WHAT ARE FOOD HUBS?

Food Hubs are like an online farmer's market. They are community-based enterprises run by LOCAL Hosts who are passionate about good food, supporting their LOCAL economy and bringing communities together.

The Host recruits LOCAL farmers and food producers to supply the Food Hub, they then secure a LOCAL venue where the weekly collection takes place. They publicise the Food Hub and organise the weekly collection. You can view and connect to our Food Hubs here

Customers buy their goods online then come along to the weekly collection to meet some of the producers and pick-up their orders. There is NO WASTAGE as producers only bring produce that has been pre-ordered - no sales take place at the collection.

You, the customer, get access to great food from a wide range of LOCAL producers with the convenience of click & collect! 

Farmers and producers receive 80% of what they sell which is substantially more than the 20-30% they would receive selling through a shop or supermarket! The host receives 10% for all of their hard work, so a total 90% of what you spend stays in your LOCAL economy! The Great British Food Hub receives 10% to cover the costs of running the online platform and supporting the Hosts and Producers.

It's a very fair LOCAL system!

WHY SUPPORT A LOCAL FOOD HUB?

LOCAL farmers and food producers receive a fair price and everyone benefits from access to high quality, locally-grown food, from artisan bread to organic vegetables, preserves to cheeses, craft beers to high welfare meat and everything else in between!


We simply provide farmers and producers with the platform that gives them the opportunity to sell directly to the end consumer, to get back their freedom and to allow them to make a living from their hard work. 

By choosing LOCAL food, you are supporting artisan producers who demonstrate the highest standards; livestock farmers who raise their animals with the utmost care, and farmers who respect the soil, countryside and biodiversity. You are helping to minimise food waste and helping the environment as all Food Hub products have super-low food miles!

HOW DO I REGISTER ON THE SITE?

First of all you DON'T have to be registered to browse our markets and add items to your basket...only at the point of payment will you need to log in or register if it's your first time.

Wherever there is a login window or pop up you will find a link to "Register". 

You simply complete the details in the register form, tick the box to confirm the T's & C's and then submit. You will immediately receive an email to verify your email address (it will most likely land in your junk folder) and all you have to do is click the like to verify your email. Please note that the link will not work while that email is in your junk folder....either drag it to your inbox or mark it as "not junk" which will move it to your inbox....then click the link to verify your email address. You will now be able to login to the site with your email address and password and there is a tick box to let your device "remember you".

The registration process is the same whether you do it on the main site or through our app. 

Data and Security: The data you provide at registration (name, email, phone number and postcode) are stored, encrypted on our secure dedicated server hosted by 1&1 Hosting (a UK company)

We need your name for our Hosts and Producers to identify you and your orders
We need your email address to contact you regarding your orders and other information
We need your postcode to allow us to connect you to the nearest Food Hub and, where delivery services are available, to find your address for delivery
We need your phone number to contact you should there be a problem with your order or a last minute change to the collection and to contact you quickly should you have left an item behind at the collection or failed to turn up for your order.

***We strongly suggest that you make sure these details are correct....you can do this by viewing or editing your profile by logging in to the site and clicking "Customer" on the menu bar....if we have no means to contact you it may cause you unecessary travel and disappointment*** 

HOW DO I SHOP AT A FOOD HUBS?

It's simple!

First you register with just your name, email address and a password. You will be sent an email to confirm your email address (it will probably land in your junk folder!)  - just click the link! You only have to do this step once!

Whenever you want to shop just log-in to the site using your email address and password....alternatively we now have secure and easy to use shopping apps which you can downoad here.

Select the Food Hub you would like to shop from...you can view them all here

Add items from a wide range of LOCAL producers into a single basket

Click your basket and checkout using STRIPE our super-secure payment provider

Your goods will be ready to collect at the weekly collection where you will have the opportunity to meet some of the producers

Take your delicious food & drink home and enjoy!

Don't worry if you've forgotten what you have ordered...you will be sent an email reminder and your Host will have a paper copy for you (and the Producers also have a list of who has ordered what from them).

Then the weekly order/ collection cycle starts again. There is no obligation to buy every week and there is no minimum order!

Easy!

IS THERE A MINIMUM ORDER?

Once registered with The Great British Food Hub you can choose if and when you want to shop.

There is no commitment required - you can shop weekly, monthly or even place several orders each week. You can shop once and then never again.

There is no minimum order - if all you want is a box of free-range eggs then that is just as welcome as someone who does a full week's shop and everything else in between.

The Farmers and Producers appreciate your support, large or small!

I FIND THE SITE TRICKY TO ORDER, CAN I PHONE IN MY ORDER OR IS THERE ANOTHER ORDERING METHOD?

We acknowledge that first time users can be rather overwhelmed by our site. It is a complex platform which connects thousands of products from hundreds af producers to thousands of customers via a growing number of Hubs. It has to deal with producers stock levels; customer's payments going in and producer's payments going out; reports and analytics for both Hosts and Producers plus so much more. We are constantly making changes and updates to the site and welcome your suggestions.

For payment and security reasons your purchases have to be made online BUT we are delighted to announce that we have invested in super-easy, secure and ad-free shopping app in both Android and iOS versions which can be downloaded here  The apps simply deal with the part of our site that you're interested in using, our markets. You can still access all of the same products and information...each Hub has an info page and each product has a link to it's Producer's page. You simply log in, click shop, select your Hub, and shop by category adding items to your basket...you can click and amend your basket at any time.

If you are already a Food Hub customer you can log on and stay permanently logged on. All of your previous orders will be uploaded to your app allowing you to "re-order" a complete order at the click of a button....it's the closest we will get to a standing order, and you can still tweek the order in your basket (remove and add items and change quantities) prior to paying. We've called it The Farmers Market In Your Pocket!

New customers can register on the app, click their verification email and then use it as mentioned above.

WHAT IF I FORGET WHAT I HAVE ORDERED?

We will send you an email confirming your order at the time of purchase. We will then send you an email when the market closes to remind you of your order.

You can view all past and current orders by logging on to the site (or the app) and going to "Customer" on the menu bar then "My Orders".

At the collection the Host will have a printed reminder for you of what you have ordered and all of the Producers have a list of who has ordered what from them.

So don't worry, even if you have the worst memory the Host and Producers will make sure you leave with everything you have ordered!

WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS AND I CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE COLLECTION?

Life happens and on the rare occassion that someone is unable to collect their order as planned the Food Hub Host will help you try and find a solution. 

They may offer to take it home and you could collect it from them the next day. They may leave it at the collection venue for you to collect later or the next day (this is a common solution when the venue is a bar or cafe with fridges). They may be able to wait a little later for you to arrive or, if you are local, they may offer to drop it off with a neighbour for you.

The only thing we would not be able to do is offer a refund as you will appreciate that the Producers will have fulfilled their part of the agreement by bringing your order to the collection and very often your order has been picked or made or baked to order.

HOW DO I CONTACT MY FOOD HUB HOST?

Each Food Hub has it's own home page where you will find a contact number and an email link for your Host as well as details about the venue and the Producers. You can find all of the Food Hubs here

TELL ME ABOUT THE PRODUCERS?

Most of our producers are small, LOCAL family businesses who have struggled to find a way to bring their products to market and connect with customers.

Some have tried using traditional farmer's markets but they have several negatives: the producers pay quite a large upfront fee for a stall without any guarantee of sales; if it rains then sales are very low; there is a lot of wastage from unsold food; it puts a lot of demand on their time with some farmer's markets open for 6-8 hours; it involves a lot of travelling which isn't great for the environment.

What producers love about The Great British Food Hub: there are no upfront fees and they receive 80% of the value of their sales (if they sell via shops or supermarkets they receive 20-30%); they don't have to travel and stand for hours at a farmer's market, their sales are coming in online day and night; they can supply their customers weekly (most farmer's markets are a monthly event); they love being able to spend time chatting and getting to know their customers instead of focusing on "selling" to them at traditional farmer's markets; there is no wastage, they only bring produce which has been pre-ordered; they are paid quickly and directly in to their bank following each collection so they don't have to worry about carrying about lots of change; they get to meet lots of other independent producers and many collaborations have been born via the Food Hub.

Any producer who applies to join the Food Hub has to demonstrate that they are a legitimate Food Business and are registered with their local Council's Environmental Health Department. We only approve producers when we have checked their credentials and are confident that they work to the highest standards and within all current UK Food Regulations. Hosts are required to personally visit all of their producers at least once within the first six months of them becoming a supplier.

DO YOU DELIVER?

The snappy answer is sometimes!

Some Hubs follow the Food Hub model of click and collect and only operate as a collection.

Some Hosts, particularly ones who are producers themselves offer a local delivery service for a small charge. These deliveries normally take place immediately after the collection and, due to the nature of your purchases, someone must be home to receive them.

Some Hosts arrange an alternative collection point. Often if the collection venue is a cafe or bar they will allow the Host to leave a few orders to be collected the next day. Customers should be aware these venues do this as a courtesy and are in no way responsible for your produce or liable for any loss or damage whilst left at their venue.

Each Food Hub tries very hard to meet the needs of its own LOCAL customers in its own way.

HOW SAFE IS THE SITE?

Safety of your data is one of our top priorities!

Our payment provider Stripe meets the most stringent levels of security certification, only uses secure connections, encrypts all of your information and never shares your data!

As of September 14th 2019 banks are requiring enhanced security (Strong Customer Authentication) and we have already implemented this weeks in advance! It may require an additional verification step when you check out...this is completely up to your own bank and we are now ready to implement any changes they require.

The Great British Food Hub has no access to your payment information and all data we have about you including your name, address, phone number, email address and purchase history are stored securely on our secure dedicated server which is hosted by 1&1 Hosting who pride themselves on the highest levels of security.

We NEVER share your data with any other companies. You will only hear from us or your local Food Hub host directly regarding The Great British Food Hub or your orders.

DO YOU SHARE MY DATA?

No, niet, nein, non, nee, nao, NEVER!

Not only that, we don't put adverts on our site or apps....they're just irritating!!!

You can view our Privacy Policy here.
 

I'M GETTING LOTS OF EMAILS, HOW CAN I STOP THEM?

Emails are an important part of our weekly market cycle....and most of customers are glad of them especially the weekly reminder that their local Food Hub market is about to close.

On average you will receive an automated email informing you that your local Food hub is open. Your Host will probably email you some details about the current market including any special offers, new prroducers or early cut off times for some producers....they will nearly always email you on the day the market closes to make sure you don't miss out and have to wait until next week for your favourite artisan bread or fresh veggies! So around 3 emails a week is about average. In addition if you place an order you will receive an email confirmation as well as another reminding you that you  have an order to pick-up once the market has closed.

Obviously the more Hubs you connect with then the more emails you will receive so it's often best just to stay connected to the one you use most often.

To disconnect from a Hub and stop receiving their emails simply log in to the site, go to "Customer" on the menu bar and then "My Hubs". Click the one you want to disconnect from then click the green disconnect button. Please note that if you then shop from that Hub you will automatically re-join it and receive their emails.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A COMPLAINT?

If your complaint relates to your order such as a missing or damaged item or something that is not to your satisfaction then please in the first instance contact your Host who will liase with the Producer to find a solution and rectify any problem.

If you are unhappy with the outcome then please email support@thegreatbritishfoodhub.com and we will do everything we can to resolve matters for you.

DO YOU KNOW HOW THE RAINBOW GETS ADDED TO RAINBOW CHARD?

Following the revelation that Skittles are milked from a giraffe eating a rainbow, we too are keen to find out how it gets into Rainbow Chard! One possible answer is the rainbow is transported in the rainwater and the plants must be harvested immediately following the sighting of a rainbow?

We will keep trying to solve this puzzle for you and while we do why not take a look at what's on offer this week at your local Food Hub? 

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