Our History.....
We here at Raw From the Farm are raw foodists. We began our journey in response to our own frustration in finding quality, locally grown, pure raw sun-dried fruits, nuts, beans, and grains (with the enzymes still intact!). When contacting the buyers of health food stores or other companies, we found they often did not know what type of heat or processing the foods had been subjected to. Usually, they purchased their products from distributors who also did not know this vital information. We tried to determine the sources of these foods so we could ask our questions directly to the grower and processor, but often were not provided that information. We found that some foods, while available from farms in the United States, were purchased from countries such as China (where it could be purchased cheaper), where the processing methods were completely unknown.
Thus began our research in finding farmers that understand and support, through their growing and processing practices, the same standards we require for the food we eat.
See The Foods We Carry in the next column for more information about our standards.
About our bags.....
We offer two types of bags for shipping our foods:
We believe in using the most sustainable products available. For that reason, our standard bag is made from cellulose from euculyptus trees and is completely compostable and biodegradeable. When purchasing in this bag, transfer the food to a glass container abou receipt, as this bag is not for storage. This bag should be composted either in your own compost bin or in your city's green bin. The manufacturer that makes our bags works with suppliers that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the equivalent in that particular country.
Here is some info about the Council's standards http://www.fscus.org/standards_criteria/
Some people prefer a ziploc bag. For this reason, we are offering a PVC- and Plasticizer-free resealable plastic bag. While these are not biodegradeable, they will not leach PVCs and Plasticizers into your foods like regular plastic might. We previously offered a discount for this choice, but we are really wanting to decrease the amount of plastic that is out there. Therefore, we are still offering the choice, but not the discount incentive to choose this bag. Please re-use these bags whenever possible.