FAQ – Community Supported Grocery

What is csg exactly?

Its like a CSA but way more. Rather than just one farm, we pull together the hundreds of local farmers & producers we work with to aggregate produce, pantry, dairy, butcher, and lots more. Rather than compete with our farmers, we aim to give them an addtional revenue stream. Based on whats in season, we curate a menu and deliver the goods to your door. Each week's menu focuses on seasonally-focused vegetables and fruit. The weekly grocery bundles also include pasture-raised eggs and naturally-leavened, crusty bread. We offer different bundle sizes to meet everyone’s needs, on a weekly subscription-based platform. We also have an online shop full of local goods, so you’re able to customize your order by adding items onto your seasonal bundle. What else makes us different from a CSA? We do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions, some dietary preferences and all food allergies. We also offer speedy customer service - you have an actual person you can reach out to when you have a question! Oh yeah, we’re also a team of locavores that come from the kitchens of Charleston! You’ll see that we use restaurant lingo quite often to keep things fresh. Sounding like a pretty sweet service? Keep reading for more information!

How do I sign up?

Easy. Click the button below! At certain times, we have a short waitlist so it may take a week to approve your account. Once approved, you’ll receive an email confirmation from us with steps on how to create your account and choose the bundle that works for you. The email will also include information on your delivery day.

Click Here Fam

What are my options & how do I pay?

We offer 5 different bundle options. You can switch to a different bundle size anytime in the future if needed. Here are options:

[] Staples $21: healthy essentials + 12 good eggs (reserved for SNAP/EBT/GRx customers*)
[] Single $32: awesome local produce + crusty bread + 6 good eggs
[] Double $52: more awesome local produce + crusty bread + 12 good eggs
[] Family $77: everything above + milk + coffee
[] Baller $102: everything above + baller stuff + 1st dibs on specialty and unique produce from small farm hauls (best bang for your buck!)

*EBT/SNAP applicable for all options. Healthy Bucks program: Buy $5 EBT, Get $15 Free Produce

Sub-question: How do I Pay?
You’ll be able to pay via debit card, credit card or Apple pay. We process all payments automatically early in the morning on Sundays for the upcoming week's delivery.

*EBT/SNAP & Healthy Bucks - Call us at (843) 609-8188 for more information on our payment process.

hold up, can I customize my order?

Um, YES. We take dietary restrictions and certain modifications very seriously. We support local farms by planning months ahead of time to make sure that we have an assortment of seasonal produce to offer each week. Keep in mind though, farmers rely on us meeting these commitments to financially sustain their farms. For that reason we do not offer fully customizable bundles and we can’t accommodate ya if you simply dislike something or are sick of it. Eating local is a commitment to eating what is in season! We encourage creativity and can always offer guidance if needed on cooking seasonal items.

Elevate your bundle! In addition to your weekly bundle, you will have the opportunity to add items to your delivery from our pantry, freezer and refrigerator from our online shop. You’ll be able to shop for these items the day before your delivery to ensure you receive the freshest items. These items will be charged separate from your bundle payment.

WHAT ABOUT food allergies and dietary restrictions?

We understand that food allergies and restrictions are a common concern. We accommodate food allergies and dietary restrictions such as dairy free, gluten free, soy & nut allergies and more. When you sign up you’ll be able to tell us about your allergies and restrictions. If your restrictions ever change you can always email us with any updates.

How will I know what to expect each week?

Each Friday we email CSG members a menu outlining a forecast for the upcoming week's bundles. We intentionally call it a “forecasted” menu, because when you’re working with small, local farms vs large commercial farms, things can change quickly. Weather, logistics, box shortages, etc. all can have an effect. These forecast are typically 90-100% accurate. Don’t worry, we always have a plan B and will alert you of menu changes.

Can i order a la carte?

If you're a CSG member, you get to order a la carte Add-Ons from an inventory of nearly 500 local items! The only catch is that your Add-On order window is open to you one day prior to your delivery. That's because we're dealing with local farmers who are dealing with Mother Nature so we don't want to guarantee those rainbow carrots or satsuma oranges until they're in the warehouse! As mentioned above, you can really elevate your weekly bundle via our Add-On shop! It's a locavore's dream shop - imagine access to specialty/unique local produce, locally made hot sauces, coffee, butter, kombuchas and so much more! You'll receive an email from us the day before your delivery with product highlights. That'll be your que that the shop is open!

When will I get my CSG delivery?

Depends on where you live in the Holy City and Soda City aka Columbia. Peek our current delivery schedule:

TUESDAY (10am-6pm): All GroceryRx Patients, North Chas (except Park Circle), Hannahan/Goose Creek, Summerville, Johns Island, Columbia
WEDNESDAY (9am-7pm): West Ashley, James Island, Folly Beach
THURSDAY (9am-7pm): Downtown & North Charleston (Park Circle)
FRIDAY (9am-7pm): Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, IOP/Sullivans Island, Dewees

We currently charge between $3.85 - $5.25 delivery fee depending on your proximity to our warehouse and average fuel prices. Our delivery times can fluctuate with our farmers, so please leave a cooler or insulated bag and ice packs outside for our driver to place your groceries into.

What if we're out of town or need to skip?

We understand you may need to skip a delivery every once in a while. We have the option to Skip or Pay it Forward (donate your bundle to someone in need.) We do ask that you limit non Pay it Forward skips to once per quarter or 4x year. Skips affect everything we do from delivery time consistency, to offering our local farmers commitment and stability. Read more on how to skip weeks and about our amazing Pay it Forward program.

Skip: Automatic billing processes on Sundays for the upcoming delivery. To avoid getting billed, skips need to be processed by end of day Friday for the upcoming week you want to skip. When you are signed into your account: click your name in the top right → scroll down until you see the red button that says "Click to Skip!" -> click that button and then scroll down until you see your Billing Schedule. Under your billing schedule you can skip your upcoming delivery.

Pay it Forward: CSG shares the same mission with Lowcountry Street Grocery in addressing healthy food access and food insecurity here in the Lowcountry. CSG donates and subsidizes about 75-100 (Neighbor 2 Neighbor" (N2N) bundles each week, which is made possible through our inherent "Robinhood Economics" biz model, some generous CSG fam contributions, as well as those who choose to pay their bundle forward during skipped weeks. If you feel led to do so, you may consider donating your bundle during a skipped week. To Pay it Forward you can fill out this quick form.

*Learn more about Grocery Rx here: [The Post & Courier June 2020]

Can I pause my subscription/deliveries if needed?

We understand that sometimes skipping a week or two isn’t enough. If you wish to pause your subscription for a month or so please email hello@lowcountrystreetgrocery.com. We’ll pause your deliveries until you’re ready for them again. Please reach out to us at least a week before you need to pause to avoid getting charged. If longer than a month, we might have to open up your spot to someone on the waiting list!

Can I cancel my subscription?

We hate to see you go but we understand sometimes you may move out of state, etc.! You can cancel at any time. We just need a 7 day heads up! If you need to cancel your subscription please reach out to hello@lowcountrystreetgrocery.com. Please do so at least 7 days before you need to cancel to avoid getting charged.

is everything organic?

Glad you asked. Not exactly, but yeah close. Here's why: just like our mobile farmers' market, we prioritize knowing our farmer than trusting a label -> read more here: LSG: Where Community & Food Co-Exist (CCP2019). For instance, Fireant Farms is not organic. They're actually one-upping those certifications by practicing "beyond organic" - 100% biodynamic, no-till, quadrant rotation on no more than 2 acres of land. Anthony & Ellen are not looking for a USDA organic label b/c its costly and the barriers that easily disqualify small vegetable farms. Additionally, we prioritize food equity and that includes the health and nutrition value of the food that we promote and sell. We wouldn’t sell anything to folks that we wouldn’t be comfortable feeding our very own families. We do take sustainability very seriously and do everything that we can to be great stewards of our community while nurturing the land and resources that provide for us. That means that we’re pretty picky. However, we’re not quite to the point where most affordable produce is grown sustainably, whether “beyond organic” or certified organic. But we’re pushing hard to get there. So, you can expect at minimum a 90% organic/beyond organic/no spray and 10% conventional mix within our inventory depending on the season and availability. Unlike most box stores you'll notice we apply pressure to commodity growers.

Are there opportunities to volunteer?

Since we're technically a good business (instead of a charity), we don't feel right about relying on too many volunteers. However, occasionally opportunities do indeed arise, especially with our Grocery Rx program! If you are interested in volunteering with us, fill out our volunteer form.