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The Best Produce Delivery Services in Johannesburg

ByThe Scribs & Nibs

I’m on the search for the best produce delivery services in Johannesburg. I’ve tried two delivery services so far, though I’ve attempted three (read till the end for that drama), and I’m impressed! Sure, you can go to the grocery store but why bother when you can get fresh fruits and veggies delivered straight to your door?

(Unless, of course, you’ve got a green thumb and can manage to make more than one tomatoes grow in your garden, unlike me…)

Why order from a produce delivery service?

I promise I’m not totally lazy. Though, to be honest, I have ordered a produce box to be delivered instead of walking to the grocery store.

I first got into produce delivery services while living in DC after a friend shared a 50% off code for Hungry Harvest. This company takes fruits and veggies that groceries stores turn away for being too big, too small, or weird shapes. We used them for about 2 years.

While sitting in DC waiting to move to Joburg, we looked up options for produce delivery like we were using at the time. It took us about a month or so before I started experimenting.

I like the concept of getting fresh veggies and fruits straight from farmers. I expect that there are fewer middlemen involved and that the fruits and veggies are what is in season. I also like getting veggies that I may not normally pick up in Checkers so I’m forced to experiment more. (Except with chard. If you learn one thing about me, it is that I hate chard with a passion).

What do I look for in the best produce delivery service in Johannesburg?

  • Enough produce for 2 people.
  • Fruits and veggies are included in the box.
  • Ability to customize fruits and veggies. For example, I absolutely hate chard so I never want to receive it…
  • Reliable delivery dates.
  • Good communication from the produce company.
  • Reasonable prices.
  • Limited plastic.

Keep in mind there are other companies out there, but these are the produce delivery services I’ve looked at and considered.

How long do the boxes last?

Depending on how much we eat out and how fancy we get with our meals, we usually run through a box in about 10 days. In higher levels of lockdown when we weren’t eating out much, I ordered a box per week. If you rarely eat out, then you’d probably want a box a week.

I still head to the grocery store for specific veggies or fruits I want.

Farm Fresh Online

Farm Fresh Online sources its fruits and veggies from the Joburg Fresh Produce Market. The market, according to its website, is the biggest fresh produce market in South Africa and there is a huge traffic jam that Farm Fresh suffers for you to get the veggies.

Basically, Farm Fresh goes to the market for you, gets what is in season, and then drops it off at your door.

One-liner: All in all, for R240 Farm Fresh is an awesome deal for super fresh veggies and fruits.

Our small fruit and veg box with Oct 2021 in-season veggies. I requested extra tomatoes instead of onions.

Box options and cost

Produce is chosen depending on what is available locally. You won’t really know what you’re getting but just make a note if you want or don’t want anything. Farm Fresh Online offers veggies & fruit options, fruit-only, and veggie-only boxes.

The best option for 2 people is the small Fruit & Veg box for R240.

No organic option is available.

Delivery

There are 2 delivery dates in Joburg: Tuesday and Thursday. I like this because if I still have veggies from the previous week, then I can make a delivery later in the week. There is also a recurring order option so you don’t need to think too much about grocery shopping.

Customization

You can make a note in the order to exclude certain veggies and request others instead (like tomatoes). It’s also easy to add on other products, like eggs.

Communication with Farm Fresh is easy—you can email or WhatsApp. I’ve Whatsapped to clarify orders and have had fast responses. Once I had to message to request no chard…

Plastic

Plastic is limited in most cases. Most small items will come in a brown bag. However, things like blueberries or raspberries will come in plastic, as well as your cucumber. (WHY is that? The cucumber plastic is so annoying…)

Ubuntu Project Africa

Ubuntu is a Zulu word with meanings along the lines of “humanity” and “I am because you are.” It is common to hear “the spirit of ubuntu,” while you’re in South Africa. The Ubuntu Project injects this spirit into its gardens. The organization supports families that grow and sell food to earn an income around Johannesburg in the Orange Farm township.

One-liner: Great veggies that support farmers and their families but no fruits are available.

Our Couples Fresh Box with Oct 2021 in-season veggies.

Box options and cost

There are two box options available for order online: the Big Fresh (R300) and the Couples Fresh (R200). Eggs are included automatically in the order. Add R30 for your delivery charge.

Ubuntu Project states that their farmers do not use pesticides or GMO crops.

Delivery

Deliveries take place throughout the week depending on where you live around Joburg. If you’re in the Northern Suburbs or Inner-City, you’ll have two delivery options a week: Monday and Friday. Vaal area delivery is on Tuesday, West Rand is on Wednesday, and East Rand is on Thursday.

Customization

You can customize your fruits and veggies by emailing the company directly or via phone. I found this an extra step compared to how I can input my customization needs in Farm Fresh’s order system directly. Although I hoped I wouldn’t get chard because I didn’t make the effort to call or email, I ended up with a HUGE bunch of chard that I somehow managed to make into delish crispy chard chips.

Plastic

Almost no plastic at all was included except for the wrapping on the eggs. Yay! Not even the cucumber was wrapped. Loved that.

Babylonstoren

An insanely popular vineyard destination in Cape Town, Babylonstoren recently launched their Farm Shop in Johannesburg.

Season box on the top left. All the extra goodies I ordered on the top right.

Box options and cost

Their seasonal harvest box suits around 2 people. It costs R300. You can get a separate fruit box for R175 and also add on several extras like herbs and avos and other products from their store. I liked the medium staple box for R65 as well.

Just this week I saw a fun “teriyaki” box with Japanese-inspired veggies and a berry salad box.

Customization

You can customize your order by putting notes in your order. I requested no chard in my veggie box and extra onions instead of potatoes in my staples box. It’s easy to add on many extra items that are available in the Babylonstoren shop (including wine, oils, and home products)

Delivery

Delivery is free over R500, but if you’re planning to get a box on the regular then you’ll pay R390 for your seasonal veggie box as shipping isn’t included. Online it suggests that next-day delivery is available in Johannesburg, but I don’t think that includes weekends. I ordered on a Saturday and the first available delivery was for Tuesday. It’s nice that there is the option to pick which day you’d like the box.

You’ll have to enter your address to see if Babylonstoren delivers to your neighborhood. Do this first because the cost changes (at least between Johannesburg and Cape Town).

Plastic

Almost no plastic was included in the seasonal veggie box except for the mushroom lid cover. Why didn’t they use a simple brown bag instead?

Other Fresh Produce Boxes in Johannesburg

I haven’t tried the boxes I’ve listed below. However, they are great options that make the best produce delivery services in Johannesburg list as I’ve considered ordering from them. If they suit your needs, great! Please order and let me know what you think.

The Munching Mongoose

The Munching Mongoose was one of the very first companies we looked up when we moved to Joburg. They have all-inclusive-style boxes that don’t really appeal to me. However, for people who don’t want to go to Checkers or Woolworths at all, then this is a great option. The Munching Mongoose has boxes for several diets like vegan, low-carb, and plant-based. The best option for a couple is the Midi box that costs R600 and includes not only vegetables but also 1 “surprise,” 2 milk bottles, eggs, bread, and 2 kinds of cheese.

Wensleydale Farms

We attempted to order from Wensleydale Farms but it was a mess. I’m not saying that to deter you completely, but we never got our box. They don’t have good reviews on google for their deliveries either so just be aware of this if you’re planning on ordering from them. I eventually got my money back after a month only after Wensleydale said they would try to deliver twice. They were also very difficult to get a hold of on the phone or by email (though I was not aggressive in my attempts). This was in January 2021 so things may have changed.

You can kinda make-your-own box with the huge array of fruits and veggies listed on the Wensleydale Farms site or choose from the mini, medium, or jumbo boxes that seem super reasonable (R110-R275). They also have a stall at Bryanston Organic & Natural Market on Thursdays and Saturdays, so you may just want to go there directly instead of ordering online.

Bonus Food Stuff

Bonus: The Compost Kitchen

With all the veggies you’ll be getting, you should be composting! I use Compost Kitchen to collect our compost. We fill up a pail and it gets picked up once a month. In return, we get compost soil that we can put on our plants. Recently, we’ve requested to not receive compost soil because our plants are dying and there is no point… ha. The Compost Kitchen costs around R2000/year.

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