Once upon a time there was a farm report (2023)

Food safety is, or should be, an essential priority for all parents. The right food categories support your baby's development and boost their immunity. I was appalled when I discovered thisbaby foodsold in grocery stores is said to last about two years on the shelves. This is amazing and I wonder what types of ingredients they contain to make them so long lasting.

In my opinion, fresh and healthy foods like carrots, apples, and broccoli cannot last long without spoiling, especially when the meal containing them is natural. So when it comes to my two nieces, I always keep my distance from store-bought baby food when they visit.

But for busy and stressed parents, the constant cooking might not be a convenient solution, which is why today I decided to talk about one of the most popular baby food delivery services known as Once Upon a Farm. Below, you'll learn about the company's meals and prices, the pros and cons of its services, and more.

Once Upon a Farm Review – Was es ist

Once upon a time there was a farmis one of the top food delivery companies in the United States. The main purpose of the company is to provide healthy and organic food for babies and children, products delivered to your doorstep. With the things you receive as a customer, you can prepare healthy meals and snacks that your toddler or baby will love.

All meals offered byOnce upon a time there was a farmconsists of organic ingredients and is prepared in such a way that the optimal freshness and nutritional value of the food is retained. These blends are rich in vitamins, minerals and many other essential nutrients your child needs for healthy growth and development.

It's funny and I like what the brand's founders call their products: from farm to fridge.

history of the brand

The company was founded in California in 2015 and has focused on organic baby food from the start. They offer healthy organic foods, most of which are fruit and vegetable mixes. One of the four co-founders is well-known film star Jennifer Garner.

The other three co-founders are her friends: Ari Raz, a marketer, John Foraker, who has extensive experience in organic food, and Cassandra Curtis, who is extremely knowledgeable about product innovation and has three beautiful girls.

Once Upon a Farm Review – How It Works

The shopping experience is uncomplicated. Before placing an order, you must first select the appropriate section for your child. There are three main food sections dedicated to infants, toddlers and older children. Each category is conveniently organized. For example, if you click on the Baby category, you'll discover blends that suit every developmental stage your little one is going through.

Due to the company's well-organized online platform, it will be so easy for you to choose exactly the mixes your kid needs. Once you've decided what you want to buy, you can continue your shopping process with or without a subscriber.

Those of you looking to make a one-time purchase can purchase as many items as you like, including a custom flavored pack of eight, or opt for the flavor pack. If you decide to become a subscriber, you'll receive no fewer than 24 different baby meals, sent once a week, every two weeks, or less frequently, depending on your needs and preferences.

You can also choose your favorite flavors for each delivery. The mixes are then added to your member account in increments of three. In other words, you can opt for eight different flavors or choose multiple packs of the same flavor. As you can see, there is a lot of freedom and flexibility in creating your subscription box, but you must follow two rules:

• Your subscription may not contain more or less than two dozen articles at a time;
• You must always add a choice of three packs at a time.

In addition to the subscription items, you can also order dishes from the à la carte menu. You are also free to change your selection and/or delivery frequency at any time. The subscription can also be canceled at any time. However, to apply to your next order, you should make these changes and cancellations between subscription cycles.

Once Upon a Farm Review - Meals & Recipes

There are dozens of delicious concoctions that you can find on the Once Upon a Farm website. You can choose between bags, bowls and mugs. This brand offers two main types of subscription based on the products you want to receive:

• Cold-pressed blends: individual packs or variety packs;
• Organic Meals: Same offers as in the previous product category (individual or variety packs).

The offer even includes dishes tailored to special dietary needs: vegetarian, vegan and organic. Depending on the age and growth phase of your child, you can choose from different flavors and products. Both pouches and cups contain veggies, fruit, and healthy fats like chia, while the bowls contain only fresh produce.

A. For babies

• Infants who are at least five months old - this is the first stage of development; You can choose from eight different flavors;
• 7+ month old babies - the second stage offers customers ten flavors available;
• At stage 3 of your child's growth, there are six flavors available (these are suitable for babies who are at least nine months old).

Available flavors

I love how cute the flavor names are. The team made an effort and came up with creative and funny descriptions.

stage 1

• I carrot a lot;
• Magic Velvet Mango;
• prince of plums;
• Sun sweet potato cup;
• Baby Bear Butternut Pouches;
• The fairest of pears; etc.

Level 2

• pineapple of my eye;
• Wilde Rumpus-Avocado;
• banana strawberry beat;
• Mama Bear Blueberry; etc.

level 3

• Beauty and the Turnip;
• Sunshine Strawberry Spot;
• Squash-Bucklin-Salbei;
• Just right oats etc.

B. For toddlers

Toddlers represent the fourth developmental stage of a child, which occurs after the age of 12 months. At this point, your little one can enjoy a wider variety of ingredients, among which I should mention mild spices. However, Once Upon a Farm offers fewer flavors in this category:

• Peter banana pumpkin
• Raspberry Pear Y Vanilla
• Blueberry Pear-Fection

C. For older children

For children from 12 months you can order the delicious smoothies from Once Upon a Farm. These products are cold pressed and free from added sugar and dairy. The flavors available are:

• Strawberry Banana Swirl
• Appley eating greens
• Berry Berry On the contrary
• coconut for mangoes

Each section also includes the Variety Pack option.

D. Applesauce for all ages

Regardless of their age or stage, children can safely enjoy applesauce. The company offers the following apple sauce variations:

• apple blueberry
• Cinnamon Apple
• Apples straight from the tree

Cooling and heating tips

First, it is important to check the expiration date given on the label. If you do not open the packaging and intend to consume the product later, you can store it in the refrigerator for a longer period of time according to the item's expiry date. Otherwise, once opened, you must refrigerate the product and use it within three days.

Once Upon a Farm baby food will keep outside of the fridge for about four hours. It is best to use ice packs or cool boxes if you want to take these meals with you when travelling.

For the warming process, you need to use warm water and a bowl. All you have to do is put the container in the bowl where there is warm water before opening. Then it would be best if you wait a few minutes before opening and consuming the meal.Avoid heating them in the microwavebecause the containers cannot withstand this heat.

Allergen-Info

Here is the list of potentially allergenic compounds some of these meals contain:

• coconut
• dairy
• Military
• nuts
• Owner

All of these connections and more are listed on the company's website. In addition, you should know that the facility cleans all tools before preparing meals to avoid cross-contamination.

Once Upon a Farm Review - Pros and Cons

Let's find out some of the pros and cons of Once Upon a Farm delivery service. It is important to know these facts in order to decide whether or not this service suits your needs.

Advantages

• These blends contain no added sugar;
• They are cold-pressed to preserve all the nutrients of the ingredients;
• There are many benefits of choosing to become a customer: free delivery, significant discounts, automatic shipping, and amazing customizability;
• All cold-pressed blends are delicious and nutritious;
• The ingredients are certified organic and non-GMO;
• Both the dishes and their packaging are sustainable;
• Once Upon a Farm products are free from artificial colors, sugar, preservatives, additives and concentrates;
• These meals are created under the supervision of a nutritionist and experienced nutritionist;
• Pediatricians recommend these products;
• All of Once Upon a Farm's kid-friendly meals are hypoallergenic and eco-friendly;
• Their prices and subscription costs are reasonable.

Disadvantages

• You can only order from them if you live in the US mainland;
• The bowls cannot be purchased online;
• When it comes to toddlers, there aren't many flavors to choose from.

Once Upon a Farm Review – Preisoptionen

This baby food is budget-friendly. The three pillars of the brand are the convenience of the product, its freshness and nutritional values, and its affordable cost. The price of a mix varies and depends on your option of buying as a guest or becoming a subscriber. Subscribers get more perks and bigger discounts.

A mix costs $2.99 ​​for guest customers, while subscribers receive a 10% discount. So in this case the price per mix is ​​$2.69. A shipment that includes the 24-pack subscription costs $64.56. In their online shop, customers can buy either cups or pouches or both. You can view bowls online, but you cannot buy them. They are physically available in grocery stores. Two packs of trays cost approximately $2.58.

Regardless of the value of your order, shipping is always free for subscribers who order the 24-pack option. One-time customers need to pay shipping cost of $4.95. Depending on your order and customer status, the maximum delivery fee can be as high as $25.

delivery areas

The company ships its products to all continental states of the United States. International delivery is currently unavailable. Even if you live in Hawaii or Alaska, you cannot get these meals. If you place your order by 1:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, you will receive products on Thursday to locations in California and Friday to all other locations.

If you place an order in the second half of Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, you will receive the meals on either Tuesday or Wednesday depending on where you live. Orders can also be placed on weekends and will be shipped the following week.

All of the brand's products can be purchased at many grocery stores across the country and Canada. To find the nearest store selling these products, all you have to do is use the store locator feature on the company's website.

Once Upon a Farm Review - Main Alternatives

Once Upon a Farm is great and offers healthy and delicious kid-friendly meals, but let's see some of its main competitors and the most viable alternatives you could or should consider.

Tiny organic matter

If you want to feed your child organic and healthy food, you should think about itTiny organic matter. The company had gained even more popularity when it partnered with Michelle Obama for her Let's Move program for children and teens. The focus was on lowering the obesity rate in the country and the initiative was known as Veggies Early and Often.

Advantages

• Tiny organic matteris a renowned company that offers numerous alternatives for lunch and dinner
• It provides complete and balanced nutrition for your little one
• The products are hypoallergenic, gluten-free, non-GMO and plant-based

Disadvantages

• At breakfast the options are limited
• You must be a subscriber to place an order.

Small spoon

Small spoonis a brand that many parents love for their numerous baby food options. All products manufactured and distributed bySmall spoonare certified both organic and non-GMO. This company operates similarly to Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. Customers need to pay the membership fee to get weekly baby food which they previously chose on the website.

Advantages

• There are so many options to choose from and they are all organic;
• The ingredients are fresh and preservative-free;
• The food has great texture with a mix of chunky and smooth textures.

Disadvantages

• You cannot order as a guest customer. You must subscribe to their service.

nourish life

nourish lifeis a very popular baby meal delivery service that has many loyal customers. The company may be small but it meets the needs of all people regardless of their age, from infants to toddlers, teenagers and even adults. It supplies inexpensive weekly menus for the whole family.nourish lifehas numerous meals prepared entirely with organic ingredients.

Advantages

• Meals are full of essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins due to their vegetable and fruit content;
• They're a great source of protein;
• The dishes are fresh and organic.

Disadvantages

• Compared to other meal delivery subscriptions, this one is a bit pricey.

frequently asked Questions

Once Upon a Farm Review – Fazit

Based on my research and all of the above facts, you probably know by now that Once Upon a Farm is an excellent option for a meal delivery service that focuses on baby and kid friendly groceries. There are neither serious complaints nor negative reviews. The ordering process is easy and the fees are more than reasonable.

The platform allows customers to buy with or without a subscriber. A disadvantage could be the impossibility to buy bowls from the online store, but that could change soon.