shorted by our suppliers on the day of delivery. We will notify you if your add-on grocery purchase is shorted. We will not notify you if your add-on produce purchase is shorted or for changes in substitutions (when it comes to more perishable fruits and vegetables we simply can't call everyone!). We will however, always adjust your invoice to accurately reflect what you receive. If you think there is something missing from your order or you're concerned that we've mischarged you in someway, please call or email us at your earliest convenience. About the Fresh Box:18. What is a fresh box and how much does it cost? The fresh box is the cornerstone of our service. All our customers receive either the Basic ($35) or Custom ($40) fresh box on a regularly scheduled basis — usually weekly or every other week. For every fresh box, we hand-pick a vibrant sampling of 10 to 15 high-quality organic fruits and vegetables, including local produce when seasonally available. Prices include delivery and all applicable taxes. 19. What's the difference between the Basic and Custom boxes? Our Custom fresh box ($40) allows you to make UNLIMITED substitutions — as many as your heart — and stomach — desire! If you'd like, you can replace every single item in your Custom fresh box with items from our online substitutions drop-down list. Check out our full selection of produce items to see what's in stock this week. With the Custom box, you can also create an unlimited list of "Never Send" items that will never appear in your fresh box. (That way, if you forget to make any changes, your "Never Sends" will still kick in, so that you'll receive a semi-customized box.) See "What if I never want beets?" below. Our Basic fresh box ($35) is a more economical offering. With the Basic box, you'll receive the wide variety of organic produce that FDO includes in every box, with NO SUBSTITUTIONS available. We pass the savings of lowered labour costs on to you. Both the Custom and the Basic boxes contain equal amounts of fresh organic produce. You are welcome to switch back and forth between Basic and Custom boxes! Just log in, and modify your order. (See "What if I don't want beets?", below). Remember, if you have Never-Sends on file, they will not be removed from the Basic box. 20. How do I switch between Basic and Custom fresh boxes? You can switch between Basic or Custom fresh boxes for your current order, your standing order, or both. Here's how:
21. I know what kinds of organic fruits and vegetables come in my fresh box, but can you give me an idea of just how much produce I'm getting? Sure. Click here to see examples of fresh box contents. 22. What's in my fresh box this week? What about next week? If you have given us permission, on the Friday before your fresh box delivery, Front Door Organics will send you an e-mail message detailing the upcoming week’s fresh box contents. Custom box customers can choose to modify fresh box contents by following the link directly in the e-mail, or visiting the web site (see "What if I don't want beets?" below). Please keep in mind that you do not have to receive this email to modify your order. You can also check fresh box contents online. Log in, and go to "Current Order." Have a look at this week's box. Contents for the upcoming fresh box are posted Fridays at 4 p.m. Always double-check the delivery date at the top of the screen to confirm that you're looking at the correct listing. If you're away from the computer and you want to know what's in your fresh box, you can call us at 416.201.8579 to hear a recorded message with the fresh box contents. 23. What if I don't want beets (Or, how do I make one-time substitutions to my fresh box contents?) We're not your mother; we won't make you eat beets — or anything else in your fresh box — if you don't want to. Front Door Organics offers the option of a Custom fresh box that allows you to replace any and all items in your fresh box with items you choose from our stock. (Note: Our more economical Basic fresh box does not allow you to make any substitutions. As well, if you have Never-Sends on file, they will not be removed from the Basic box.) Please note: you can make one-time changes to your order any time after 4 p.m. on the Friday before your next delivery and up to 12 noon two days before your next delivery. You do not have to have received your Fresh Box Contents Email in order to make substitutions to your fresh box. In other words,
Please remember to make any changes to your standing order BEFORE doing the current week's substitutions. In other words, make your subs the LAST task you do on this website! To make one-time substitutions via the Internet:
First REMOVE the items from the fresh box that you do not want.
Now ADD the replacement items that you DO want in your fresh box.
Once you have finished making changes to your order and logged out of your account, a “Confirmation of changes” email will be sent to you, confirming the changes you have just made. If you're not near a computer, or you encounter any difficulty using the substitutions page, you can always call the fresh box contents line at 416.201.8579 and leave a message. Or you can send us an e-mail. Just be sure to include your name and customer ID number in your message to us. 24. What if I never want beets? (Or, how do I create my list of "Produce Preferences?") With the Custom box, you can create an unlimited list of "Never Send" items that will never appear in your fresh box. (That way, if you forget to make any substitutions, your "Never Sends" will still kick in, so that you'll receive a semi-customized box.) You can also specify the preferred produce items that you’d like as replacements for your “Never Send” items. For every produce item OR produce category, you can select one of four Produce Preference options:
To set your preferences:
25. What on earth will I do with rutabaga, bok choy or daikon? In addition to familiar foods, like broccoli, apples and carrots, in each fresh box you'll be introduced to more unusual produce. But fear not: Front Door Organics makes sure to include lots of information about more exotic produce, including a selection of recipes and tips, in our newsletter, which accompanies every delivery. We hope you'll enjoy expanding your culinary repertoire! 26. You included a great recipe for beet salad in your newsletter a few weeks ago; can I get that recipe again? Yes. Simply e-mail us at service@frontdoororganics.com and we'll send you the recipe during regular business hours. 27. How do I store my organic produce? For a wealth of information on storing your organic produce, click on our Storage Hints page. 28. What if I'm not happy with something in my fresh box? Front Door Organics completely guarantees every item in your fresh box. If any item doesn't live up to your expectations, please give us a call or send an email to info@frontdoororganics.com. We'll replace that item with something of equal or greater value in your next fresh box. If an item that you purchased in addition to your fresh box does not meet your quality requirements, we will refund the exact amount that you were originally charged. About Placing an Order:29. How can I start delivery of Front Door Organics this week or next week? Simple:
30. What other organic groceries does Front Door Organics offer? Front Door Organics is pleased to offer more than 100 different organic grocery products, including cereal, coffee, bread, milk, cheese, yogurt, dried fruit, eggs, juice, soymilk, tofu and tomato products. We also offer a wide variety of additional produce items, like potatoes, onions, garlic, additional apple varieties, fancy fruit like strawberries, and more! We're constantly adding more items to our selection. Browse the store for more information. 31. What is a Standing Order and do I need to have one? A standing order is grocery shopping simplified! To supplement your Custom or Basic fresh box, you can also create a standing order of additional grocery items — think milk, soy milk, eggs, juice, onions, apples, bread, etc. — that are automatically added to your order and delivered to your door. You can arrange to have your standing order delivered with each fresh box, or every second, third, or fourth fresh box delivery. You can also arrange to have certain items (for example, milk) delivered weekly, while others (like eggs) come every two (or more) weeks. You choose the schedule that works best for you — we’ll accommodate you! You can discontinue or change your standing order at any time. Just let us know about any changes by noon, two days in advance of your delivery. When making changes to your order online, please change your Standing Order first, followed by your Current Order, and then your Substitutions. Even with a Standing Order, your organic grocery needs can change from week to week. Maybe this week you're making a special recipe and need more potatoes. Or maybe — just this week — you have too much milk and don't need your Standing Order of it. Whatever your specific needs are this week, make them known in your Current Order. Your Current Order includes any changes or updates that you have made to your Standing Order — for your next scheduled delivery only. When making changes online, please change your Standing Order first, followed by your Current Order, and then your Substitutions. 33. What do all the different colors on the calendar mean? The calendar appears on the Current Order page, the Account Details page and the Skip a Delivery page, and provides important information about your account with Front Door Organics such as store holidays, scheduled deliveries, and days on which you've previously received delivery. By clicking on some of these calendar dates, you can view specific details regarding that date, depending on which page you're currently viewing. For example, if you're viewing the calendar on the Current Order page you can view previous orders by clicking on any of the dates highlighted in blue. The details of this past order will be displayed below. Here is a legend that will help you understand what the various colors mean:  34. How can I order additional organic groceries? You can order additional grocery items either on a one-time or Standing Order basis. Simply log in, and use the navigator on the bottom half of either your Current Order or Standing Order page to browse our catalogue:
35. How do I modify my Standing Order? When making changes online, please change your Standing Order first, followed by your Current Order, and then your Substitutions.
36. How do I make changes to just this week's order? You can make changes to your Current Order up until 12 p.m. two days before your delivery. When making changes online, please change your Standing Order first, followed by your Current Order, and then your Substitutions.
37. How do I know you've received my online order? Front Door Organics will send an order confirmation email to you at the end of your session. Please be sure to have a look at it and contact us right away if there are any discrepancies. 38. I'm having trouble logging into the website. How can I verify the email address and password you have on file for me? Click the button labelled "Password?" on the Customer Login screen. An email will be sent to you directly with your password. If that doesn't work, it might be because we have a different email address on file for you. You can call us at 416.201.3000 or send an email to have us reset your email address and password. We will respond by the end of the next business day. Remember: if you can’t log in to our web site, you can communicate your changes via regular email or by phone. Call 416.201.8579 to hear a listing of current fresh box contents. Contacting Front Door Organics:39. How can I get in touch with Front Door Organics? You're welcome to call us at 416.201.3000. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. While we try to get back to you as quickly as possible, we will always return your messages by the end of the next business day! You can also email us at info@frontdoororganics.com. Our mailing address is Unit 9, 415 Horner Ave., Toronto, M8W 4W3. All our contact information is listed at the bottom of every screen on this site. |
| © 2006 Front Door Organics Inc. 9- 415 Horner Ave. Toronto M8W 4W3 phone: 416.201.3000 fax: 416.201.3002 info@frontdoororganics.com |
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