Reviews for: Joy of Organics Produce Buying Club

I?ve participated in this co-op for over a year. Recently, I?ve struggled with some health issues, where I needed certain veggies in copious quantities and less of others. Also, I noticed several of the items were decaying quickly, before I had the chance to consume them. I wrote asking Joy for guidance and received no response. After a few days, I sent a follow up email with the decision to cancel, because it seemed in my best interest. I felt sad, because I really loved supporting local farmers.

Her response to everything? ?Good luck with Costco. I?m sure they?re super high quality.?

First off, I?ve never stepped foot into Costco. I?ve shopped Whole Foods or farmers markets my entire life. Second, I sent a response explaining my situation and how I felt her response lacked empathy or basic kindness.

Her follow up? ??I?m sorry but Costco is really not good quality.?

There are other Co-ops out there to support doing the same work as Joy where people are treated with respect.

Thank you

My friend told me about this produce buying club; she has been going for 2 years. I started six months ago and absolutely love it! I look forward to every other Wednesday to pick up my half share and have a small plate dinner that is lovingly and knowledgeably prepared by Joy. It's one place that I can eat without having to check every single ingredient because I know it's going to be clean, safe, organic, wonderful food. And the people coming to pick up their shares are a fantastic group of like-minded people. I've met many friends there. Some people just come pick up and don't stay to eat, and that's fine too.

I'm single and the half share of produce is just perfect for me. I rarely run out and I never have to throw anything away. My grocery shopping has diminished greatly, which saves me time. And I'm a bargain shopper. Believe me; I've priced it out; it's WAY cheaper than what I was getting before at WF. Can't live without this group now.

Joy is a wonderful host who always chooses the best produce. I have been a member since 2011. I don't know what I would do without Joy's produce to feed my hungry home. Great price and wonderful selection. She also is a wonderful cook who always surprises you with her samples when you pick up. Highly recommend this group!

I lived with Joy for 6 months till recent time. After a month of tenancy we became good friends. At that time I found myself in a bad financial situation, Joy realized that and without asking me for it she let me live in her house for free. During the 6 months period that I lived with Joy and her husband, she treated me with nothing but respect, kindness and friendship, as I mentioned before Joy wanted nothing in return and even when I wanted to help her, she insisted to do it by herself. Once in a while Joy brings her mom from the nursing home to her house to socialize and I very liked to see the light in her eyes when she met all people that coming to produce group and collecting their weekly supply. Thank you so much JOY, love you, miss you! Sergey

Joy's products and services have been excellent. Whenever the supplier fell short, Joy sought remedies, replacements, and/or compensation. Although most of these products can be found by shopping around, others cannot match the value or ease of Joy's program. If one looked at the average per pound price of products such as these, Joy's packages are a good deal, let alone the fuel costs of multiple trips. It is just a "plus" that she is a fine and clever cook, whom I have also hired for private catering--to the pleasure of my guests

I have been a member of this organic buying club since 2009. Joy is an amazing hostess who goes over and above to make everyone feel welcomed and valued. She creates a family environment and connects beautiful people together. The produce is fresh and abundant. I've been vegan for about 30 years, and feel very happy about the variety and quality of the produce shares I receive from Joy. If I didn't live alone and travel frequently for work, I would pick up a full share every time...but, I do live alone and travel for work, so Joy accommodates my needs by offering half shares and allowing for substitutes. Thank you Joy! Keep it up. Love you

I have been one of Joy's longest running members. I started when there was a larger group that distributed to many sites and Joy was just one of them. When that group folded, Joy took it upon herself to initiate and organize her own group because the demand was so high. I participated in a local CSA in the Mid-Atlantic and it was great to get fresh local produce. Unfortunately the local South Florida CSAs are for a short time and have a very limited variety of fruits and veggies due to the growing abilities of South Florida. While I know some of Joy's produce is imported, my desire in eating organic is to not consume harmful pesticides, herbicides, etc. If American companies would do more of that - I'm their buyer, and so too would be Joy. I appreciate the friendship she's brought to many, the good food she serves, the high attention to detail, and the good prices that you can't find at the local markets - which often are produce from out of town, too. Thank you, Joy!

Hi my name is Alexandra I am 10 years old and I decided to write this letter to Joy to say how much we love you and your delicious,yummy food you make.When my family comes we feel welcomed by the food you make.The part I most like is your desserts. My mom lets me have more than because they are so good and finally she is not so worry about the ingredients.I a big fan of her desserts. I always ask my mom to ask joy for her recipes but to be honest my mother needs a little more experience LOL (Sorry mommy). Whatever Joy makes no matter what it is its delicious.I am always happy when I am in her house because she is friendly and the people that come are nice. I hope my words have made you happy.

I have been a member for over two years of Joy of Organics Produce Buying Club. Our hostess, Joy, is an amazing host at these meetings! She offers a wide array of certified organic produce for far less money then you would pay at a green grocer, such as Whole Foods! On top of this, she cooks a dinner that you may enjoy while picking up you order. Joy is a great cook and through her menu, shows her guests how to enjoy the produce in healthy ways that are as delicious as good for you! Anyone who says anything derogatory about her or her produce buying club is just uninformed or intentionally misleading!

When I first met Joy she was part of another club, and I told her I thought she could do it better herself, and she really has! Joy is very conscientious about what she gives in the shares and if anything is not up to her high standards, she will not use it and replace - I think often at her own expense. The quality and the bang for your buck is definitely there. In addition, Joy has created a community of like-minded health-aware individuals who share holistic information and recipes. Thanks, Joy! You are providing a fantastic service.

I've been a member of this buying club for over two years. Joy Walstrum who runs the club is amazing. She finds us fresh and varied produce at a reasonable price. She is extremely organized and payment and pickup are easy. A bonus: Joy cooks for the group so we have the chance to sample amazing, healthy dishes. She's created a community with no pressure - stay and visit, or pick up and leave.

This is my first experience with a buying club so I cannot compare with others. I am on a journey to consume wholesome, organic foods, free of pesticides, chemicals & hormones. I am single so I get a 1/2 share. which most weeks is more than I can consume, but it challenges me to make & eat vegetables that I would not usually pick at the store. I was clear when I committed that the stated goal of Joy of Organics Produce Buying Club is "to offer beautiful, fresh, organic produce at a value to all". There was no illusion on my part that everything came directly from Florida since that would not be possible to maintain a variety of fruits & vegetables. I have cut my Whole Foods spending in half. As an added benefit when I pick up my share, I enjoy the wholesome food that Joy makes and wonderful conversation in a community of like minded people. Being healthy after all is far more about our mindset than what we put in our mouths!

What a wonderful co-op!! The food is always fresh and nothing less than fabulous! Being apart of this co-op is not just the yummy organic produce by the AMAZING host Joy on top of that also gives you tips and delicious recipes. I say give it a try you won't be disappointed!!

I picked up my share twice and never went back. It was nothing like I expected. Yes, it may be all organic but it is certainly not local and it's nothing I can't pick up at my local farmers market and quite frankly get for MUCH cheaper at my market. It looked like this stuff was picked up from a cheap market, thrown into plastic bags and packed up and made into the shares. The fruit is either not ripe or way over ripened. I got strawberries, dricolls btw, that grew mold maybe a day after i picked them up. Let me tell you I am a plant based vegan and a huge juicer and I know my stuff. These fruits and vegetables are not worth the cost because they are no different than your local market and there you at least get to pick the stuff that is ripe! Also, the people who run this are plain old rude. Only when you are giving nothing but praise are they kind and even then...they are just not very friendly.

This whole experience was such a disappointment I don't even know where to start. I joined the Davie group. I was led to believe that this was local, fresh produce, but it isn't. We got things from Chili, Mexico, Peru, and other countries, as well as all over the US. Most of the fruit was unripe, hard as rocks. The worst part is that everything is refrigerated, which means many of the fruits NEVER ripened and ended up in the compost. And of course it ruins the flavors of eggplants and tomatoes. When I mentioned the refrigerated, unripe fruit, she said she was sorry I was "challenged" by the fruit, as if it were my fault.

Then the venue was changed to a place that was not convenient for us to make our pick up. I sent a nice email stating this, and asking to end my membership, and for my deposit back, since the venue change was out my control. She got very nasty and said that she "never refunds money" and that I could just go to the new venue and get the last pickup. I told her that it was a violation of contract law to change something like that and refuse to return the deposit. She just flatly refused to refund my $49, kept stating that it was "in the agreement." Sorry, but you can't just change venue like that and expect people to just drive all over town. That was NOT part of the agreement. We are older folks and don't have the means or the energy to go to court over it, although I sort of wish we had. My husband ended up driving way out of his way to get the last pickup. (Which included tomatoes so hard they could have been used as baseballs.)

Oh, and although this isn't a dealbreaker in itself, her email habits are maddening and drove us nuts, as well as others in the group. She sends a constant stream of repetitive email reminders IN ALL CAPS for days before the last payment day, even after you've paid! As well as this are recipes and all kinds of forwards, like everybody used to get back in the 90s and early 2000s? Some files were so huge I had to sit and wait for them to load, and I have a fast machine! And no way to opt out (I asked). If you want to be a member, you just have to put up with this nonsense.

Apparently, this is a nice person as long as you don't cross her. As soon as we complained, she got quite nasty to the point of irrationality. When I told her I wished to leave the club over the venue change she accused me of not caring about my food and stated that I should be willing to drive out of my way. Sorry, but you are NOT the only source for produce in this area, and certainly not the cheapest. We were signed up with another supplier within a day. As for the quality, I can get better at Wall Mart. Seriously.

Just to follow up, I cannot recommend more strongly that you look elsewhere in south Florida for your organic produce needs. There's several excellent choices out there that supply good, local produce and know how to handle it for best quality.

I have all emails to prove my statements.

Nice lady, great and varied selection. For those who appreciate recipes, lots of email with recipes for the veggies/fruit in the current share.