FAQs

Glen Valley CSA Member Pickup Guidelines

Last updated January 2023

Ground Rules: Please treat this like a trip to the grocery store. Please do not leave home if you are feeling unwell or showing any symptoms.

• Pack your produce into your grocery bags. Do NOT take your bin home with you if it can be avoided. Please plan ahead and bring grocery bags.

• Nest your emptied bin neatly with other empty bins so your host won’t have to spend much time cleaning up

Contingency planning: What are your options if you cannot pick up your produce?

• Try to find a friend or neighbour to pick up for you

• Arrange to have us deliver your produce to another location to make it easier for your designate to take it instead. You can manage this in your Farmigo account

• Place a delivery hold and spend the credit in our online store later this season

• Get in touch with us as far in advance as possible and we can attempt to have it delivered to your home by a 3rd party for an additional fee

In addition to these common sense guidelines, please note any special considerations regarding your particular pickup location. These notes will be provided to you by email each and every delivery day.

When do the various CSA options run?

The 2023 season will run as follows:

Glen Valley Greens (early season) PRODUCE SHARE - An average value of $47/week

• FULL Glen Valley Greens produce subscription (6 deliveries) is weekly, with deliveries on THURDAYS, May 11, 18, 25 and June 1, 8, 15.

• HALF Early Bird produce subscription (3 deliveries) is bi-weekly, and is divided into 2 cohorts, ODD and EVEN

  • • • The ODD delivieries are on May 11, May 25 and June 8;

      • The EVEN deliveries are on May 18, June 1 and June 15

Main Season PRODUCE SHARE - An average value of $47/week

• FULL Produce Share subscription (24 deliveries) is weekly from the week of June 19 to the week of November 27 ;

• HALF Produce share subscription (12 deliveries) is bi-weekly, and is divided into 2 cohorts, ODD and EVEN:

  • • • • The ODD deliveries begin the week of June 19, and end the week of November 20.

        • The EVEN deliveries begin the week of June 26, and end the week of November 27.

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS:

Main Season Fruit Share - An average value of $35/week

• FULL Fruit Share option (18 deliveries) will start the week of July 3 with the arrival of cherries! It runs until the end of October.

• HALF Fruit Share option (9 deliveries) is bi-weekly, and is divided into 2 cohorts, ODD and EVEN:

  • • • The ODD deliveries of fruit begin the week of July 3, and end the week of October 23.

      • The EVEN deliveries of fruit begin the week of July 10, and end the week of October 30.

November Fruit Share Extension - An average value of $22/week

• FULL November Fruit extension (4 deliveries) will start the week of November 6 and ends the week of November 27

• HALF November Fruit extension (2 deliveries) is bi-weekly and is divided into 2 cohorts, ODD and EVEN:

  • • • The ODD deliveries in Novemer will occur the weeks of November 6 and 20

      • The EVEN deliveries in November will occur the weeks of November 13 and 27

Your delivery day is determined by the location you are picking up from.

Is my delivery on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday?

***If you decide to change the location of your delivery in a given week, please keep the delivery day of your new location in mind!

WEDNESDAY PICK UP

• Langley: Fort Langley

• Langley: Walnut Grove

• Coquitlam - we are looking for a new Coquitlam host location...intrigued?! info@glenvalleycsa.com or 778-201-3464

• Coquitlam (Oakdale)

• New Westminster: Sapperton

• New Westminster: Queens Park

• Surrey

• White Rock

THURSDAY PICK UP

• Abbotsford: Glen Valley Organic Farm

• Burnaby: Glenburn Soda Fountain

• Burnaby North

• North Vancouver: West Lynn

• Noth Vancouver: east of Mountain Highway - we are looking at opening a location here...intrigued?! info@glenvalleycsa.com or 778-201-3464

• North Vancouver: 19th & Grand Blvd

• North Vancouver: Central Lonsdale

• North Vancouver: Pemberton Heights

• Vancouver: Dunbar - we are looking for a new Kitsilano/Dunbar area host location...intrigued?! info@glenvalleycsa.com or 778-201-3464

• Vancouver: Kitsilano

• Vancouver: Mount Pleasant

• Vancouver: Nanaimo and 1st

FRIDAY PICK UP

• Langley: Salt and Thyme

• Langley Centre/Surrey East

• Vancouver: Nanaimo and 1st Ave.

• Vancouver: Commercial/Grandview/Brittania - we are looking for a new host location in these neighbourhoods...intrigued?! info@glenvalleycsa.com or 778-201-3464

• Vancouver: Victoria and 33rd

• Vancovuer: Windsor and 27th

• Vancouver: Fraser and King Edward

• Vancouver: Main and 45th

• Vancouver: Onatio and 18th

• Vancouver: Oak and 18th

It depends how much you cook!

Quantities will fluctuate a little throughout the season - as we get into mid summer and early fall there is generally more to offer. We try to keep the box overall value near our target value, and at $47, that's about 8-11 items per week.

Generally speaking, a Full Share could be eaten each week by a veggie loving couple. These are the folks that cook for themselves almost every night, preserve, and eat a mostly plant based diet. The average busy family can usually get through one box per week, however there is no need to overburden yourself! Our online store will be open when we have extra produce and fruit available, so if you sign up for a Half Share and find yourself running low, you can always add more to your box!

Pricing for the CSA is as follows:

• Each weekly box of vegetables is $47, and there are options for 24 or 12 deliveries per season, plus an optional 6 or 3 deliveries in our early 'Glen Valley Greens' season ;

• Fruit share options are $35/week, and there are options for 18 or 9 deliveries per season, plus an optional 4 or 2 deliveries in November at a value of $22/week;

• Payment options include a single payment up-front (payment due on sign-up); two instalments (payments on sign-up and 1 and May 1); and a six-instalment option (one on sign-up, and then monthly payments on June 1, July 1, August 1, September 1, and October 1);

• A $10 annual membership fee is charged at sign-up to cover the costs of CSA management and payment processing.

We have set up a $10 membership fee for the CSA program to help cover the costs of managing the CSA. A membership fee is common in many CSA programs. In our case, it allows us to separate out a flat fee for CSA overhead while allocating the full cost of each share option to food from the farm businesses.

We grow high quality vegetables, berries and fruit and we deliver it fresh to your neighbourhood. Unless otherwise noted, all of the produce in your box is grown on our farm, and the tree fruit will mainly be coming from our partners at Snowy Mountain Organics in Cawston, BC.

In a given week, we send out a forecast email (on Friday or Saturday) to let you know what we plan to put in your box the following week. Weather and other factors have been known to wreak havoc with our planning, so this is not a guarantee of what you will find in your box, but it tends to be fairly accurate. We will also open the online store at the same time so that you are able to supplement what is already in your box.

We pride ourselves on the quality and freshness of our produce.

You can find a list of the produce we grow on our CSA Info page.

Yes you can! As a CSA member you get exclusive access to our online store. Throughout the season you will be invited to shop and purchase extra produce as it is available. We anticipate having a little bit of everything available as the season allows. Bulk quantities of tomatoes, peaches and other fruits and veggies will be available on the store or by request as the season allows. The store will open on Saturday and be open until Monday morning for delivery that week.

The short answer is 'no'.

The advantage of our current CSA model - for us - is that it provides us with an ability to do our crop planning and harvest planning according to real numbers (with 400 CSA members, we know we need to plan for a harvest of 400 heads of lettuce this week, and 400 bunches of kale next week, or bags of basil, or bunches of carrots, etc..). Our aim is to provide as much variety as possible while still supplying reasonable quantities of produce. That reduces waste and allows us to focus on key crops which we know are generally appreciated by members. We then supplement our store offerings with smaller amounts of extras (to get 400 heads of lettuce, we seed and plant closer to 520, which means there is sometimes extra), and other crops that we grow specifically for the CSA store (in 2022 that included dill and cilantro in the spring, and cherry tomatoes later on).

The disadvantage is that our CSA members don't get to choose what's in their box in a given week.

To mitigate that, we've created the half share option so that CSA members can receive the basic box once every two weeks if they find that the full share is too much to get through. We also communicate the planned contents of the box ahead of time so members can use that to help with menu planning and weekly grocery shopping. Finally, we have focused some energy on our online store so that members can add new items or supplement items to their box that week.

With this model we are aiming for a balance between what is desirable for us (some predictability for planning), and what is desirable for customers (variety, quality and flexibility). It's not perfect, and it continues to evolve.

You have three options for payments. Our preference is payment by Interac e-transfer to: info@glenvalleycsa.com. You are also able to pay for your subscription by personal cheque (payable to Glen Valley Organic Farm and mailed to 8550 Bradner Road, Abbotsford BC V4X 2H5), or by credit card through Paypal.

We have three payment schedules available as well. You can pay up-front; in 2 instalments (at sign-up and June 1); or in 6 instalments (at sign-up and montly on June 1, July 1, August 1, September 1 and October 1).

If you know the dates you will be away in advance, you can place a delivery hold on your account. In total, you can set up to 4 delivery hold dates throughout the season.

Do you know the dates you will be away at the time of sign-up?

If you follow the instructions, below, your account will be pro-rated for the dates you will be away.

Follow these instructions:

• Sign up for the share combination you would like;

• When choosing a payment option, select to pay by cheque . . . but don't actually make any payment yet;

• Log into your account and place a hold for the dates you will be away.

• Once this is complete, you can refresh your account and your new balance can be paid by Interac e-Transfer (preferred) to info@glenvalleycsa.com; by cheque (to 8550 Bradner Road, Abbotsford BC, V4X 2H5); or by PayPal by going to the Manage Payments page in Farmigo.

Do you need to place delivery holds after you have signed up and during the season?

You can set up to a maximum of 4 delivery hold dates throughout the season, including any you set at sign-up. Once you have completed the sign-up process and made a payment, the value of any holds placed after that will be converted to Farmigo Credits. Farmigo Credits can be used to purchase fruit and produce in our online store.

Do you need to place more than 4 delivery hold dates during the season?

After you have placed 4 holds this season, the value of of the boxes for any future holds will be forfeit. In 2022, the average number of holds placed by our members was between 1 and 2. By allowing up to 4 hold dates in our 2023, we hope to balance flexibility for you with the administrative costs for us associated with managing holds.

A good alternative to holds is to have a friend or family member pick up your share while you are away. You can even change the location of your delivery in any given week to make that option more convenient (or for any other reason).

To see our refund policy, visit our Terms and Conditions page

Prior to the start of the season, we will refund your subscription minus a $30 processing fee.

If, during the season, you are unhappy with your CSA box for any reason or if you need to cancel due to a change in life circumstances, we will refund you the remaining value of your subscription.

We do all we can to assure a full, diverse and wonderful harvest and we have a proven track record for delivering a quality box of produce throughout the season. Nonetheless, certain things are beyond our control, and may reduce yields, create substitutions, or result in complete losses. For example, in 2012 we experienced significant flooding in June and July during the Fraser River freshet (we still managed to deliver boxes throughout the season, but with less diversity than normal). There is an element of risk involved in any CSA program.

The Farmers of the Glen Valley Organic Farm CSA commit to:

• delivering your CSA subscription to your designated pick-up location on the designated day;

• providing you with a weekly e-mail detailing the contents of your CSA box, providing information about the growing season, the crops and suggestions for using items in your box;

• responding to problems in a timely and efficient manner (our goal is to resolve issues within 24 hours of being reported);

• hosting an open house event at the farm for CSA members;

• providing you with the best and first selection of produce from our farm - we put our obligations to our CSA members ahead of all other markets and customers.

As member of the CSA, your are committing to:

• pay for your subscription in full by the dates you agreed to when signing up, or to ensure your payment plan commitments are met;

• pick up your weekly share of food from your chosen pickup location during the designated timeframe and be respectful of the location hosting your pick-up depot;

• assign someone else to pick-up your box and/or change or cancel your pickup location if you are unable to pick up your subscription of food on any given week. Unclaimed shares will be donated to an interested party or facility or composted. There are no refunds or credits for unclaimed boxes if you did not put your account on hold;

• manage your subscription account through the Farmigo program. This involves ensuring that your subscription information is accurate;

• report any problems with your subscription box within 24 hours of pick-up;

• open and read e-mails from Glen Valley Organic Farm and Farmigo (including payment notices) in order to stay informed of the status of the growing season, box contents, changes in CSA policy and special events and offers;

• leave your clean, empty CSA box at the pick-up depot on a weekly basis.

During the pandemic, we have been in direct communication with the Ministry of Agriculture and have worked under the guidance of local Health Authorities to bolster our food safety procedures and continually educate ourselves and our staff. Health and safety is an ongoing effort, even beyond a pendemic, and we continue to follow guidance as provided from health authorities and the ministry. We are committed to transparency and the safety of our CSA members and CSA location hosts that keep our program running.

Farmigo is the name of the software we use to manage our CSA program. It is where you can access our online store, make payments, place delivery holds and adjust your pickup location.

This link: https://csa.farmigo.com/account/glenvalleyorganicfarm will take you to the sign in page to create or sign in to your account.

Once you have signed in, your balance will be visible on the "My Account" page. A negative balance indicates funds owing. This could be the result of a payment coming due or an outstanding online store order.

A positive balance indicates you have funds available for spending in the online store.

(See screen shots, below, for reference)

Simply purchase an item as you would normally in the online store. At the checkout, your balance will automatically be adjusted to reflect any Farmigo Credits in your account.

If you are a half share subscriber, you can only place orders on weeks that you already have a delivery scheduled.

Log into your account and click on the "Delivery Hold" tab. Then input the dates you will be away!

Please see our delivery hold policy.

Once the hold is placed, Farmigo Credits will automatically be assigned to your account for the value of your delivery holds, to a maximum of 4 delivery hold dates a season. After four dates, the value of your box will be forfeit.

(See screen shots, below, for reference)

Yes! Log into your account and click on the change button in the green pickup site section. Please note that you are able to make delivery location chagnes to your account for the following week starting on Saturday, and until Monday morning at 8am. The change will be in effect for every following week until you change it back!

(See screen shots, below, for reference)

Each location is unique, and therefore has their own unique pickup instructions. Check your Farmigo account to find your pickup location instructions.

(See screen shots below, for reference)

Its very important to us that your questions about our program get answered!

Please read our Terms and Conditions, look over this FAQ page and explore your Farmigo account before sending us an email. If we receive emails whose questions we have already answered in writing on our website, you will be directed back to our website.

However, once you have familiarized yourself with our website and still can't find what you are looking for please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We want to help!

Please do send us an email: info@glenvalleycsa.com

If you'd like us to call you, please leave us your phone number and an indication of your availability.