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Azure Standard Review: An Honest Review From a Regular Person

Azure Standard — what’s that? Well if you’re reading this article, you may already know, that Azure Standard is an organic bulk food supplier located in the United States. In this article, I will give you an honest review of Azure Standard and its products.

A few months ago, I was interested in purchasing bulk wheat berries and asked my brother and sister-in-law where they purchased theirs in the past. They introduced me to Azure Standard.

I have since completed two orders with them and plan to continue ordering Azure Standard products. I have really enjoyed their products and I have become more and more interested in having bulk foods in our house rather than buying a little at a time at the grocery store.

If you want to know more about Azure Standard, or if you want an honest Azure Standard review, I will be happy to share my experiences.

If you decide that you want to try them out, you can follow my special link and I will get a credit on my account for orders other people make over $100. You can also use my personal share code: HannahKimmel1 when you checkout. I’d be so appreciative of the support!

Without further ado, here’s my honest review of Azure Standard which includes the things I like as well as the things I don’t like about Azure Standard.

What is Azure Standard?

As I stated before, Azure Standard is an organic bulk food and grocery supplier that sells directly to individuals. Azure Standard began in the 1970s and 1980s when the Stelzer family responsible for Azure Standard decided to change their farming practices and stop using chemicals on their farm.

Once they were able to successfully grow crops without chemicals, they began selling their products locally in co-ops. In 1987, they began including items that people requested that were not grow in their own fields but had the same vision of organic farming.

David Stelzner is the founder and CEO of Azure Standard, and he has been running the business since its early days with his wife and other family members.

What Does Azure Standard Sell?

You can get a whole lot of different products from Azure Standard. Some of the food items you can purchase from Azure Standard are:

  • Beans
  • Peas
  • Cereals
  • Flour
  • Wheat grains
  • Dairy products
  • Dried fruit
  • Frozen fruits and vegetables
  • Meat
  • Nuts
  • Nut Butters
  • Oils and fats
  • Sauces and dips
  • Fresh produce
  • Seasonal items
  • Snacks
  • Broths and soups
  • Sweets
  • Tea
  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • Supplements
  • Animal feed

They also sell non-food items like:

  • Cosmetics
  • Dental care
  • Hygiene items
  • First aid
  • Skin care
  • Candles and candlemaking supplies
  • Essential oils
  • Soap

They also sell gardening supplies, seeds, and plants in season.

Things You Won’t Find in Azure Standard Products (Their Standards)

Azure Standard’s standards (ha!). Azure Standard states: “Azure only chooses suppliers that produce real foods made with only natural ingredients.”

They go on to say, “That means you get nutrient-rich foods that are minimally processed with no artificial additives, no preservatives, no GMOs or MSG, no artificial colors or flavors.”

It is important to note that while many of their products are organic, they’re not all organic. If you’d prefer to only buy organic items, make sure that you’re checking each item to see if it’s organic or not. All of the organic products they sell are verified through a third-party.

Here’s a list of things that Azure Standard says they won’t ever use in their products:

  • Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
  • Refined Conventional Sugars
  • Artificial Colors
  • Artificial Flavors
  • Artificial Preservatives
  • Artificial Sweeteners
  • Bleached Flour
  • Certified Colors
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Fluoride
  • Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
  • Artificial Nitrates/Nitrites in Meat Products
  • Pork Products
  • Shellfish Products (except when used as an ingredient in nutritional supplements)
  • Tobacco

How Does Azure Standard Work?

To use Azure Standard, you create an account and you can begin adding items you want to your order. You can update the order anytime throughout the month and whatever you add will be part of your order.

You can have items shipped directly to your house, or you can place your order for a drop location near your home. Shipping items directly to your house means that you will get everything on your order, but you will pay MUCH higher shipping costs than you would by getting your items delivered to a drop location.

If you’re wondering if there is an Azure Standard drop near you, you can check out their drop map. The closest drop to where I live is about an hour away, so keep that in mind when you make your orders if you don’t have a drop site very close to your house.

An important thing to know is that you aren’t guaranteed to get everything in your order. Things can sell out before the truck leaves the warehouse, so sometimes you’re out of luck for certain popular products.

Azure Standard will send you an email with a drop date and time. Drop spots are run by volunteers called Drop Coordinators, and they will be present when your order arrives. If you’re not on time for your delivery, your items will be left for you wherever your drop location is. Depending on the Drop Coordinator, they might be able to hold your items for you for a period if time if you’re not able to get to your drop location at the right time.

Depending on where you live, drops are made weekly, biweekly, or every four weeks. I live in Pennsylvania so my orders are made once every four weeks.

Each individual person ordering is required to make a $50 order or they will be charged a $5 fee. In my opinion, if you’re making an order from Azure Standard you may as well make a big one. That way you can go longer between orders and you won’t have the hassle of picking it up as frequently.

How Do I Start an Azure Standard Drop Location Near Me?

If there’s not a drop location near you, you can sign up to have one started where you live by contacting Azure Standard directly. You’ll need to have a minimum of $550 for an order to go through, split between everyone who has joined that drop location. Drop locations that are far off the truck’s routes may require a higher minimum order price.

Where is Azure Standard Available?

Azure Standard has drop locations in most states in the United States including some options for Alaska and Hawaii. To my knowledge, it is only currently available in the United States.

Review of Azure Standard: Pros

Here are some things I love about Azure Standard:

  • A huge selection of products all in one place
  • Good prices for organic foods and supplies
  • No fee to join
  • Bulk food in many options like rice, grains, cereals, and more
  • Buying in bulk is good for a budget
  • You get to choose the size of your bulk food — many things have 5-pound, 25-pound, and 50-pound options. I like to get 5 pounds of a product to see if I like it or not rather than committing automatically to a large order.
  • Get an order only when you want to buy something (you don’t have to buy something every month)
  • Many organic products to choose from
  • High product standards (so I can trust what I’m getting)
  • I feel good about feeding my family with the products I’m buying
  • I love supporting a small family-owned business
  • I also love that they believe in and use their own products for a healthier lifestyle

Cons of Azure Standard

So far I love almost everything about Azure Standard, but there are a couple of things I would put in the con category:

  • I ordered 10 watermelon plants and five were almost dead when they arrived. Another one died when I planted it. I didn’t contact Azure Standard about it because it only cost a few dollars, but I don’t know if I would order plants this way again. Maybe it was just my order, but I think I’d rather try to grow my own plants from seeds or buy locally next time.
  • The other thing I don’t like about Azure Standard is I never know what will actually come in my order. I’ve tried to get hard white wheat several times, and every time it goes out of stock right before my delivery is put on the truck. It’s a little hard to plan your food when you don’t know what parts of your order you will be receiving, so I’d definitely put this in the con category. However, I have been able to get the majority of my order and I will continue trying to get some of those products that they may have supply issues with.

Some of my Favorite Azure Standard Products

So far my favorite Azure Standard products have been:

  • Hard red wheat berries
  • Soft white wheat berries
  • Bulk yeast
  • Bulk spices like garlic and paprika (I’m planning on adding more spices in the future)
  • If You Care Baking Cups
  • Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I’d buy this again and again!)

Final Thoughts About Azure Standard

Will I continue to buy from Azure Standard? Yes! I do plan to continue ordering from them. As I have more experience with Azure Standard I will also update with pertinent information. I really love their products, their mission statement, and what they stand for. I also love that I am able to get affordable bulk food for my family during a time when it’s so difficult to buy healthy foods for a good price.

Are you interested in trying Azure Standard? Have you purchased from them in the past?

What do you think of my Azure Standard Review? Would you agree with what I have said?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Once again, if follow my special link and I will get a credit on my account for new customers who order through it. You can also use my personal share code: HannahKimmel1 when you checkout.

14 Comments

  • Patrick

    We LOVE Azure Standard! We also love their delivery method! It gives us a great shipping rate and the opportunity to meet the community in our area who share a lot of the same values. There are always great conversations at our local delivery point.

  • Rachael

    This is a great review! We LOVE Azure Standard. They have the very best quality organic pantry staples. So thankful we have a convenient drop site near us!

  • Bea

    Fabulous, review Hannah,

    I found Azure Standard a couple of weeks ago. My regular bulk buckwheat supplier was out of stock! Oh my! I guess Europe and the Eastern block are buying up North American buckwheat?

    Searched the web and all the prices were off the richter scale! Azure was half the price! So, I clicked it and they were out of stock until mid-August! But they had buckwheat grits. vs groats. The price was half the price of groats! When I entered all my info in the cart, I was surprised when there was an option to pick-up. I am like you once a month pick-up. And it’s about a 30-minute drive.

    Outcome, I ordered two 5-lb bags of buckwheat grits and the USPO Priority Mail shipping only cost me $8.33! I ordered on a Wednesday and it arrived on Saturday in Delray Beach, Florida, amazing!

    I am crossing my fingers grits work as well as groats for my buckwheat bread recipe!

    Next order, I will use your code! Thank you for taking the time to write such a fair and balanced review!

    Take Care, Bea in south Florida

    • Ned and Hannah

      Thank you for the awesome comment!! I love hearing from people on our blog. This made my day. I hope what you ordered worked out well for you! I do have trouble sometimes getting things in stock that I want but wow that’s awesome that you were able to get it for pretty cheap shipping and didn’t have to wait.

      Thank you so much for thinking about using my code too!

      I hope your recipe works out well,

      Hannah

  • RV Bennett

    Thank you Hannah and Ned for your honest review and comments. I am a newbie placing my first order. Hope to have a good result.

    RVB

  • Jamie

    I am finding that on most items, Azure prices are no less than in the store. The big disadvantage of shopping with them is the time it takes to get your items, only once a month, AND the fact that almost always, your order is shipped missing items. WHY does this happen? I am still not clear. Their excuse is something about packing the boxes, freshness, keeping costs down (not really). The solution to this would be a system that deducts invenotry as it is put in cart, and paid for. DONE! If they have five cans of peaches in stck,and five cans of peaches have been put in someones cart, and they have checked out, Azure now has ZERO cans of peaches for sale. What is so difficult about this? The result of this flaw in their system is that it can take MONTHS to get your item.

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