I’m a details person, and since ordering from Azure Standard is a little different (but awesome!) I wanted to give you all the details of how it works and what to expect. Plus, share my favorite things to order! I’ve been buying from them for 10+ years, so I have some good insider tips!
I’m always happy to answer questions if you have any.
The best place to reach me is over on my Instagram page— just send me a message.
OVERVIEW OF AZURE
Azure sells natural, organic, and bulk goods ranging from dry pantry staples like flour and spices, to frozen meats, fresh dairy, beautiful produce, and even chicken feed. They have EVERYTHING! There is NO membership fee, and NO frequency of order requirements. –> Order whatever you want, whenever you want with no commitment.
DO THIS FIRST!
CLICK HERE! Go to the Azure website through this link. (My affiliate link– thank you!)
- First, click on “GET STARTED FOR FREE” to sign up for an account.
This will allow you to see if there’s a drop site in your area and browse the goods! - Check for a drop site in your area by clicking “WHERE WE DELIVER.”
Type in your zip code to find the nearest drop. Click “JOIN THIS DROP” to add it to your account. - Click the drop down menu in the upper left corner and choose “SHOP” to browse the entire catalog of goods!
From there it is similar to shopping on any other online store.
HOW TO ORDER
Most areas get 1 delivery per month. Each drop site will have an “order cutoff date,” which is when you need to have your order placed by. You can find your ordering cut off date and estimated delivery date by going to “MY ACCOUNT —> DROPS.” (You’ll have to have joined/added a drop site first, of course… but I’m sure you did that because you followed the 3 steps above!)
Go shopping! Add items to your cart. I keep a running cart going at all times as I think of what I need. Don’t forget to checkout before your cutoff. To be safe, checkout as soon as you’ve added the bulk of what you need. After you’ve checked out, you can continue to add more items to your order until your cutoff time.
PRO-TIP: Buying multiple of an item will often get you a discount. For example you can buy 1 box of crackers, but if you toggle over to buying a 3-pack of those crackers, you’ll get a discount.
If you live on the west coast there is no/low shipping fee. For most other places a shipping/trucking fee of 8% of your total is added. They don’t charge sales tax though, so it washes out a bit.
A day or two after your order cutoff, they will pack your order and load the truck. This is when they charge you and plan the drop route, telling you the drop time for your drop site. The drop day and time are generally the same every month, at least mine is. Once in a while it gets shifted around if they add a bunch of new drops.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR DROP
Each drop site is run by a local coordinator, so each drop may be a little different… though I’ve picked up from 3 different drops over the years and they were all pretty much the same.
PRO-TIP: Check to see if your drop site has a Facebook page— if so, it’s a great place to get updates and be reminded about order cutoff dates looming, etc!
A drop is usually in a store parking lot or public place. The drop site listing tells you the exact address and any details you need to know (like where in the parking lot, if it’s a big parking lot). You are usually asked to be at the drop 10 to 15 minutes before the truck is scheduled to arrive.
The truck pulls in and everyone works quickly to unload it. Though if it’s your first time or you are physically unable to help, don’t feel bad about just watching… there’s usually plenty of people to help!
All of your stuff will be packed into boxes (or as they call them “cases “) and grouped together by type, for example all the frozen stuff will be together in a box. Each case has a sticker on it with your name. How it works at my drop site is that someone in the truck hands the boxes down, and the people on the ground take them. We make little piles behind the truck with everyone’s stuff. This goes really quickly… anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. After the truck is unloaded, I yell goodbye to the drop coordinator, take my stuff, and leave. That’s it!
The trucks are refrigerated and there is also a freezer portion, so no need to worry about things melting or perishables spoiling on the journey. Everything has always arrived in great condition to me.
MY FAVORITE THINGS TO GET
Azure has an INCREDIBLE selection of products, and you are bound to find your own favorites. But if you need some inspiration, here are mine! These are the things I find myself ordering over and over.
Click on any link below to see the exact thing I get!
DAIRY: CHEESE
*Rumiano Mild White Cheddar
*Rumiano Monterey Jack Cheese
*Rumiano Pepper Jack Cheese
*Graziers Raw Medium Cheddar
*Organic Valley Feta
I love both the Graziers and Rumiano brands of cheese. Both are similar quality, being mostly from pasture-raised cows. Rumiano is organic, but Graziers is “raw” (heated to 135° so not truly raw). Rumiano cheese tends to be more firm with a slight bounce (my preference), and Graziers cheese is generally slightly creamier and softer. There are other great brands too.
I get the large 5-pound blocks, cut them into smaller pieces, and freeze them.
The Organic Valley Feta is the best feta ever!! I don’t freeze this, but it keeps months in the fridge so I always stock up and keep plenty on hand.
DAIRY: BUTTER & Milk
*Rumiano Organic Salted Butter
*A2/A2 Whole Milk Powder
I try to keep 20 pounds of good butter stocked in my freezer at all times— and Rumiano is my favorite. It’s a beautiful yellow color because it’s pasture-raised, it tastes delicious, and its a good price. You get the best price when you get the 15-pound box, which comes as 30 ½-pound blocks. We throw the whole box into the freezer.
The milk powder is a favorite for homemade hot cocoa mix! My recipe is here on my website– click here for it. This is an incredibly high quality dried milk from organic, pastured cows. The milk is low temp pasteurized before being dried.
DAIRY: YOGURT
*Alexandre A2 Organic Plain Whole Milk Extra Cream Top Yogurt
*Alexandre A2 Organic Full Fat Seasonal Plain Yogurt
*Graziers Whole Milk Plain Yogurt Cups
There are a lot of great yogurts at Azure! The wonderful thing about yogurt is that it has a fantastic shelf life in the fridge, so I always have it on hand. Get the Alexandre full fat seasonal yogurt if you see it!
MEAT & SEAFOOD
*Thousand Hills Beef n’ Cheddar Smoked Sausage
*Safecatch Tuna
*Think Pink Wild Salmon (big can)
The smoked cheddar sausages are soo good, and the ingredient are super clean! Love keeping these on hand for quick lunches. It may be the Wisconsinite in me, I but I love a cheddarwurst!
Safe Catch products are sourced and processed with the utmost care. Not only are they delicious, but the omega-3 fats are left in tact, and each fish is tested for mercury. I love making tuna salad for an easy, protein-filled lunch.
Think Pink salmon in the big can (yes with bones and skin– those are where the most nutrients are and you can’t even tell they are there!) is my go-to for making salmon patties.
BAKING
*Milk Chocolate Chips, Organic
*Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Organic
*Dark Chocolate Chips, Organic
*If You Care Large Baking Cups
*If You Care Small Baking Cups
Azure has THE BEST chocolate chips! They are so good that they are the only chocolate chips I’ll buy– the three I’ve linked above are my favorites/staples. I always get the big 5-pound bag. Chocolate chips have an amazing shelf life in the panty, at least a couple years. I store them in glass mason jars.
The baking cups are unbleached parchment and your muffins and cupcakes will come cleanly out of them! I always keep these stocked in my pantry– I use the large for muffins, and the small for making candies like my Fluffernutter Chocolate Peanut Clusters.
NUTS, SEEDS & DRIED FRUIT
*Raw Pumpkin Seeds, Organic
*Lark Ellen Farm Sprouted Walnuts
*Zante Currant Raisins, Organic
Azure has an incredible selection of nuts and seeds– these are the ones I buy most often.
The “currant” raisins are not the fruit currants, they are raisins (from grapes) that are just small. They are small raisins– which I love. I use them for trail mix, baking, granola, and even my favorite curry chicken salad.
SNACKS
*Mary’s Gone Crackers Super Seed Everything Crackers
*Lundberg Red Rice & Quinoa Thin Stacker Rice Cakes
*Mediterranean Organics Stuffed Green Olives
*Jeff’s Garden Castelvetrano Pitted Olives
Mary’s makes my favorite crackers– they have a lot of great flavors but these are the best. They go great with summer sausage and cheese or tuna salad for lunch. And as far as the rice cakes, I like that these ones are thinner than regular rice cakes. They’re a great vehicle for peanut butter!
I always keep a good supply of olives, and these two are my favorites. If you haven’t tried Castelvetrano olives before, they are the most buttery amazing olives.
SWEETS
*Theo Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
*Taza Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts
*Taza Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
Milk chocolate peanut butter cups… need I say more.
If you haven’t tried Taza chocolate before, it has a slightly gritty texture to it because they stone ground the chocolate, which I love. The chocolate-covered hazelnuts and almonds are such a great treat!
PANTRY
*Eden Foods Canned Black Beans
*Eden Foods Dark Red Kidney Beans
*CB’s Creamunchy Peanut Butter
*Rolled Oats, Organic Gluten-Free
*Lundberg Basmati Rice, Organic
Eden Foods makes the best beans ever– I love that they soak them before canning them. I get the black beans and kidney beans most often, but they offer other types as well.
The peanut butter I’ve linked here is the BEST EVER. So good! The only ingredient is peanuts, but they grind them in a special way so that the peanut butter doesn’t separate with a huge oil layer on top. It’s the perfect peanut butter. They also have a salted version and an organic version too.
Lundberg rice is the only brand of rice I will buy. It consistently tests the lowest of all rice for arsenic (a known problem in rice). Besides, it’s really great rice from a really great company.
HOUSEHOLD
A really affordable mid-sized beeswax taper candle. The wax on these is sooo fragrant! I mostly get these to keep in case of power outages, but they’re lovely if you burn candles regularly.
GLUTEN-FREE
*Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend
*Jovial Brown Rice Pasta
*Jovial White Cheddar Mac n Cheese
For my fellow gluten-free friends, these are some of my staples! Pamela’s flour is my favorite and the one I’ve used for YEARS! And Jovial pasta is the best gluten-free pasta you’ll ever find– the taste and texture is very similar to regular. They soak the rice before making the pasta, and they offer an amazing selection of shapes. I’ve linked the spaghetti here, but I always buy lots of different ones.
