The grocery store no one is talking about

Written By Jessica Cartwright

azure standard

 

A few weeks ago when I first started taking steps to follow through with the idea of documenting my homesteading journey using this blog, I started reaching out to companies that were a part of my 2021 dreams and goals - independently owned, regional, high quality at an accessible price - to put together an idea of what I would need to do in order to become an affiliate once I got more established.

I was absolutely stunned when, within just a couple days, I received an email reply directly from an Azure Standard representative asking when we could connect over the phone so she could explain their blogger affiliate program to me.

When we connected, she explained that even though I currently have next to zero traffic, an amateur website, and about two weeks worth of “professional” writing experience (my words, not hers), she thought I was a great fit to represent the company through the blogger affiliate program they offer. AND SIGNED ME UP!

 

Let me explain what this means for me:

  • A $30 special “blogger” credit is added to my account each month that a new customer orders $100 worth of goods through Azure. This is designed to replace free samples they would give me to try and write about, instead allowing me to pick and choose what I or my audience wants to test out.

  • If 90 days passes with no new customers signing up and purchasing (say four people sign up and purchase within the first month, but then no one for the next three months) then that credit just goes “dormant”. Meaning - Azure respects all stages of blogger growth, and does not remove affiliates from the program for lack of new customers or foot traffic, they just suspend the $30 monthly blogger credit until new customers sign up and make the necessary $100 purchase again.

Something exciting to note:

This special blogger credit is additional to the “normal” $25 credit all customers (not just bloggers) earn each time they refer a new customer to Azure, and that new customer orders $100 or more worth of goods.

Meaning, if I refer your grandmother to Azure Standard, she can turn around and provide her own personal Azure link to her friends. If her friends check out Azure through that link and make $100 purchases within 60 days, your grandmother will get a $25 credit for each of them applied to her account - even if she doesn’t support me with a purchase. She doesn’t need a blog, she doesn’t need to make a purchase that gives me a credit, she just needs to make an account like she normally would and she’ll be all set to share Azure with her friends and receive those normal $25 credits herself.

This level of universal customer appreciation makes me extremely excited to be a part of Azure Standard’s blogger affiliate program. To read all the terms of their affiliate programs, check this out.

 

There are a few ways Azure keeps track of which new customers were referred by which affiliate or customer. Here is how they do it, using my own links and codes as examples you can click on, or learn from to set up your own (lookin at you grandma):

  • Steering new or interested customers to a landing page that allows them to make an account and enter a code unique to the person who referred them. After doing this, that new customer’s purchase of $100 or more will count as a completed referral and provide the normal $25 credit to the person who owns that unique code.

  • A link that affiliates or customers can share with their friends which, when clicked on, automatically notifies Azure and allows the company to recognize if that new person makes an account and a $100 purchase within sixty days of clicking the link - even if they sign out of their account or log off their computer between clicking on the link and actually placing their order.

    • EXAMPLE: Click on this link, it will take you to Azure Standard’s home page and give Azure a heads up that I sent you.

  • Product links! This one works exactly the same as the link I just mentioned, but instead of taking you to Azure’s home page it takes you to a specific product.

    • EXAMPLE: Check out the organic rye flour I’ll be experimenting with over the next few weeks in my sourdough recipes

Another important note:

If you clear your cookies, this erases the “heads up” that clicking the links gives Azure. If you are someone who clears your cookies frequently, definitely go with the first option of going to azurestandard.com/start and entering a personal code.

 

Ok, now that’s all out of the way, the real reason I’m writing this post - I’m excited about what I found, and wish I’d found it a year ago. Here’s why.

I’ve loved Fred Meyer for years because I can get pretty much everything I need in one place. When 2020 hit, I switched to ordering online through their website and selecting the “pickup” option to maintain social distancing. Though this worked well for me, I always felt terrible for the employees rushing through the still crowded stores to fulfil orders - and felt even worse when they had to explain to angry customers why some expected items were missing from their order. Issues with supply chains, extreme demand, and brand new order fulfilment systems handed down the growing pains to the people being paid the least and showing up the most.

In January 2021 I realized a huge goal of mine included a more hands-on approach to feeding my family. For me, that means growing more and being smarter about where I buy what I don’t grow or raise myself. I also realized in order to do that I would have to consider going beyond the convenience-based “one stop shops” like Fred Meyer and include a variety of local gardeners, farmers, and feed stores in my monthly budgeting and planning.

Needless to say, the more needs I pinpointed within my household, the more frantically I started looking for ways to consolidate my sources. I found a promising lead through homestead YouTube channels who mentioned bulk food orders through Azure, and found the Elliott Homestead recipe for chicken feed particularly inspiring as I discovered the high cost of organic chicken feeds that gave me the option to ferment and fodder.

Eventually I thought, why don’t I just put together a theoretical grocery order using Azure’s website and see if they had everything I needed - or at least comparable options - so I can get an idea of how much more I’m going to have to shell out every month to upgrade the quality of our homestead food.

 

First of all - Azure had almost every single item I was looking for on my list, PLUS what better options for what I did already have. My normal supplier of organic heirloom seeds, Baker Creek Rare Seeds, has been closed down on and off for the last year, but Azure currently has 183 options for organic heirloom seeds, as well as options for food and water storage.

Second - Many of the dry ingredients I’ve found to be staples in my pantry were available at a cheaper price than any other grocer I’ve used, and were grown and processed in the United States.

Third - What I found on their site was healthy. I’m talking organic, or at least natural. By natural, I mean contained ingredients I agreed were healthy for me and my family (and my flock) to consume.

 

By this point I had reached out to Azure about blogger affiliate programs, and when they replied so transparently and supportively about wanting to partner up I decided to become a customer so I could review their products for myself.

Below is my actual grocery order I picked up on February 4th, 2021 at my local drop site, with the prices of each product, and a list of what the same grocery trip would cost me if I had purchased through Fred Meyer.

 

Grocery List: Azure Standard

Grocery List: Fred Meyer

Azure Grand Total: $296.53

Fred Meyer Grand Total: 296.83

 

So - what do I have to say about Azure Standard so far?

Advantages:

  • The price is equal to or cheaper than one-stop-shop grocery stores for the average grocery shopping trip, and for stocking up on certain ingredients it would be a drastic price improvement to go through Azure.

  • Customizable levels of processing - for instance, I can buy heirloom organic grain seeds to plant, organic wheat berries to grind into flour, organic flour to cook with, or breads made from organic flour - that is four different levels of processing that each provide their own savings in terms of either price or convenience, without sacrificing quality at any stage.

  • More ethical production and distribution model than grocery stores I’ve been shopping at, and in terms of Covid safety have provided customers with a reliable source of food and supplies while respecting the safety and dedication of their own employees.

  • Better selection of organic dairy and meat products than even most specialty stores I’ve shopped at due to mindful partnerships with farmers. Azure also partners with small independently owned businesses through their Indie program.

  • INCREDIBLE deal if you’re looking for bulk ingredients - think grains, flours, legumes, dried fruits and vegetables, spices, all of that - but don’t want to buy in typical bulk quantities. There is very little difference in price per pound between low and high volumes of the same food.

  • If you are looking for bulk quantities of bulk ingredients or animal feed, they very much accommodate, including all the expensive stuff that you normally have to buy in super small quantities and high markups (organic vanilla extract, honey, maple syrup, spices, etc.)

  • Low waste - the outer packaging for my order consisted reused sturdy cardboard boxes and only one piece of brown paper padding, all of which I was then able to recycle. Most individual products were packaged in recyclable materials as well.

  • The sheer variety of quality products is astounding. They have everything I need for my hobby farm, at extremely competitive prices with convenient and safe shipping and pickup options.

  • They are extremely customer driven - many products are only sold by Azure because customers have requested them, and each time I’ve reached out (through emails or phone calls for various reasons) I’ve spoken with representatives who were able to answer all of my questions, and were forthcoming about ways they want to see the company improve.

  • They address the problem of food deserts, inside and outside the scope of Covid impacts.

Disadvantages:

  • Slightly less convenient than a grocery store you can order and pick up from from within hours. Some drop sites only get monthly deliveries, so you have to plan for the whole month. Because of high demand in my area, my particular drop site gets weekly deliveries so I can order what I need on a weekly basis if I choose, and only have to make sure I’m available during the 48 hour pickup window.

  • Is not part of SNAP food benefits program - you best believe I’ve already submitted customer feedback regarding this.

 

What I’ll be buying next (besides my groceries):

  • Organic, fermentable, fodder-friendly chicken feed I can mix myself

    As I gain experience raising, breeding, and harvesting eggs from chickens and ducks I realize more and more that having a large quantity of good quality food on hand pays off in pretty much every way. The perceived convenience of pouring unrecognizable crumble from a bag every few days is measured against the inconvenience of egg inconsistency and questionable bird health over many seasons. By mixing my own feed I will be maintaining the current feed costs I have, but will be providing all organic grains and supplements I can ferment or sprout for my birds depending on the season and on their needs.

  • Organic heirloom seeds and starts

    The sheer selection of organic heirloom seeds I can buy through Azure Standard makes my wallet nervous. The fact that I can seed save from these plants because they are organic heirloom varieties makes my future splurge inevitable, the temptation and potential future benefits are simply too great.

  • Food and water storage containers

    I’ve got my eye on several barrels and spigots and quite a few bucket and top combinations all from their Barrels and Buckets section, ultimately to be able to store rainwater for my garden and feed for my birds. Right now feed bags hang out in the trunk of my car, and since we have a home with a garage, a shop, a coop, and 1.8 acres, I really have no excuse not to create a customized easy to use storage area outside my car.

 

I encourage you all to check out Azure Standard for yourselves,

and suggest them as an ethical resource for anyone looking to consolidate their household or non-profit food/supplies management. If you are covered, then think of people in your circle of friends or workplaces - Azure even has a charity affiliate program in addition to the customer and blogger affiliate programs. After the insane supply chain and manufacturing disruption 2020 presented, it is very likely someone or some business you know has been unable to secure something that Azure sells - or has been the victim of price gouging if they could get it. Since Azure has so many truck routes, those needs may be easily and safely fulfilled by this company.

A great aspect of working with Azure Standard is that not only can I provide the somewhat mundane option to readers of supporting our homestead by becoming Azure customers, I can create a pathway for anyone to benefit regardless of their interaction with me or my account. And if I or anyone else has critical feedback for the company, they have a clear and direct method of communication to intake that information.

That level of respect is something I’m proud to pass on to my readers, family, and friends.

CHEERS

Jessica Cartwright
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