Customer FAQs

When and Where do I pick up my order?

You can pick up your order at the Sewanee Community Center (behind the Sewanee Market on Ball Park Rd.) Tuesdays from 4:15 to 6:00 p.m. If you order a delivery your order will be delivered to your home on Tuesday evening. Please plan to pick your order up on time or to make alternate plans with the market manager. Left behind orders are subject to late fees and to being eaten by our often hungry volunteers. The South Cumberland Farmer’s Market, rooted here, the Sewanee Community Center, and the growers are not responsible for orders which are delivered or left behind.

How do I order?

Ordering takes place from 9 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Monday. Each Friday evening at 9 p.m., a reminder email is sent to all of our registered customers. Customers must place their order for the week no later than Monday at 10:00 a.m. Orders are placed on our shopfront at the Open Food Network. To order go to The Market and add items you want to order to your cart, and then go to checkout to complete your order. You will receive a confirmation email once your order has been placed. If you need help contact a market manager at cumberlandfm@gmail.com.

How do I pay?

You can pay by credit card when you place your order on the Open Food Network. In some cases, we will take a check when you pick up your order — get in touch with us if you do not have this option in your checkout screen and would like to pay this way. You may also pay by credit card or bank draft directly on the invoice sent to you by Tuesday morning. We cannot take cash at this time.

Do you offer shipping?

No. We offer pickup and local delivery to the Sewanee domain (for a fee) only.

Can I pick up my order late?

If you cannot make regular market pickup hours (4 - 6 p.m. on Tuesdays), you can select “after hours pickup” at checkout and we will store your order for up to three days.

Are there customer membership fees?

We do not charge a membership fee to shop on the online market. The online market charges customers a 9% virtual booth fee to cover overhead expenses and wages to our market manager and bookkeeper. This fee will be automatically added to your order total.

You may purchase a supporting membership for $35 if you wish to contribute to the work we do.

How do I volunteer?

You can join us on Tuesdays to help pack and bring orders to customers in the car pickup line. If you are interested in joining our board of directors, please get in touch!

Will I have to buy vegetables I don’t want?

Absolutely not!

Unlike some co-ops, buying clubs, or CSAs where everyone gets the same box (and you don’t know what you’re getting until you get it), with Locally Grown you get to order what you want, in the quantities that you want, from the farms that you want. The weekly email lists the produce, breads, meat, fresh flowers, and artisan goods available that week, and you can browse the items on this website before you place your order.

What does the 9% customer surcharge cover?

The market itself does not take a substantial profit from sales. We do however collect enough money to cover overhead expenses. The 9% virtual booth fee, and the 4.5% fee charged to growers cover these expenses. We pay a fee to run our website, and also to sell on the Open Food Network. We pay rent from our sales to the community center for the use of their building. The market managers receive $150 + 1% of sales per week. The rest goes toward paper, ink, checks, other supplies, accounting fees, bonuses for our hardworking employees, & volunteer credits.

Will you take my egg cartons, bags, and other containers?

Yes. If the container came from a grower at our market, we will return it to the growers. Please do not return containers that did not come from this market.

What if I don’t like something I purchased?

There have been occasions (rare ones) when customers were not satisfied with products that they received. If this happens please let us know. Email the grower and the market managers and we will refund your money. We welcome all feedback and negative feedback is especially important in ensuring high quality in the future.

What does “non-certified organic” mean?

Many of our growers are very small. They abide by the USDA National Organic Standards but they are not certified by a third party. This is not because the national standards are too rigorous (many think they are quite lax in some respects) but because the process is too expensive. Growers are encouraged to describe their management on their grower page and in their product listings.

Certified Naturally Grown is a non-profit program that certifies small farmers. The standards are a little more strict than the USDA Organic Standards and the cost to the farmer is much lower because it involves a peer review process and not a government bureaucracy. We currently have several growers who are Certified Naturally Grown.

What do the designations Certified Naturally Grown, Conventionl, No Chem, and USDA Certified Organic mean?

Certified Naturally Grown denotes farmers who are registered with Certified Naturally Grown, a non-profit program that certifies small farmers. The standards are a little more strict than the USDA Organic Standards and the cost to the farmer is much lower because it involves a peer review process and not a government bureaucracy.

Conventional denotes farmers who use chemical fertilizer and/or weed and pest control methods forbidden by the USDA National Organic Standards.

No Chem denotes non-certified organic farmers who abide by the USDA National Organic Standards, but are not registered with the program. This is not because the national standards are too rigorous (many think they are quite lax in some respects) but because the process is too expensive.

USDA Certified Organic denotes farmers who are certified organic by the USDA and abide by the USDA National Organic Standards.

N/A means not applicable, a designation for producers who sells goods other than produce.