FAQ

What’s in the fruitqueen box?

Each week, we source the most delicious California-grown fruit we can find. For us, the fruitqueen box is a what’s-best-right-now snapshot of the season. We curate a mix of crowd-pleasers and lesser-known fruit with discovery in mind.

The fruitqueen box typically includes 6-8 varieties of fruit, weighing between 5-8 pounds, depending on the season. The fruit is certified organic or non-certified fruit grown with practices that meet or exceed organic standards by farmers we know.

The baby fruitqueen box typically includes 4-5 varieties of fruit, weighing between 3-5 pounds, depending on the season. The fruit is certified organic or non-certified fruit grown with practices that meet or exceed organic standards by farmers we know. 

The baby box is a subset of the full-size box, so it does not include everything that’s in the larger box. We make sure it’s a fun ‘n balanced mix!

The archives of fruit notes or these Instagram highlights should give a little more color!

Can I pick the fruit in my box?

Nope! Surprise and discovery are part of the fun! We curate each box to be a mix of familiar faves and varieties that you may not have tried before. We think about fruit A LOT. Let us be the guide :)

Do I need to subscribe?

Nope! We offer fruitqueen boxes for one-time purchase as well as weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly subscriptions.

If the fruitqueen box is sold out, we typically make more available on Wednesday for the following Thursday’s delivery.

I missed the California mangoes / Masumoto peaches / Swanton strawberries / Magical Grapes! How do I find out about special drops?

Subscribers to our newsletter are the first to learn about special drops & limited availability items. We also run the occasional flash sale in our Instagram stories.

Where do you source your fruit?

Sourcing is really really important to us! We have a lot to say about sourcing – a whole page worth! The short version is:

We source directly from farmers (over 95% in 2023). These are personal, real-life relationships, and we are lucky to count many of our farmers as friends! Oftentimes, the fruit is harvested to order. This means a shorter supply chain, fresher fruit, and more money in the pocket of the farmer.

All of the fruit we sell is grown in California.

Everything in the fruitqueen box is either certified organic fruit or non-certified fruit grown with practices that meet or exceed organic standards by farmers we know.

We do offer fruit that is not organic when we find something special that is not available organically. We commit to always clearly communicating the farms’ growing practices. Read more about our sourcing philosophy here.

Is the fruit organic?

All fruit in the fruitqueen box is certified organic or non-certified but grown with practices that meet or exceed organic standards by farmers we know.

We commit to always clearly communicating the farms’ growing practices.

The fruit in single variety boxes is often, though not always, certified organic. We label it accordingly on the product’s page. We share our sourcing philosophy, and detail the exceptions, here.

Where do you deliver?

We offer delivery throughout the Bay Area, from San Jose and the South Bay to the Peninsula, San Francisco, Marin County, the East Bay, and Lamorinda.

See a map here. Email us at fanclub@heyfruitqueen.com with any questions!

Nine dollars for delivery?!

I know!! In a climate where free delivery is the norm, that’s brutal. But it’s a principled decision.

We charge a flat $9 fee for delivery, whether you order one item or five. This is our cost, passed on. We do not add fees or inflate this cost, nor do we subsidize it.

Our decision not to subsidize the delivery fee is practical (we don't have a pile of venture capital to burn) and principled (our business model must be sustainable and we aim to be transparent about the true cost of convenience services like delivery). We appreciate your understanding!

I want to place an order but I can’t decide between a fruitqueen box and a baby fruitqueen box.

We recommend starting with the full-size fruitqueen box to get the full experience. If it proves to be too much fruit, you can always downsize next time and share the surplus with a lucky friend, neighbor, or co-worker!

I have a subscription. How can I skip this week’s box, pause my subscription for a trip, change the frequency of my delicious fruit boxes?

When you placed your original order, you received a confirmation email with a link to your subscription portal. You can use this portal to self-serve any changes. If you didn’t get this email or you need a hand for any reason just reach out at fanclub@heyfruitqueen.com and we’ll get it sorted!

You just added something cool to the shop, but I already have an order for this week. Do I need to pay a second delivery charge?

Nope! You can use the promo code ADDON at checkout to waive duplicate delivery fees. 

If you have an issue, place your order and then shoot us an email at fanclub@heyfruitqueen.com. We’ll refund the duplicate delivery charge.

I don’t live in the Bay Area, but I think fruitqueen is so cool! Is there a similar service in my area? Do you ship?

While we don’t have specific recommendations, we will say the single best thing you can do to get better fruit is to go direct! Visit your local farmer’s market or farmstand and get familiar with what’s produced locally. It’s a great way to get in touch with what’s in season where you live. You may even find varieties that are too delicate (and tasty) for the grocery store.

We don’t ship. Our fruit is too ripe! Sorry.