Arganica Farm Club

On Why Arganica is NOT a CSA

The beauty of Arganica is not how it imitates a CSA model but how we hugely surpass it.

With the CSA, someone else tells you what you will eat. With Arganica, you pick what you want every week and skip it when you do not. No waste, no extra charge.

I would challenge you to ask any CSA participant how much of their "surprise box" do they actually use. Who eats it when they are otherwise away, unhappy with the contents or simply do not need it. Who takes care about special dietary requirements like: lactose intolerance, egg allergies, kosher foods, etc?

Because Arganica lets you choose the foods you want, these issues are resolved by you. As they should be.

Arganica carries a variety of produce and local foods from many sources, allowing some farmers to focus on a few things that they can grow efficiently and expertly. By tying in so many small farmers/ producer/ food artisans, Arganica provides a stunning variety of local, fresh foods that is just not possible by subscribing to one farms' produce.

Arganica has brought together such an extensive array of local foods—produce, meat, returnable-bottle dairy, fresh Chesapeake fish, small-batch coffees, cheeses, bison, water powered mill-ground flour etc etc—that you can regularly skip a trip to the grocers. That has REAL tangible value where everyone's time is worth something important in DC's vibrant economy.

Lets not also forget—Arganica recycles the glass milk bottles—uses recyclable handmade wooden crates, and hands out free local food magazines (Flavor, Edible Chesapeake, Edible Blue Ridge etc.) and we host tasting & other good food oriented events.

We know there are those who do want to the simplicity of having a box of veggies every week, so we make provide an Arganica 'Fresh Picks' Crate.  Our standard 'Surprise' simply blows a classic CSA Surprise Box away, in both portion and variety. Plus, we offer year-round service, with delivery. Now, that IS a good deal!

We sold over 200 farm shares this summer from many different farms and know first hand what the comparable portions are. Also at this time of year we have many greenhouse growers who heat their buildings with recycled / valueless motor oil. I do not think there is even one farm who is doing a CSA plan for the next many months—though they all ask you to put up $400–$600 (compared to our reasonably-priced Membership Plan) in order to secure your “surprise box”—almost 1/2 year early! It is then delivered to some drop spot that you must fit into your schedule. We, on the other hand, deliver directly to you, when and where is most convenient for you.

Arganica absolutely represents the most customer-friendly system for getting an absolute direct connection to local individual farmers and producers—who, as a group, are not in the business nor have the wherewithal to manage the apparatus required to get what they produce to the urban consumer, without being browbeaten by national food buyers for industrial sized orders and lowest prices.

If you compare our prices to a farmer's market - we are probably 1/2 the price or better on many goods. The trip and staffing of that event for indivual farmers iin no way represents a sustainable efficiency for buyer or seller.

Thanks for your interest, Dominique and The Arganica Team.