our Policies
Delivery & Schedule
Farmer at the Door is unique in that we are not a warehouse that stores goods until they are ordered. We have a precise schedule to follow to make this service happen and bring the freshest goods to your doorstep, each week. Our store is open Friday at 7 a.m.- Tuesday at Noon for orders. Seafood must be purchased by Noon on Mondays to ensure it ships from Boston on time for delivery. Any seafood ordered after this time will be delivered with a subsequent order.
Items ordered are gathered Thursdays, packed by the owners of the company early Friday mornings & out for delivery beginning at approximately 10 a.m. by our team of drivers, who truly care about your package, it's handling & delivery. Deliveries are completed by approximately 3 p.m., but please allow us until 5 p.m. to accomodate call outs or other issues. You will be notified of any delay past 5 p.m. *For severe snow storms, we may change delivery to Saturday, you will be notified via email.
For delivery conflicts due to vacations, please email Kate@farmeratthedoor.com who forms our delivery routes & can offer solutions.
Thanksgiving week delivery is Wednesday, with no Friday Delivery.
Please have check payments and returnable out by 9:30 a.m. Fridays to ensure driver pickup at delivery.
*Our $12 delivery fee makes our entire service go 'round! Half of it ensures that your order is delivered to you with care and that our drivers are happy! Tips for drivers are welcome, but not expected. The other half of the fee is what pays our drivers to pick up from many vendors, who cannot leave their busy businesses, to obtain your items. Our weekly clients are truly the reason this service can exist, and we all thank you!
Please click HERE for a current list of towns we deliver to. New towns will be added once we have enough clients in the area. Cick HERE to be added to our waiting list. Please, gather your neighbors and reach out to Jess @farmeratthedoor.com, $5 referal bonuses available.
We also deliver to offices & businesses. Special member rates and delivery apply, so please inquire by contacting Jess@farmeratthedoor.com. Town offices often have Health and Wellness grants available and we are happy to work with you and offer Monday delivery. (Item selection needs negotiation reguarding freezing of breads and freshness of goods requested). Proposals & invoices happily provided.
Refund Policy
Our partners work very hard to fulfill their orders, but mistakes and crop failures do occur. We appreciate your understanding of not only the weather, but inventory mistakes as well. There are many moving parts to make this service happen.
In most cases, missing items are replaceable and will be included in your next order if we don't hear from you. At times, when a crop failure occurs and no replacement is available, we will issue a coupon for the value of the missing item that you can use on your next purchase. If you prefer a refund because you no longer need the item, please email Jess@farmeratthedoor.com. Online refunds are only available for online payments, not for check purchases. Please email for solutions for check/cash refunds.
In the rare event you are unhappy with the product you recieve, please email photos of the issue and a description. Our vendors are presented with the issue and reserve the right to offer the solution. Farmer at the Door is not the producer of the items, only the distributor and we work with you and our vendor to find an appropriate solution.
Our Products
Our products are all unique to each farm/vendor we work with. Please visit OUR PARTNERS page to read about the companies we deliver for. Visiting their websites is a great way to learn about their specific practices and decide if their products are for you. Many of our 1,000 items will contain information in the descriptions, provided by our partners, reguarding ingredients and practices. Though none of our farms are certified organic, each goes above and beyond to provide natural, nutrient dense foods that improve the soil and environmental impact. We deliver for small & unique, Central Ma farms and businesses who pride themselves on meeting their local demands. From sustainable homesteads, & permaculture farms, to natural row cropping, to pastured & local grain supplemented meats & sustainably harvested seafood, our producers care about what goes in your body and keeping their land thriving for future generations!
Recycling & Returnables
Part of eating sustainably is reducing and reusing wherever possible. Our wax coated vegetable boxes and cooler liners help maintain freshness for delivery and keep your delivery fee to a minimum. Your return box should be out by 9:30 a.m. Fridays so our delivery drivers can retrieve them. We also welcome deli containers, onion bags, egg cartons from our farms (not grocery store containers), berry & tomato pint boxes, and we offer a $1 coupon for glass milk bottle & glass spice jar returns.
Your returns are sorted and sent back to our farms to help keep costs down. Some returns are not able to be re-used for the same purpose, but instead repurposed to help items be safer for travel, such as styrofoam or cardboard spacers and microgreens containers.
Memberships & Renewals
Why do we require a membership? Though we wish we could offer this service to everyone (and some day, we may find a way!), the reality of business expenses for a small company exist in excess. Our company is a sales, distrubution and delivery company all in one, working with over 30 other businesses each week to make this happen. Each department needs to excel to make the next succeed. Sometimes, this is not a reality for the small business owner. Memberships help buffer the cost of maintaining this service. No matter how many orders come in on a given week, our service must operate the same and has the same expenses(the same amount of driving and office hours needed for updating items). Membership also helps us expand and obtain new equipment, boxes and liners, unaccounted for customer service and office hours and in general make sure we can continue to help 30 farms and businesses continue to provide you with exceptional goods.
Membership renewals are quoted, upon request, with discounts for payment method, order frequency & for being a "good returner".
- Our Story -
In 2015, Farmer at the Door was born. Based on the dream of a mother, Lauren Parente, looking to provide nutrient rich, sustainable foods to her children. With so many amazing farms and small businesses in Massachussetts, she decided to help other people obtain these goods in a NEW way- doorstep delivery for farms!
In 2021, it was time to pass the incredible business Lauren built, to a farmer whose farm grew as Farmer at the Door grew over the years, Jessica Petrie- Cummings of Petrie Family Farm, Brimfield Ma.
With fresh eyes and new ambitions, Jessica and her husband Brian, set out to expand Farmer at the Door as a much needed staple, in the new world of delivery, as a way of life and not just a "nicety". Creating a regular source of income for small and growing farms isn't just a necessity for local food security, but helps reduce many of the issues small farms face. We invite you to join us on on this ground up, grassroots mission to provide people with the best foods Central Ma has to offer!