Frequently Asked Questions

STAND UP POUCHES (SUP):

You can checkout as a guest on our site! But by creating a simple login, you will be able to access your order history and expedite the online checkout using your pre-populated billing and shipping info. Be careful to enter your shipping address correctly so as to avoid delays.

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 24 - 48 hours. We are closed on weekends and holidays. Don't worry, we'll get back to you for sure, and if you're worried, send us another note about your urgency and we'll do our best to accommodate.

We are located in the beautiful city of Bellingham, Washington USA - We ship throughout the USA

We obtain COAs and/or spec sheets for our products through our suppliers. Since we currently do not conduct our own lab-retesting to re-verify the lab test information, we cannot offer any guarantees in regards to accuracy in this regard.

For the highest level of assurance, it is always advisable to obtain your own independent lab tests, especially if you are reselling products that you are manufacturing.

STAND UP POUCHES (SUP):

When choosing our packaging, we prioritize food safety, durability, and sustainability.

When the heat seal is cut away, they have a re-closable zipper. They are washable and make great bags for reuse. Our staff re-uses them all the time, for extra protection (silver/kraft), items that need thicker wall packing, or for usability as they can stand up on their own.

You will commonly see herbs, spices, and powders in SUP

Unfortunately, these bags have multi-wall construction and thus cannot be recycled. We are working hard to find a more sustainable option as they become available on the market.

ZIPLOCK BAGS:

Commonly used for our 5lb size of GRAINS, BEANS, SEEDS, and NUTS

These bags can be used for long-term storage but we always recommend transferring products into glass jars or metal containers with an airtight seal to be sure to keep any critters out!

Our zips are made from clear 4mil polyurethane - BPA-free, reclosable, and recyclable in some states (check your local recycling guidelines for recycling soft plastics).

We like to reuse our used bags for as long as possible. They are washable and are perfect in the fridge as produce bags and make great freezer bags :)

CASE SIZES/WHOLESALE:

Typically, anything that is over the size of 5-11lb, you will begin to see them arriving in bulk packaging which consists of Kraft Multi-Walled Bags, or Cardboard boxes with plastic liners.

This is common bulk industry packaging.

In bags, you often see dried beans, grains, and flours, as well as sugar etc..

In boxes, you will see dried fruits, and nuts, as well as some herbs and spices.

Why don't we exclusively prioritize domestically grown ingredients?

We support domestic/local farming and are grateful to work with farmers in both the United States and Canada for Grains, Beans, Dried Fruits, Nuts etc... things that grow wonderfully here in North America!

We also think it is important to recognize that our economy is one that is global ~ One where we rely on each other to supply and provide food, materials, and resources that make up our daily lives. By choosing to ignore that our economy relies on globalization, we miss an opportunity to acknowledge that supporting agriculture overseas is very important and valuable. In some countries, agriculture is one of the only economies allowing families to make their own money and to not work in industries/factories.

We must consider the impact of supporting agriculture in other countries where they rely on farming. Supporting farmers around the world and enjoying chai tea, coffee, and chocolate with understanding instead of guilt and denial.

Importing and organics?

We believe deeply that organics matters (om) ;) We especially believe in the importance of supporting organics when imported from overseas. Not only does it ensure another third-party accredited audit has been conducted at the farm/facility - more importantly, it protects farmworkers, who rely on farming as their sole opportunity for income/industry.

Here in the United States and Canada, we have strong regulation/worker safety standards, even with conventional agriculture - with laws requiring adequate PPE, and chemical standards.

In many countries, there are little-to-no safety standards/chemical regulations for farm workers. By supporting CERTIFIED ORGANIC, the element of toxicity and danger for the farmworker from inadequate PPE and poor chemicals is completely avoided. Additionally (as it does anywhere in the world) - it keeps soils safer, healthier, and more sustainable!

We must acknowledge our inter-connectedness and reliance on each other when choosing food ~ and choose to be thoughtful about supporting global organic agriculture.

We are thankful for beautiful True Cinnamon from Sri-Lanka

Amazing Spirulina from the remote islands of China

Cacao from Peru and Ecuador ~

and so on ~

Why do we continue to offer products sourced from China?

In short - it's because we trust our vendors in China.

Through relationships, documentation, third-party audits, laboratory tests, and our 10+ years of consideration, learning, and experience - we feel grounded in our decision to continue to support our Chinese growers. China is one of the most transparent and professional countries to source ingredients from.

Here we share some of our considerations when making this decision:

At trade expos, we have met and discussed these issues with Chinese suppliers, many of which are small 'father daughter' or 'husband-wife operations. They express contempt and frustration for the bad reputation that China has gained from misunderstanding/sweeping generalizations about China - how their own farms and trade practices differ so greatly from the negative lens of Chinese Agriculture that many of us hold in North America ~

We must remember a few things when deciding to avoid China as a source for ingredients:

When compared the other countries such as India, it becomes clear that China is much more transparent and proactive in ensuring their product integrity ~ with such stigma against them, they work extra hard to be audited by multiple third party bodies, laboratories, and agencies (costing a lot in administrative time, up-keep/documentation, as well as certification fees)

China is a massive body of land, with large portions of pristine agricultural land ~ Sweeping generalizations that "China is polluted" is simplifying and glossing over the fact that, yes, *some* areas of china (or, in fact, all countries) are polluted - but we must understand that beautiful chinese land and soil still exists - and grows many of the foods we rely on, know and love ~

All our products are sourced as fresh as possible (usually from the latest harvest) and we have a rapid product turnover rate assuring optimal quality. We keep temperature sensitive products (such as hemp oil, miso, bee pollen, pine nuts, etc) refrigerated until they are shipped.

When stored correctly (cool, dry, dark, and airtight), most whole foods (ie grain kernel, whole legume, whole dried fruit, etc) have at least a minimum shelf life of 2-3 years from purchasing date. Processed products (ground, flaked, cut, roasted etc) are a bit more subject to oxidation and will be fine for about 1-2 years from purchasing date under optimal storage conditions.

All products on our website that contain the word 'ORGANIC' in the title are certified organic. IN addition to our certified organic products, we also carry wild harvested herbs which do not categorize as 'certified organic', as well as products such as salts & clays that are not grown and therefore cannot be certified orgainc. We dont sell conventional products, and will always only carry organic ingredients when its possible. Its in our name afterall :))

Yes, certified organic assures GMO-free!

Even though we carry many gluten-free products, we are not a gluten-free facility. We do not test or rate the gluten content of any of our many products and therefore cannot guarantee that they are gluten-free. This being said, we have developed strict standard operating procedures in order to avoid cross-contamination during our packaging process and those who are just trying to avoid gluten in their diet should have no issue with our products. However, we recommend that if you are extremely sensitive to gluten, you only purchase products from a certified facility.

We offer free shipping on orders over $150 within united states (excluding Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Alaska). Courier services run Mon - Fri (excluding stat holidays)

Online: The fastest, most reliable way to place an order with us is online. Our online store is open 24hrs/day and provides accurate availability, pricing, and shipping options as well as the ability to finalize and pay for the fastest order processing times.

Email: You may also provide us an order via email. Please list each item/size/qty clearly. You must provide your payment method within 24hrs or order placement.

*Please note: Orders placed via Email require an additional 1 business day processing time. (For fastest service, please place your order online)

All orders will be shipped Ground 2-5 business days - If you have questions, please contact us via online chat, email, or calling!

We have a great team of employees working hard every day to offer you the fastest services we can! Orders are processed and prioritized by date placed and by shipment method. We ask that you please place your order well in advance, leaving yourself room for unforeseen delays in shipping, processing, and stock availability. We are not able to make any claims or guarantees regarding shipping times.

You may always leave us an order comment with any special instructions or requests. We always do our best to accommodate!

Sorry, once an order has been placed, it is final. In order to maintain the quality and speed of service you expect from Essential Organics, we are not able to process additions or changes to orders for any reason. Please carefully look over your order before submitting!

We have no order minimum so if you forgot something, you can always place another order.

Check out our 'About Us' page here!

Please always carefully look through your order details before finalizing: Including Billing, Shipping, and Products (size/qty).

- Please call or email us immediately so that we can update your address - If your order has already left, a $13 address correction charge (issued by courier) will apply.

- If you have entered an incorrect shipping address and the carrier holds your shipment at a depot while awaiting redirect, you are responsible for contacting the courier and routing the shipment to the correct address.

Tracking info can sometimes take up to 48 hours to update. If you have not received your tracking info after 2 business days, please contact us with your order number.

Occasionally, couriers will make mistakes, or pre-scan your package as delivered. Please allow 24hrs, and your package should show up. If not, please ensure you have gone through these steps before contacting us:

- See if somebody else has accepted the package. Check with other family members in the household, employees/co-workers at your business, or close proximity neighbors.

- Check the delivery area like under steps, under a porch, tucked in the door, etc.

- Check your community mailbox. With USPS, often the driver will not go directly to your door and will leave it in the community mailbox.

- Check your tracking regularly, as it will let you know if a delivery attempt has been made and if a notice card has been left. You can then pick up your order at your local post depot.

- If, after all this, you still have not found your package, please reach out to us so that we can follow up with the shipping companies and file a claim.

If you wish to make a damage claim or report an order missing, please first contact the service provider to initiate a claim/resolve. If the provider is unable to resolve your claim, please reach out via email and include all details of the existing claim/pictures/or relevant information, and we will ensure that your claim is looked after. Please get in touch with us as soon as possible after receiving your order..

We are unable to process returns/claims after 14 days.

Before returning any products, please email us for instructions. Make sure to include your order number in the subject of your email.

In efforts of reducing our paper waste, we now offer copies of all transactions via email. You will always receive tracking, invoices, and updates from our team via email.

If you are in Canada, please visit our CAD site at omfoods.com

Feel free to reach out info@essentialorganicingredients.com

Thank you for your purchase with us ~ We appreciate your business!

Our returns policy has been created through considerations of industry/competition standards and what we feel is fair and reasonable for you as a customer and sustainable for us as a business to offer.

We understand that return policy expectations have been greatly influenced by mega-size corporate businesses which often have very wasteful practices. In comparison, you may be dissatisfied with our policy but we encourage you to reconsider your expectations when purchasing from and thus supporting a smaller family business where we always strive to minimize waste of products and resources.

Love, Om

OPENED PRODUCT

We do not accept any returns on OPENED ITEMS ~ when a product is opened, it is considered a final sale. We appreciate your acceptance and understanding of this policy and encourage you to either donate or gift unneeded/unwanted items. We always offer small sizes of all our products to sample if you are unsure about a product at first :)

CASE SIZES:

We do not accept any returns in for case SIZES (this is considered the largest size of any listing, typically larger than 7-11lb) - We pass along the cases directly from the producers to you ~

UN-OPENED PRODUCT in ORIGINAL PACKAGING ~ WITHIN 14 days ~ ELIGIBLE FOR RETURN

If you have an item that is eligible for a return - please request a return via email:

info@essentialorganicingredients.com

Include the following: Order #, Product description, Reason for return

Order returns must be initiated within 14 days of receipt (carrier delivery day) - unfortunately, we cannot process any returns/queries past that date. 

We do not cover any return postage - you can either request a return label and the cost of the return will be deducted from your refund -or- you may ship on your own. We cannot be liable for any lost or damaged items. If a return is lost or damaged in transit, we are unable to cover this cost - Please ensure you check the address and package items safely and securely.

Return postage rebates are offered through PayPal up to $30 - you can read more about it here.

Any opened items cannot be returned ~ That being said, if you are hoping to receive compensation for an item you consider to have a serious (*see note below) quality issue, please email us (within 14 days) with the following information and we will look into the product information and provide you with a response, explanation, or solution: ALL quality queries must include PHOTO, LOT #, ORDER #, and a brief description of the issue you are perceiving in the item. 

*NOTE: 

Food products fluctuate seasonally/annually and may look/taste slightly different depending on where they were grown/produced. Therefore, we cannot guarantee exact consistency in color, taste, or texture and ‘quality queries’ related to personal preferences i.e color change or dislike of taste or texture compared to previous lots cannot be accommodated. 

If an exact match to previous lots is important to you, we highly recommend purchasing a smaller trial size ~ and you can always gift the item if it is not to your liking. 

Also, a certain very low percentage of extraneous matter is not uncommon and to be expected in some bulk food ingredients. Extraneous matter may consist of food-grade plastic, rocks, stems, dirt, and sometimes other items originating from the growing and production processes. 

When sourcing, we always request samples, product specs and COAs (certificates of analysis) and we pre-screen for the highest quality and purity.

Since we cannot accommodate quality queries past 14 days of receipt, we always encourage customers to unpack their box/es and thoroughly examine all items UPON RECEIPT for quality and accuracy.

For optimal storage, we always recommend cool, dry, dark storage in rodent/insect-proof containers. Many customers transfer our products into well-sealed glass jars or metal containers and re-use the labels from our transport bags on their jars/containers for easy and convenient pantry organization.

What about damaged items during transport?

• Our team does our best to package your boxes with care in anticipation of the worst kind of handling, but on occasion, items will be damaged during transit. If you have received a damaged item, please record photos of the box/es and the damages that occurred to the product and set the damaged order aside. Our team will follow up with the shipping company as needed and provide a return label to send the damaged order back to us for testing and inspection. Email us within 5 days of receipt with your order#, photos, and list of damages. We will work with you for a resolution.

 

What if I received the wrong size/product/missing item?

• Upon receipt of your package, we encourage you to check all the items for accuracy. If you have received an item in error, or are missing something from your order - send us an email within 5 days of receipt of the package - We will provide a resolution as soon as possible.