What to Buy Food Food & Meal Delivery Best Produce Delivery Services Hungry Harvest is our pick for the best overall produce delivery service. By Pete Scherer Pete Scherer Pete Scherer is a cook and baker with a decade of experience across many facets of the Southern California food scene. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 1, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Photo: PIKSEL / Getty Images Generally speaking, there are three kinds of produce delivery companies: specialty produce growers and/or distributors, gift companies, and what we’ll term “food system foragers.” The first two types focus on delivering standard, premium, and exotic produce. The third type — the food system forager — focuses on procuring and distributing produce that the food system has rejected, usually for reasons that have nothing to do with quality, such as appearance or overabundance. Whatever a company’s particular focus, the best produce delivery services are devoted primarily to quality and freshness. The top companies make it easy to find what you’re looking for, ship it to your door in peak condition, and support you with friendly, helpful customer service. Whether you’re looking for a seasonal rarity or substantial savings on your weekly groceries, there’s a produce delivery service for you. Best Produce Delivery Services of 2023 Best Overall: Hungry Harvest Best Value: Misfits Market Best Same-Day Delivery: FreshDirect Best for Gifts: Harry & David Best Variety: Melissa's Best for Fruit: The Fruit Company Best for Vegetables: The Chef's Garden Best for Reducing Food Waste: Imperfect Foods Best Overall: Hungry Harvest Hungry Harvest Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $15 per deliveryDelivery Area: 5 statesFree Shipping? Yes, on orders over $30 Why You Should Try It Hungry Harvest “rescues” produce and a wide variety of other grocery items that might otherwise go to waste. Pros and Cons Pros Rescued produce reduces food waste Organic options Offers additional grocery items Cons Limited delivery area Overview Hungry Harvest “rescues” produce that might otherwise go to waste due to superficial characteristics, like odd shapes and sizes or supply/demand imbalances. The company has two sites: a subscription site for customers within its delivery area, and an on-demand store that ships orders via UPS to customers slightly further afield. On the subscription side, the company offers eight different produce boxes, which it calls “Harvests.” The company also offers other categories of groceries, from baked goods to beverages. Pricing and Plans Harvest boxes range from $15 to $42 and up per deliveryWeekly and biweekly subscriptions are available Best Value: Misfits Market Misfits Market Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $35 per deliveryDelivery Area: 48 statesFree Shipping? No Why You Should Try It Misfits Market offers a ton of flexibility and value with its produce and grocery delivery service. Pros and Cons Pros Both à la carte and subscription plans available Offers a wide range of groceries Wine also available Cons May not be able to choose your delivery day Overview Because Misfits Market finds deals at the margins of the food system, available items vary from week to week, as the procurement team searches for surplus or imperfect products. Your shopping window opens for three days every week, during which time you’ll have the opportunity to customize your box. When the window closes, you’ll be charged and your box will ship. The company is in the process of merging with Imperfect Foods, so stay tuned for updated offerings. Pricing and Plans $35 order minimumSubscribe weekly or place orders manually Best Same-Day Delivery: FreshDirect FreshDirect Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $30 per deliveryDelivery Area: Greater New York City-areaFree Shipping? Yes, for subscribers Why You Should Try It FreshDirect is a full-service online grocery store offering same-day delivery. Pros and Cons Pros Huge selection Mobile app Wide variety of groceries Cons Very limited delivery area Overview FreshDirect is a full-service online grocery store with an exceptional selection: all the usual stuff, as well as produce that most people will never see in a local grocery store, like fresh black winter truffles and foraged pecans. Microgreens, exotic fruit, precut produce, and organics are all available. Become a DeliveryPass subscriber, and you’ll get unlimited free deliveries plus the ability to reserve a specific time slot. Additionally, select items are available for Express Delivery within two hours. Pricing and Plans A 7-days-a-week DeliveryPass subscription costs $79 for six months or $129 for a full yearA Tuesday-through-Thursday DeliveryPass costs $39 for six months Best for Gifts: Harry & David Harry & David Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $20 per deliveryDelivery Area: 50 statesFree Shipping? Yes, for Passport members Why You Should Try It When you need to gift the most beautiful produce that money can buy, check out Harry & David. Pros and Cons Pros Beautiful, high-quality fruit and vegetables Attractive assortments Organic options Cons A bit pricey Overview Harry & David is a popular and reliable choice for high-quality gifts of fruit, fruit assortments, and monthly fruit clubs. The company is especially famous for its Oregon-grown Royal Riviera pears, which look like they were plucked from a still-life painting. Harry & David has veggie assortments too, and even a veggie of the month club. You can also find a few seasonal delicacies like white asparagus, green tomatoes, and Jerusalem artichokes. Pricing and Plans Monthly fruit and veggie clubs start at $29 a monthThe Celebrations Passport program costs $30 per year Best Variety: Melissa’s Melissa's Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $6.19 per deliveryDelivery Area: 50 statesFree Shipping? Yes, on select items Why You Should Try It Melissa’s offers an extraordinary variety of top-quality produce. Pros and Cons Pros Hard-to-find products Organic options No minimum order Cons Very limited free shipping Overview Melissa’s is a specialty produce distributor, meaning that if you need to get your hands on some kiwano horned melons, cactus pears, or goldenberries, the company can deliver all of it — not to mention a few pounds of organic carrots, as well. The variety available from Melissa’s is truly extraordinary. In addition to fruit and vegetables, you’ll also find grains, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, beans, dried fruits, herbs, and more. And for further inspiration, the website has a huge collection of fantastic recipes. Pricing and Plans Pricing will vary by selection for most items. You can also join Melissa’s Exotic Fruit Club, with pricing as follows: $124 for 3 months $229 for 6 months$404 for 12 months Best for Fruit: The Fruit Company The Fruit Company Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $34 per deliveryDelivery Area: 50 statesFree Shipping? Yes, on select items Why You Should Try It With its exceptionally designed fruit boxes and baskets, it’s clear that The Fruit Company views fruit gifting as an art. Pros and Cons Pros Elegant packaging Fast shipping Cons A bit pricey Overview The Fruit Company grows and sources top-quality fruit. You can order everything from a small box of apples to the Ultimate Gourmet Gift Box (featuring seven kinds of fruit, plus snacks and sweets) to a 12-month exotic fruit subscription. The various fruit towers, boxes, and baskets are all beautifully packaged with style and sophistication. The Fruit Company also has one of the fastest shipping turnarounds on this list, with the possibility of same-day shipping for next-day delivery. Pricing and Plans Monthly Fruit Clubs range from $139 to $1,849, depending on type, size, and durationAll Monthly Fruit Clubs include free standard shipping Best for Vegetables: The Chef’s Garden The Chef’s Garden Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: $69 per deliveryDelivery Area: 50 statesFree Shipping? No Why You Should Try It The Chef’s Garden delivers fine dining–quality veggies to your door. Pros and Cons Pros Regeneratively farmed produce Great recipes section Build your own wellness box Cons Seasonality limits selection Overview The Chef’s Garden, also known to home cooks as Farmer Jones Farm at The Chef’s Garden, is a boutique regenerative farm located next to Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio. For many years the company dealt exclusively with high-end restaurants, but during the pandemic, the farm created an online store to serve home cooks as well. The Chef’s Garden offers many kinds of products, but the stars are definitely the vegetables. All vegetable boxes are available as standalone orders or by subscription, and shipping costs are surprisingly reasonable. Pricing and Plans Vegetable boxes range from $69 to $200Subscribers save 5% Best for Reducing Food Waste: Imperfect Foods Imperfect Foods Sign Up Now Key Specs Starting Price: Varies by selectionDelivery Area: 32 statesFree Shipping? Yes, on orders over $60 Why You Should Try It When it comes to reducing food waste, Imperfect Foods has a strong track record. Pros and Cons Pros Customizable orders Organic options Company picks up used packaging for reuse and recycling Cons Somewhat limited delivery area Product availability changes frequently Overview Imperfect Foods saved 50 million pounds of food from going to waste in 2020 alone. You can choose from regular, all-fruit, all-veggie, and organic boxes, and you can customize your box no matter which plan you choose. The weekly or biweekly boxes come in four sizes: small, medium, large, and extra-large. Imperfect Foods is in the process of merging with Misfits Market; for the time being, it looks like the services will stay separate on the front end while the back end goes through the integration process. Pricing and Plans All items are priced individuallyDelivery fee (for orders under $60) is $6 Final Verdict Hungry Harvest is our pick for the best overall produce delivery service. We were impressed by the company’s selection and the quality of its website. Most produce “rescue” companies don’t allow you to browse any products or prices outside of your “shopping window,” but Hungry Harvest does. While the company currently only delivers to a handful of states, we’re hopeful that Hungry Harvest will expand soon to serve a wider audience. Compare the Best Produce Delivery Services Company Starting Price Delivery Area Free Shipping? Subscription Option? Same-/Next-Day Shipping Available? Best Overall Hungry Harvest $15 per delivery 5 states Yes, on orders over $30 Yes No Best Value Misfits Market $25 per delivery 48 states No Yes No Best Same-Day Delivery Fresh Direct $30 per delivery Greater NYC Yes, for subscribers Yes Yes Best for Gifts Harry & David $29 per delivery 50 states Yes, for Passport members Yes Yes Best Variety Melissa’s $6.19 per delivery 50 states Yes, on select items Yes Yes Best for Fruit The Fruit Company $34 per delivery 50 states Yes, on select items Yes Yes Best for Vegetables The Chef’s Garden $69 per delivery 50 states No Yes Yes Best for Reducing Food Waste Imperfect Foods Varies by selection 32 states Yes, on orders over $60 Yes No Frequently Asked Questions What Are Produce Delivery Services? Generally, produce delivery services fall into one of three categories: gourmet specialty, gifts, and food rescue/upcycling. But they all have one thing in common, regardless of approach: online ordering for home delivery. Whether you want to place a one-time order for a rare ingredient, a weekly box of regular fruits and vegetables, or a unique gift, there’s a produce delivery service out there for you. How Much Do Produce Delivery Services Cost? The cost of produce delivery services can vary depending on several factors, such as the location, the size of the order, the frequency of deliveries, and the type of produce being ordered. Some services may also offer subscription-based plans that provide regular deliveries of fresh produce at a discounted price. On average, produce delivery services can cost anywhere from $20 to $70 per delivery, depending on the factors mentioned above. Do Produce Delivery Services Include Organic Food? Many produce delivery services offer organic food as an option, and some may specialize in organic produce. If you're looking for organic produce delivery, make sure to look for a service that specifically offers organic options. Some services may also indicate which produce items are organic on their websites or ordering platforms so you can make an informed decision. Methodology We evaluated over a dozen different produce delivery services and considered key factors like quality, selection, delivery options, pricing and value, customer service, and sustainability. We then sorted the services into different categories and ranked them according to their performance in the above-mentioned areas. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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