Sourcing

Sourcing amazing fruit from like-minded farmers is the most important thing we do. Add sharing that fruit and the stories behind it with fellow fruit lovers, and you have our mission.

We source directly from farmers. In 2023, we spent 95% of our sourcing dollars directly with farmers or farmer-owned cooperatives. These are personal, real-life relationships, and we are lucky to count many of our farmers as friends! Oftentimes, our fruit is harvested to order. Direct relationships mean a shorter supply chain, fresher fruit, and more money in the pocket of the farmer.

All of the fruit we sell is grown in California. We believe you can eat delicious, locally-grown fruit every day of the year here. It’s a privilege and a testament to our state’s remarkable geography and microclimates. 

We source fruit grown with integrity. Does “grown with integrity” sound like greenwashing to you? If so, read on.

As consumers, we’re right to be skeptical of products marketed under unregulated  feel-good terms like “natural”, “sustainable”, “regenerative” (🙀), and yes, “grown with integrity”. But it turns out it’s awfully difficult to distill nuanced issues into pithy phrases! So let’s summarize, and then dig in. 

Our Sourcing Goals

 

Oftentimes, though not always, “grown with integrity” means certified organic. (For context, in 2023 we spent 84% of our sourcing dollars on certified organic fruit.) “Organic” is great because use of the term is regulated by law. It means that an independent inspector has verified that the farm’s practices meet certain environmental standards. 

We have two programs, and we treat them a little differently.

Fruitqueen Boxes

All fruit in the fruitqueen box is certified organic or uncertified but grown with practices that meet or exceed organic standards by farmers we know. The vast majority of the time, the fruitqueen box is full of certified organic fruit. However, we do work with a handful of growers who are not certified. Here’s an example of the latter scenario:

• Four Sisters Farm grows cut flowers and kiwis in Monterey County. We’ve known Jill, the farmer, for twelve years. Her father and grandfather planted their kiwi vines in 1978. They gained organic certification in 1984, and held it until 2017 when they decided not to renew it. They mostly sell at farmer’s markets directly to long-standing customers. They decided the use of the label “organic” was no longer worth the time or money that compliance requires. Their farming practices have not changed. We happily include Jill’s kiwis in the box!

Single Variety Boxes

Our goal here is to highlight uncommon varieties and farmers doing special things. The vast majority of the time, this fruit is certified organic, too. But when we find something special that is not available organically, we want to share it! Here’s an example:

• Wong Farms grows mangoes in the Coachella Valley. They’re the only commercial-scale grower of tree-ripened mangoes in California. They also grow off-season tomatoes and basil hydroponically in the winter. For their mangoes, they use organic sprays and other practices that align with organic farming. Part of the year, they irrigate the mango trees with water recycled from their hydroponic vegetable operation. This recycled water contains synthetic fertilizers, so their operation does not meet standards for organic certification. However we think their mangoes are revelatory – we’re talking insanely good! There is no equivalent organic mango available. We also think it’s incredible that they’re pioneering mango cultivation in the middle of the desert, and that’s a story worth telling. In August and September, when the California mango season rolls around, we’re so happy to share their mangoes.

If you have any questions or concerns about our sourcing practices, get in touch. We love to talk about this stuff (obviously).