What makes TPB different than the grocery store?
In our 2024 Member Survey, some members voiced that products from The Produce Box are often more expensive than what you find at the grocery store. We get it, and we hear you! We promise we are taking your feedback to heart and striving to improve your member experience. We wanted to take this opportunity to explain some of the ways our service differs from the store. As you’ll see, it’s bit more like comparing apples to oranges than apples to apples!
We pay our farmers a fair price
Here’s a shocking statistic for you:
On average, farmers in the United States earn only 14.5 cents for every consumer dollar spent on domestically produced foods, and only six cents on each dollar spent on food away from home.
In contrast, Produce Box farmers and artisan partners retain 40-50% of every food dollar you spend with us. When you shop with TPB and cook at home, your local producers retain more of the value chain dollar–oftentimes, more than triple the national average!
Community over Corporate
Truthfully, we can’t always compete with the grocery store on pricing. We’re not corporate, and we don’t have corporate economies of scale backing our food delivery service. Our small team handles it all: from the sourcing of your goodies, to publishing the weekly menu, to packing the boxes and coordinating delivery to your door–not to mention supporting 25+ local non-profits like the Food Bank with fresh produce deliveries on a regular basis!
Most of our artisan partners are small businesses, too. Whether they’re a husband-wife enterprise (like Big Spoon Roasters) or a small team with a mission of employing single parents (like Raleigh Tamales), we love supporting our community over big corporations.
Woman-owned, Women-Powered
The Produce Box isn‘t just a woman-owned business– we are almost entirely women-powered! EVERY leadership and managerial position in our small business is occupied by women, and the majority of our Neighborhood Ambassador delivery drivers are women, too. In a world where 60% of managerial positions are held by men, this is a statistic we‘re proud of.
Delivery to your Door
You know this already- but a huge part of The Produce Box’s appeal (and part of what goes into our pricing structure) is that you can shop local from the comfort of your home and get your box delivered to your door. It‘s our mission to connect you to the best of North Carolina, and we‘d love the opportunity to continue to do so. Show your NA some love with a tip this week: many of our drivers are stay at home parents who enjoy the flexibility of TPB deliveries that allow them to make some extra income while being more present with their families.
Local Love: We’re in this Together
Though we do stock some non-local produce on the menu in order to provide you with variety, the foundation of our business has always been, and will continue to be, LOCAL. We partner with over 100 NC farmers and small businesses throughout the year to bring you your box– and behind every box is a story.
Your producers are a part of your community, and they are incredible people. They are farming the soil and raising families right here in our backyard. There‘s a heart and soul to this very box you‘re unpacking, and our goal is to connect you to that heart and soul.
Thank you for shopping with The Produce Box and voting with your dollar in support of a sustainable food system. We believe with all of our hearts in what we’re doing–and we hope you do, too.