Where to find bags of fresh fruit and vegetables straight from the farm

Eating healthily is so important and so is avoiding pesticides and harsh chemicals in our food. Organic food is getting easier to come by in the Netherlands, though the cost might put some people off. It can also be a lot of work, as it often involves careful planning, carrying heavy bags of fresh produce and worrying about getting caught in the same food waste pitfalls as usual.

To make it easier, many organic food producers in the Netherlands have begun offering bags, crates and hampers full of seasonal, local and organic fruit and vegetables.

Order fruit and vegetable bags straight from a Dutch farm to your home

There are many options to choose from in the Netherlands, from yearly and monthly subscriptions to once-off purchases, and from vegetable bags to full meal ingredients to last you at least three days. More often than not, the contents of the bags will be a complete surprise, which makes it all the more exciting!

Here are some places you can get farm-fresh vegetable bags in the Netherlands:

Odin 

Odin is probably the most widespread and well-known supermarket that offers fruit box subscriptions for you to collect in-store. Odin is an organic supermarket chain across the Netherlands, with a fruit subscription system that offers different options, how many people, whether you prefer to have a bag of fruit, a bag of vegetables or a nice mix of both.

Bioboer Giel

Bioboer Giel (Organic Farmer Giel) offers organic fruit and vegetable bags direct from the farm, always in season. This food producer works in partnership with the cooperative supermarket chain Coop. Like Odin, there are collection points all over the Netherlands. 

De Krat

De Krat (The Crate) brings you crates of organic food for at least three meals! They make up boxes of not just fruit and vegetables, but also meat, fish, bread and other essentials. De Krat delivers organic products directly to your home, or you can pick them up at the four locations in Amsterdam (Copernicusstraat, Ceintuurbaan, Spaarndammerstraat and at the Olympic Quarter) and get a nice discount.

Hello Fresh 

Hello Fresh is a well-known example of a fresh box of mostly organic food delivered right to your door. Based in Berlin, this enterprise has gone global, so chances are you've already heard of this great initiative. There’s a vegetarian option and sometimes there are special collaborations with food gurus such as Jamie Oliver.

Willem & Drees

Local, organic and seasonal are the main features of Willem & Drees. You can order ingredients for whole meals (fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, pasta, etc.) or you can just order basic fruit and vegetable boxes. It’s a total surprise what’s going to be in there – all you have to know is that it’ll be locally grown and in season.

Ekonoom

Based in Groningen and Drenthe, Ekonoom is the go-to online organic supermarket in the north, which delivers boxes of fresh produce right to your door. Not only fruit and vegetables but any supermarket product you might need, from organic beers to eco-friendly cosmetics. And delivery is completely free!

Maaltijdbox Groningen

While we're on the topic of vegetable boxes in the north of the Netherlands, it's worth mentioning Maaltijdbox Groningen, which offers different kinds of meal boxes and vegetable boxes. It's based in Groningen but delivers boxes farther afield. Besides organic fruit and vegetables, you can get all kinds of specialised and themed packages, such as the barbecue meal box, the vegan box or the borrel box.

Hofweb

Every week, Hofweb puts together different fruit and vegetable packages. The contents depend on what’s available that week – this makes the whole experience more attractive and true to nature!

Tuinderij De Volle Grond

From May to December, you can come and pick up vegetable bags full of seasonal vegetables from many collection points across Utrecht, straight from Tuinderij De Volle Grond. There are year-long subscriptions that equate to only about seven euros per person per week!

Groentetas at Utrecht University

Groentetas (Vegetable Bag) has been running since 1994. This student-run non-profit organisation provides a great service to staff and students of the university, bringing the organic fruit and vegetables from only six euros. The vegetables come from the farmers’ collective Local2Local.

You can order online or in person with one of the Groentetas representatives in Utrecht, and pick up your bag at the Groentetas stand every Monday or at HKU Oudenoord every Tuesday. It may be called the Vegetable Bag, but the organisation is so green that it requires you to bring your own bag!

Get your organic vegetables from your nearest eco-friendly provider

Stock up on organic fruit and vegetables with less hassle and fewer food miles! The only thing is, many of these websites don't have English sections, so you’ll have to navigate in Dutch, but then again, it’s always good to practice.

If you’d like to eat at a restaurant that’s doing its bit to combat waste, check out Instock. This concept, operating in Amsterdam, serves high-quality food that has been saved from being thrown out!