Update 2020:
Imperfect Produce expanded itself to Imperfect Foods because their selection has widen to more than just surplus and damaged produce. We still get Imperfect Foods delivery about once a month, not for their “cheap” produce (to be honest, it’s not that cheap.)
We use Imperfect Foods because they have a wide selection of really cool products from snacks to sauces to meat to their own brand of snacks. We LOVE to explore and try these products we’ve never seen before — such as European grade butter, Swiss cream cheese, dark chocolate cherries from Japan, hipster cookies we would have never picked up in stores otherwise etc.
I love trying out products I’ve never see in stores – the produce part is an after thought because we can find cheaper produce at our local Asian market. But their selection of snacks, drinks, bread, butter, chocolates is pretty amazing. Shipping is still $5.99 for any box size which is very reasonable.
I made a mental note to look into Imperfect Produce. That was about 3 months ago. It slipped my mind until last Tuesday I saw an ad online and went, “ooooh, yes, I wanted to try it!”
(Short opening clip below)
With the $10 off coupon I received, I placed a medium size box (11-13 pounds). My pre-order estimate totaled $14-$16.
Get $10 Coupon (First Order Only!)
The coupon should apply after you confirm the order and confirm your selection for the week.
My actual total came out to be exactly 12 pounds and $14-$15 bucks before $4.99 shipping. So that’s pretty dead-on.
One thing to note…12 pounds INCLUDING the box it shipped in. I think we got 9-10 pounds of actual produce (it was a heavy box).
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Table of Contents
Why I’m Trying Imperfect Produce
I was interested in trying out Imperfect Produce the very first time I heard about it.
I’ve been very happy with my ThredUp (secondhand clothing) experiences and buying ugly produce seemed like it fit the motif.
If it seems like a good way to conserve and save money, count me in to try.
Plus, it was the ONLY one delivery related app service coming out of Silicon Valley that wasn’t…stupid.
By stupid I mean: wasteful and solving very minimal first world problems that majority of humanity don’t have.
Blue Apron? Pretty stupid, even worst execution.
Flower delivery? Honest to goodness dumb. What kinds of rich morons funds these? I was living in San Francisco when one of these flowery delivery startups launched. I can’t recall the name now but if I ordered a bouquet of flowers through them to be delivered to someone then I get $8 off my first order.
Wow -$8 flower delivery from my phone, my life begins today. *sarcasm* -_- I don’t what to know even say, is it cultural? I think the most impractical, wasteful, overpriced, impersonal way to greet someone is with flower delivery.
What is Imperfect Produce?
Imperfect produce is the general name for fruit and vegetables too cosmetically ugly to ever be allowed into your local grocery store.
(I wish you can do that with people — LOL so so so kidding!)
Imperfect Produce is the name of an Emeryville, California startup that ships you the store’s ugly and unwanted fruits and vegetables. The prices, therefore, should – theoretically – be a little cheaper and save consumers money.
Does it Fight Food Waste orrrr…?
Some people think Imperfect Produce is taking would-be donations to food banks etc., disguising it as Feel Good Purchase, and placing them into high-income families tables instead of poor families who need it.
I personally don’t think that’s true. Americans waste 20 billion pounds of food. That’s B, like as in, Billion. Which means we’re all basically shit heads when it comes to being food frugal.
Food Banks will get their food because there is a lot of imperfect waste to go around. There is enough food going to waste for everyone to get their fill.
The fact that grocery stores can reject produce based on tiny cosmetic imperfections paints how generally spoiled we are as a plentiful nation.
Plus, Imperfect Produce gives 33% off for EBT and SNAP benefit holders. This could be a good alternative for neighborhoods designated as food deserts.
ANYWAYS!
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Can You Save Money With Imperfect Produce?
So the REAL question is…did it save any money?
| Ordered Item | Imperfect Produce Price | Rough Retail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiwi | $1.79/lb | $1.69/lb | |
| Organic Beets | $1.89/lb | $1.99/lb | |
| Organic Grapes | $1.59/lb | $3.99/lb | |
| Apples | $1.29/lb | $2.99/lb | Why are apples so expensive in Seattle... |
| Onions | $.60/lb | $.70/lb | |
| D'anjou Pears | $1.19/lb | $1.99/lb | |
| Collard Greens | $1.59/lb | $2.99/bunch | |
| Limes | $1.75/lb | $1.35/lb | |
| Asian Pears | $2.34/3 each | $4/1 each | Asian pears are the yummiest pears, if one can find them, get them. |
| Ginger | $1.54/lb | $4.99/lb | |
| Total = | $15.57 + $4.99 shipping = $20.56* | $26.70 | *Before the $10 off code. |
I got about 9 pounds or so of the actual product.
Shipping cost is $4.99 per order, which isn’t too bad considering they’re shipping me a box of fruits and veggies (they’re heavy). I guess for the convenience since I don’t have to go produce shopping. That’s just us though, we live car-free so it saves me 30 minutes of work to go back and forth 🙂
Imperfect Produce did not save a significant amount of money after shipping costs. With a coupon, there were minuscule savings. But it didn’t cost an extra arm and a leg to get some really nice quality products without leaving your house.
Your miles may vary depending on what you order.
If you notice on the list, ginger and apples are significantly cheaper buying them through Imperfect Produce than my local grocers.
We didn’t buy avocado (just got a huge bag that day) but 3 count of them on Imperfect Produce goes for $1.59! That’s amazing! Avocados go for about $1/each here in Seattle ON SALE. Boo!
How Is the Quality of Imperfect Produce?
Excellent. The selection was pretty good too – I ordered 10 different things but the selection was probably around 30+ items.
I noted there were more labeled “surplus” than anything wrong with size, color, shape etc. The only thing that was wrong/not fresh was one single grape in the green grapes we got. I consider that normal. Every single bag of grapes I get from the grocery store has at least one busted grape. So it’s pretty much perfect to me 🙂
I tried both the pears, omgosh, so yums! The produce quality tastes better than the stuff my dad buys at the cheap Chinese market. The Chinese supermarket is about the same price but probably from lesser sources. On that front, I’m totally happy with Imperfect Produce.
Imperfect Tips & Strategies
*Familiarize yourself with local prices vs prices on Imperfect Produce. If I do it over again, I would double check the Asian pears, Anjou pears, avocado, beets, and grapes. They’re cheaper than my local grocers AND they taste better.
*Your miles will definitely vary. They need your zip code so check if the service is available in your area 🙂
*Buy ROOT vegetables, they’re easier to transport and takes longer to expire.
*Variations are unclear sometimes. I ordered beats and they look like those super red beets in the photo but they’re actually a slightly different variety of striped yellow beets. No real harm but just be mindful of variations.
Imperfect Produce Pros & Cons
Pro:
*Effortless to shop!
*Size choices great for all family sizes (from small to x-large).
*Fair selection of conventional + organic produce.
*Overnight delivery keeps things fresh and nice.
*Box was well chilled.
*Box had no padding material…that’s a pro/con depending on where you stand on padding material vs the environment thing.
*Not expensive.
Con:
*Not exceedingly inexpensive either.
*Shipping costs.
*You don’t get full control of what you get (ie. variations are sometimes unclear.)
*Limited delivery (only on Fridays).
*Limited location to only certain zip codes.
*Weekly or bi-monthly delivery schedules. Little customization.
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Who Would Imperfect Produce Benefit?
For those trying to trick themselves into eating and buying more fruits and vegetables, it’s a great service because when it’s in your house, you will reach for it.
In the grocery stores they have tons of other temptations to lead you away.
We don’t have a car so hefty produce(like melons and beets) are a rarer treat.
Families without cars or living in a food desert would benefit from Imperfect Produce too.
Those on EBT/food stamp benefits or anyone looking to shave a dollar off their grocery bill can benefit from Imperfect Produce too. None of the products I received was old and very few of them had detectable imperfections.
But if you live near many stores with great produce selection then it’s probably not worth getting Imperfect Produce because it isn’t much cheaper at all. Plus, you don’t have exact control over the variation selection or shipping schedule.
Would I Use Imperfect Again?
Ehhh. Yes maybe in winter when we’re snowed in but it’s not much of a money saver. The medium box would last a family of 2 for 2 weeks and a medium box will cost about $20ish+.
I said I needed to reach for more vegetables in my life than red meat. Most produce from Imperfect is a littttttle bit cheaper than getting it local from our grocers. The shipping cost balances it out any savings pretty much, except I don’t have to lift a finger. Without the coupon, I wouldn’t have jumped on it.
Get $10 Coupon (First Order Only!)
The coupon should apply after you confirm the order and confirm your selection for the week.
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OMG a huge bag of avocados for 1.59?! Avocado is life!! I def. would have tried imperfect produce if it were in Europe. In Norway, some stores actually sell imperfect fruits, eggs and vegetables for a reduced price, they don’t ship though 😛 My plan is to start my own little garden with vegetables and fruits when I retire, although I heard that some avocados can take 15+ years to grow…
Oh yeah you’re better off buying a baby avocado tree 🙂 and nursing that baby. Shave you a few sensitive years 🙂
Wow -$8 flower delivery from my phone, my life begins today.
Thanks for the chuckle this morning. There’s an outfit here on the East Coast called Hungry Harvest that’s been doing the imperfect produce thing for a while. I’ve been meaning to give it a try.
Yeah I wanted to try that!! The Frugal Girl has lots of reviews on them – check her out!
We are using imperfect too. It’s pretty good and I like it.
I find that something works better than others.
We’re disappointed with the apples, oranges, and pears. The supermarket apples are nicer.
Asian pears and pomegranates are good. Generally, most things are good, but a few I’ll avoid.
I didn’t know that Joe! Omg you should do a review. It has to be local, I thought the apples and pears etc. are really good up in Seattle!
The dollar savings doesn’t seem to be too great but avoiding a trip to the grocery store should factor into the equation. You save not only gas and wear and tear on your car, you save valuable time. That could make this worthwhile, especially since you note most items you received were marked “Excess” and not because they’re the he ugly duckling of the produce. Thanks for the review. I wonder if it’s available in my area?
Yes that’s true! 30 minutes of time + exhaustion of shopping should be worth more than $5. Plus the more you visit the store, more other things you buy other than produce.
Hmmm… the prices don’t actually seem all that great to be honest. I can get similar prices at my local asian market, and there I can at least pick through the bad produce.
Although that avocado price does sound pretty good!
I think the produce for me was really good quality, better than my local Asian food market, but nope it’s not cheaper by much!
What a great concept. Once good goes into your mouth your stomach doesn’t know if it was from a fruit that had blemishes or not.
It is sad how much food we waste because it lacks visual appeal. I know in Europe they have grocery stores that have bins of visually challenged fruit.
By the way we have the same weight scale. I’m a big fan of it.
Hahaha no way! That scale is so old, I thought you would have something a lot more sleek!
I really don’t mind ugly fruit as long as they’re still fresh, and it’s great if they’re discounted hehe. I usually dig through the fruit on sale at the Asian grocery store lol. $1 for a bag of 4 mangoes sounds like a steal to me. Sometimes I get 5 of those 😀
Mr. FAF is usually in charge of cooking, so he’s very particular about the veggies that he buys. It’s mostly Asian veggies (i.e. bokchoy, garlic stems) that are not available through these services. It sounds great though!
Ooh I didn’t know he’s in charge of cooking. Post some pics of his cooking!
The amount paid for the imperfect produce shipment was close to my frugal food budget of $1 a day. I already buy scratch-and-dent produce from two local stores that do markdowns. I got 5 lbs of collard greens for a dollar that were perfectly fine. You just have to cook them sooner and freeze portions for healthy recipes. Fruit becomes refrigerator jam or is chopped and frozen for smoothies. Most of what I buy marked down is preserved or made into soups, stews, and casseroles. Absolutely nothing goes to waste on my watch.
Great hacks and tricks Sandra! I can only dream of $1 collard greens. They’re so expensive up here for some reason. It’s about $2-3 for under a pound.
Thanks, Lily. I’ve been Depression Cooking for years. Stores like Kroger and Aldi provide the best produce deals, like $1 for a pound of greens, in my area. You have to be patient and snap them up when you can.
I was able to sign up for Monday deliveries in my city. Looking forward to trying it out with the $10 off coupon. I walk or take a bus most of the time, so regular home delivery of a customizable produce box could be helpful. I will split the price in my household to keep to my $1 a day “budget”. >^;^<
Hey what?!? 3 avocados for $1.59?! That’s a bargain especially around here in SF!! One large avocado goes the same price. I’ve heard of Imperfect before but didn’t get to see what their prices are. Thanks for the review Lily, I got to check it out now!!
I totally should have ordered the avocados for you guys to see. It did sounds like a steal. Not sure if the selection in SF is the same though.
This is absolutely the best review of Imperfect Produce that I’ve read. I especially appreciate you talking about the EBT/SNAP discount and possible food desert solution – important stuff we don’t worry about so much when we are frugal by choice and not necessity.
I was so pleasantly surprised they did that! Had to mention it 🙂
I don’t even eat fruits and veggies when I have them at home (though I always mean to!) So I don’t think this service is for me. However, I love that they have an EVT/Snap discount, and I’ll always support a company that’s trying to make the world a better place.
This sounds cool – I checked and they don’t deliver to my area 🙁 we used to do Bountiful Baskets, which is kind of like a bulk food co-op; I sort of fell off the wagon on that one but I may give it another go!
In San Antonio, the ugly produce is more than in grocery stores. I was disappointed, as I was looking forward to a “30%” savings. If you can’t deliver on price reduction, I’m not interested, regardless of how I’m told I should care. I get taxed too heavily as a middle-income earner to be able to care.
Yeah I agree, the prices didn’t seem that great to me, but it’s convenient for busy people with a lot going on.
Agreed! Not only is Imperfect produce way, way too expensive, the produce is borderline rotting by the time you get it. I tried two boxes and was extremely disappointed both times.
Yuppp! In deep winter, it’s a service I wouldn’t mind having if we are snowed in but it was not a deal I expected from ugly produce. Such potential of an idea though…but the better solution is to just make grocery markets carry the ugly stuff too at a discount rate themselves and save the consumer money. I wouldn’t mind eating ugly if it’s a good price and reduces waste.
Yes, the concept seemed good. I was in a Kroger yesterday and got some of their “ugly” produce at a deep discount. You can usually find a great bargain there. My way of keeping my food needs very frugal is to never buy any manufactured food so I have more to spend on organic produce.
I got 3 avocados for 1.99$ but they were the size of a golf ball. On the other side, the organic pears were great, at the same price, so it really depends. I think it’s fun to try though. Use a coupon, choose things you never tried or that are cheaper ( I got smoked salmon for 4.99$!) and get excited to open the box 😊