I recently got my first box from Imperfect Produce, and I was so excited that I decided to share my thoughts on the experience so far. This post is not sponsored; I just wanted to spread the word about a company that I believe is doing great things!

If you’re not already familiar with them, Imperfect Produce is a company that delivers the produce that has been rejected by grocery stores directly to consumers at a discount. According to their website, 1 in 5 fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. don’t meet the cosmetic standards of grocery stores, resulting in 20 billion pounds of produce going to waste every year. Items that are irregular in size, have surface scratches, are surplus, or are marked with expiration dates less than a few months away get rejected by grocery stores and could end up going to waste. That’s where Imperfect Produce comes in. By buying “imperfect” fruits and veggies, you can fight food waste support farmers, eat healthy, and save money.

Imperfect Produce is only available in select cities for now, but I have a feeling they will expand to more locations in the near future. I recently moved to a city where they are available, and I was so excited to try it out that I ordered my first box before I even finished unpacking!

One thing that I love about Imperfect Produce is there are several different boxes to choose from, and each one is fully customizable. I used to get community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes, and I had no say in the items I received. At first it was fun to try new vegetables and learn how to cook them, but after a while I got tired of trying to figure out what to do with items like beets, which I can’t stand, and carrots, which I love but had more than I knew what to do with. Imperfect Produce, on the other hand, makes it incredibly easy to customize your box on their website before it gets delivered.

I also think Imperfect Produce is much better value for money than my CSA box was. Imperfect Produce says their prices are up to 30% lower than grocery store prices. The organic produce box that I chose is approximately $20 (depending on the exact items you choose), plus $5 for shipping. My CSA box was also $20, but it came with far fewer items, and although the items were all locally grown, they weren’t necessarily organic. Also, I love that the Imperfect Produce box is delivered to me so I don’t have to go out of my way to pick it up like I did with the CSA box.

As far as the produce itself, the quality of my first box seemed really high. My boyfriend and were going through the box after it arrived, and neither of us could find any serious imperfections in the fruits and vegetables. The sweet potatoes were definitely a lot smaller than you would normally find in the grocery store, but otherwise everything looked great!

There are some items packaged in plastic (such as the carrots and mushrooms in this box), but considering the fact that these items may have gone to waste anyway if I hadn’t purchased them, I don’t mind so much. Plus, when you are customizing your box, the website tells you how certain items are packaged, so it’s actually pretty easy to avoid plastic packaging. For example, I swapped out the cherry tomatoes in clamshell packaging for regular size, package-free tomatoes.

I will definitely continue to order my fruits, vegetables, and the occasional miscellaneous item from Imperfect Produce, and if you live in a city where they deliver, I highly recommend you check them out too! Use this link to save $10 on your first Imperfect Produce box, and be sure to let me know what you think!