Frequently Asked Questions

Is Boston Organics a farm/CSA?

We are an organic produce delivery service and we work directly with farms and wholesalers to obtain our produce. Read more!

What's in each box?

To see what we are offering in each of the produce boxes check out the This Week's Box page.

Which produce box is right for me?

It really depends! No two customers have the same needs. Some folks cook a few nights each week, some folks cook every night, some people love fruit, some people don't!

Here are some tips!

To see what we are offering in each of the produce boxes check out the This Week's Box page.

Where does your produce come from?

We buy locally grown produce as often as possible, taking quality, value, and variety into consideration. During the summer and fall, a lot of the produce comes from Vermont and Massachusetts. During the peak of the local growing season (late July - August) 50% of the vegetables that we offer are locally grown. Because of a fairly short growing season and difficult growing conditions, the organic market in New England is limited. As we are a year-round service a large portion of our produce comes from California, Florida, and Georgia. Tropical fruit comes primarily from organic farms in Central and South America.

How do your prices compare to those of other organic retailers?

Because of lower operating costs, our prices tend to be very competitive compared to local stores. In addition, the produce is organic, and we bring it right to your door.

How fresh is your produce?

In general the produce does not stay in our possession for more than 48 hours. Produce is often delivered fresh from our suppliers on the day we deliver the produce to you. We order only what we need for each delivery day. Any leftovers at the end of the week are distributed amongst employees and donated to Food For Free.

What kinds of fruit and vegetables do you offer in the produce boxes?

We offer whatever is fresh and in season. To see what we are offering this week check out This Week's Box. To get an idea of the items that we offer overall, check the storage tips page.

How do I know what I'm getting is really organic?

All of the produce in the produce boxes is 100% USDA certified organic. It has been certified by independent organizations such as North East Organic Food Association (NOFA). Since October 2002, all organic produce sold in the US must meet stringent standards set, verified and regularly inspected by the USDA.

Do you guarantee your service?

Yes. If you're dissatisfied with any of your produce, service, or delivery, please let us know and we'll work things out for you. For more info, check our policies page.

Is there any minimum number of deliveries I have to commit to?

After you've signed up for a weekly or every other week delivery schedule, you can cancel the service at any time. Just let us know by your cancellation deadline, if you want to cancel.

Is there a delivery fee?

For nearly all of our deliveries there is NO fee. We charge a $5 fee for deliveries where parking/accessibility is very difficult and time consuming (e.g., certain buildings in the financial district), or for deliveries made above the third floor of a building.

What is your delivery area?

For detailed delivery area information click here. If you don't live in any of these areas but are interested in the service, please send your address to us here.

Do I have to be home to receive a delivery?

Nope! You know your neighborhood best, and we will leave your produce box wherever you specify (mailroom, vestibule, in a cooler on the porch, etc.). If you would like your box dropped off inside your front door, we are bonded by an insurance company to accept keys and codes for gates, garages, apartments and homes, just like a cleaning service.

On hot days, how will you keep my produce fresh?

If you would like to leave a cooler out for us, your delivery driver will transfer as many items as possible from your new box into your cooler to help keep things fresh. If you choose to leave a cooler out, please leave a note on it that says "Boston Organics delivery" and leave some icepacks in there too.

Do you deliver to businesses?

Yes! Our fruit boxes are very popular in the workplace. On the This Week's Box page you can see the contents of the Office Box and the rest of our boxes.
Keep in mind that if your office has limited facilities, you may want to add any fruits that require cutting (melons, mangoes, etc.) to your No-list.

What should I do with the empty Boston Organics bin?

We'll pick up the empty box when we bring your next produce delivery.

How do I send a key to Boston Organics?

Most folks mail a copy of their key to our warehouse. To do this...

Securely tape the key to a piece of cardboard or heavy paper.
Wrap this in an additional piece of paper to protect the envelope.
Include the email address on your account and your new drop off instructions.
Put it in an envelope and send it to:

Boston Organics
50 Terminal Street
Building 2
Suite 100
Charlestown, MA 02129

A single first-class stamp will suffice, unless you are mailing multiple keys.

For security reasons, if you choose to, you can leave your return address off of the envelope. As long as you've included your email address we'll know who the key is from. We will let you know when the key has arrived here.

Can I customize my order?

Sort of... You can specify what you don't want to have in your box using your No-list. That way you aren't stuck with food that you do not want to eat. You can change your preferences anytime by filling out the forms linked in the "Current Customers" part of the website menu. You can also add bulk produce items to your produce box in our add-on items section. A huge component of the service is variety and we make an effort to mix things up every week!

How do weekday holidays affect the delivery schedule?

Most weeks we follow our normal, unchanging delivery schedule as posted on our website but there are a few weeks out of the year when we will modify our delivery schedule due to holidays falling on weekdays. We always have a special schedule Thanksgiving week, and depending on what day of the week holidays like Christmas or the Fourth of July fall on, those weeks may have special schedules as well. We notify our customers of any delivery schedule changes due to holidays for several weeks preceding via email, on our website, in our newsletter, and on Facebook and Twitter. And of course, you can always call or email us to ask us if the schedule is changing for a holiday, and how that affects cancellation and order deadlines!

How does inclement weather affect deliveries?

For most of our history we hadn't been significantly affected by weather events... Then came the winter of 2010-2011. If it is possible to deliver to all of our customers on a given day, we will absolutely make our best effort to do so but the snow of 2010-2011 was really something else, and a few times we had to reschedule entire days of deliveries because it would have just been too dangerous to send drivers out. When there is an inclement weather cancellation or rescheduling of groups of deliveries, we will: post an alert on the front page of our website, send emails to all affected customers, and post on Facebook and Twitter. If you notice a storm is coming, check our website to see if your delivery is affected!

As for individual delivery locations that are inaccessible due to ice or snow, we will contact those customers by phone or email to let them know we couldn't deliver their produce box because conditions were too dangerous on their street, or between our van and their drop location. If you know in advance that our driver probably won't be able to deliver to the normal location due to snow or ice, call or email us with temporary delivery instructions! We're happy to bring your box to the front steps if you need some more time to shovel out the back porch.

How do I speak to an actual person at Boston Organics?

Give us a call at 617.242.1700, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and you can of course leave us a voicemail outside of those hours. If you would like to email us, please send one to service@bostonorganics.com.

How do I cancel a delivery?

You can cancel a single delivery or your entire service at any time provided you notify by your cancellation deadline. Cancellations made after the deadline will be charged a $20 restocking fee. For more information on cancellation deadlines click here. To cancel deliveries, choose one of the forms from the "Current Customers" part of the navigation menu.

How do I change my box-type, no-list, etc.?

Use the forms located within the "Current Customers" portion of the navigation menu. For more information on deadlines and changing your account click here.

I'm tired of receiving (produce item) in my produce box, what should I do?

If you do not want to receive a particular produce item, you can add it to your No-list. Even if you like a specific item (apples, bananas, potatoes) but just want to take a break, add it to your No-list. You are not locked into your initial No-list and you can change your account settings at just about any time. For more information on deadlines check the policies section of our site.

I received a bad produce item/I am missing a produce item, what gives?

Due to the nature of the service, occasionally a bad item might slip by us, or we might miss an item when packing your box. Other produce items, like corn and avocados, might appear to be in good shape when the exterior is inspected, but when husked or cut open the inside might be in rough shape. We only intend to distribute produce that you can use. Check our guarantee! If you receive produce that you are not happy with, or you are missing an item, just let us know, and we'll get things worked out for you!

I used to be a customer and would like to resume deliveries. How do I do that?

If you would like to resume the service, just head to our website and use the Sign Up link. When you get towards the end of the form, check off the "I am a resuming customer" box.

Is your website secure?

When you go through the sign-up process you are transferred to a secure area of our host's server using secure server software (SSL). This means that the information that you send is coded so that only we can de-code the information to obtain your personal details. You will notice that the address will change from http:// to https:// indicating a secure server and that a padlock will appear at the bottom of the page or in your browser's menu.
The "change your billing info" portion of our website is secure as well.

What methods of payment do you accept?

We accept American Express, Visa, and Mastercard credit/debit cards.

When do you bill me for my delivery?

We typically charge all of our customers' credit cards on Thursday afternoon or Friday of the week in which a delivery is made. For example, if you receive your delivery on a Tuesday, we'll charge your card at the end of the week. If you receive a delivery on Friday, we'll charge you the afternoon before. It is usual for the charge to take 1-3 business days to show up on your personal statement, so charges may show up during the week following receipt of your delivery. The day & time of billing is subject to change.

What happens if my credit card is declined?

If your credit card is declined, your service will be put on hold, and we will send you an email notifying you of this. Please contact us as soon as possible to update your billing information so that we may collect payment. You may update your billing information either on our secure server via the website, or by phone. A $3 administrative fee applies to all declined credit cards.

What is a No-list?

Your No-list is a list of items you never want, and the items you would like substituted, ensuring that you only receive food that you want to eat! You can update your No-list on the update No-list page.