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Misfits Market vs Imperfect vs Hungry Harvest: What’s the Best Ugly Produce Service?

About the Author

Alex Goldberg

Alex worked at three early-stage startups before starting Fin vs Fin. Covering the rise of direct-to-consumer health, his mission is to help patients access better treatments online. He's also a husband, father, and UC Berkeley grad who enjoys golf, podcasts, live music, cooking, and home improvement.

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In this Article

In this Article

Alex Goldberg

Thanks to the rise of farm-to-table fresh produce boxes such as Imperfect Produce, Misfits Market, Hungry Harvest, and a growing list of alternatives, discerning shoppers can now get the convenience of home delivery without compromise.

 

We’ve compared produce box delivery subscription startups before, and as big proponents ourselves, we are excited to see this movement continue to gain traction. Beyond supporting local farmers, these startups also reduce food waste by selling items that otherwise would’ve been tossed, helping the planet with lower carbon emissions.

 

In this post we’ll compare several of the top names head-to-head – Misfits Market vs Imperfect Foods vs Hungry Harvest – and help you differentiate their offerings to see which looks the most appetizing.

 

 

Misfits Market vs Imperfect Produce vs Hungry Harvest: Produce Subscription Boxes

Sizing/Box DescriptionsMinimum order is $30 per delivery, but it's 100% customizable, and generally feeds 1-2 for a week.Green Box: most popular; includes organically grown produce; starts at $24

Regular Box: best value; includes conventionally grown produce; starts at $16
Mini: feeds 1-2 Standard: $15 - $17 Organic: $24 - $28
Full: feeds 2-3 Standard: $23 - $27 Organic: $34 - $40
Super: feeds 4-7 Standard: $33 - $35 Organic: $42 - $50
Introductory Discount50% off your first box20% off your first 4 boxes with code FINVSFIN$10 off your first box with code HARVEST10
Product OfferingsFruits and vegetables, coffee and tea, meat and seafood, as well as pantry staples like flour and oil.Fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, dairy, eggs, pantry items such coffee, olive oilFruits and vegetables, ‘weekly add-ons’ that may include eggs, grains, pantry items
Customizable?
Delivery Frequency OptionsWeekly or biweeklyWeekly or biweeklyWeekly or biweekly
Shipping CostsFlat $5.50$4.99 - $9.99Free for orders >$29.99; A small $1.99 - $3.49 delivery fee may be incurred for smaller orders
Areas of Service48 states (most zip codes)35 metro areas in 40 states (and counting)Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, Northern Delaware, South Florida, The Triangle Area & Charlotte in North Carolina & the Detroit Metro Area
Website

These grocery delivery services position themselves to sell produce for less than your typical grocery store, not to mention the time savings. This was huge for me because we currently don’t have a car, so lugging bags of groceries nearly a mile each way was a serious chore.

 

Imperfect and Misfits Market offer competitively priced organics because typical grocery stores mark these up considerably. These companies pass on discounts after purchasing food that would otherwise go uneaten – a win-win-win for consumers, producers, and society.

 

Produce box pricing varies based on size and selection, but generally each delivery will set you back between $15-$30 and feed two people (see table below). I’ve found that the prices for non-organic food are slightly more expensive than what you’d find in aa standard supermarket, with a bit less variety, but a lot more convenience.

 

Do you care about where your food comes from?

 

When reviewing the Imperfect Foods website, I found that they had a helpful guide for each product that shows its associated “imperfection”. Many of the fruits and vegetables sourced seemed like they were in surplus supply for the original destination, while some products like Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats ($2.49) for example were available because the manufacturer went through a packaging change, and had excess inventory with old labels. They also offered a 12-pack of sea salt chocolate chip bars because incorrect packaging due to a printing error, allowing them to sell it for $16.99 instead of $29.89.

 

I also appreciated their honesty. For a few products, I saw the candid message: “there’s no food-waste story behind this item, but it’s part of our efforts to bring you more of the everyday staples you love at an affordable price.”

 

As far as sourcing goes, Imperfect Foods tries to source most of its produce locally and has strong ties to the produce hub of California (aka the world’s salad bowl). This year alone they’ve worked with 1,200 small food producers and farmers across the country. If you’re local to California, Good Eggs is another amazing grocery delivery service that offers extremely sustainably sourced food and meal kits.

 

Hungry Harvest, being on the east coast, works closely with suppliers in Jessup, the produce hub of the Mid-Atlantic used by Whole Foods. This positions them well to ‘rescue’ produce rejected because of misordering, late truck delivery, as well as small cosmetic blemishes.

 

That said, all three companies share the common primary objective to reduce waste, so they will occasionally source from outside of the US (i.e. mostly from Mexico) if there’s food to be saved (and waste to be prevented.)

What else do these services offer?

Imperfect and Misfits are all focusing heavily on building a community around their product and the consumer, and thus have a strong social media presence. Each also has a blog where the companies provide helpful cooking tips and recipes.

 

For example, the Imperfect Blog has a post which discusses ‘Everything you should know about cooking with Beets’ – something which can be helpful if beets are included in this week’s box. Misfits Market published a piece on their Favorite Friendsgiving Recipes. I’ve found all the blogs and recipes to be super user friendly and am excited to try my hand at Squash Soup!

 

Check out each of these blogs here:

Imperfect Foods vs Misfits Market: Can you customize your produce?

If we compare Imperfect Foods vs Misfits Market on the parameter of Box customizability, then both of them offer it.

 

While you can always opt to receive your shipment as is — many actually enjoy the surprise of not knowing what’s coming! — Others with serious allergies or strong dietary preferences may require a more surgical approach.

 

However, keep in that while both allow you to specify the quantity and frequency of delivery,  Misfits market currently offers the most flexibility around delivery times. They allow you to choose pretty much any slot Tuesday – Saturday, while Imperfect has a much more narrow delivery windows. Thus for anyone needing more flexibility when it comes to delivery, Misfits Market is the best choice.

My personal experience

For Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods, once I placed my order, I was able to log back in to make additional last minute edits. Their sites update the prices on the final order as you go along so you can keep track of whatever you’ve added. And crucially, there’s no fee for customizing your order.

 

For my first order, I chose to go with the un-customized medium Green Box (mostly because I just forgot to customize before the window closed!). Here is what my box looked like:

 

And here’s what my receipt looked like:

 

What Was Inside My BoxOrganic Produce
Organic Avocados (3 ct)$2.78
Organic Carrots (1 lb)$1.29
Organic Celery (1 ct)$1.09
Organic Cilantro (1 ct)$1.29
Organic Delicata Squash (2 ct)$1.99
Organic Garlic (Organic Garlic) (2 ct)$1.59
Organic Grape Tomatoes (1 ct)$2.99
Organic Green Apples (3 ct)$1.99
Organic Limes (5 ct)$1.29
Organic Mango (1 ct)$1.99
Organic Onions (2 ct)$1.39
Organic Spinach Bunch (1 ct)$1.99
Organic Zucchini or Yellow Squash (1 lb)$1.99
Organic Pears (2 ct)$1.29
Subtotal$24.95 
Delivery Fee$4.99
Box Price: $29.94$29.94 

At ~$25, I was satisfied with this price and it was comparable to what I ended up paying on an average trip to the grocery store. I’ve been trying to experiment a lot with smoothies, so the veggies’ aesthetics were not super important to me, although when they arrived, none of them actually looked ‘ugly’ in any way. In fact, the produce was chilled, and all seemed…dare I say…100% fresh.

 

Overall, the box had everything I wanted, but going forward, I’ll probably customize because 5 limes is a lot (you don’t realize this when you see the $1.3 price tag), and apparently cilantro tastes like soap to my wife (?!). Didn’t know that was a thing…

 

The avocados were a little on the smaller side but paired nicely with the grape tomatoes for my avocado-on-toast breakfast. We probably got a lot more carrots than we regularly would’ve, but my grandmother used to say they’re excellent for enhancing eyesight, so I’m enjoying a good chomp with hummus.

 

Hungry Harvest also offers customization, has a “never list” which helps them track items you’ll never value as a consumer for future orders. They have a similar customization window prior to delivery, but charge a small fee to every customized order to offset sorting and packaging costs.

 

Its customization windows close two days before the delivery date, so this is something you will likely need to keep in mind if customization is important to you. Additionally, this is probably the right time to research new recipes if you’ve decided to be adventurous for your upcoming box! Want to make your life even easier? What about using a smart oven to get creative and efficient with your cooking of the delivery, too??

Which grocery service is most affordable?

Saving money on your grocery bill is probably not the number one reason to try an ugly produce box subscription, but it could be a nice perk.

 

Both Imperfect Foods and Misfits claim to save you cash – but is it true? In my experience, the produce and mix of foods were slightly cheaper than what’s available at my local grocery store. For me, on average, I calculated savings of around $7.50 per order, but that depends largely on what I get, as well as local supply chain changes.

 

The more I order, and the more I carefully curate the items, the more I saved. For example, there are often very affordable meats and fish, and when I order those the savings add up quickly. But if a pint of organic strawberries is 10 cents less expensive than at my grocery, the savings are more negligible.

 

Keep in mind –  if you shop at a low-cost grocery or bulk distributor like Costco, you probably won’t save any money at all.

imperfect foods emails about order confirmation

How ugly is an ugly produce box?

Most of the produce that I received from Misfits, Imperfect, and Hungry Harvest have been… surprisingly normal looking. 

 

The ugliest product we’ve received looked like the carrot pictured to the right. It tasted delicious, despite looking like it may have come from another planet.

 

The vast majority of vegetables from these services, however, are far more normal looking, even indistinguishable from what you’d buy at grocery store – at least to the naked eye.

What to avoid when ordering an ugly produce box

Ok, so the carrot we mentioned above tasted great. But not every piece of funky produce is a good idea to order online, in our experience. Here are some of the items we’d suggest you avoid when ordering from an ugly produce box delivery service:

  • Avocados – We’ve never had luck ordering avocados online; they are either too mushy or so hard that they never seem to ripen.
  • Cantaloupes – Everyone’s 2nd favorite orange gourd-thing has been slightly too soft/spoiled the two times we’ve ordered them when this happened with Imperfect Foods they credited our account the next day for the item.
  •  Tomatoes – We just haven’t liked the tomatoes that we’ve gotten from our ugly produce orders. They haven’t been bad, just flavorless.
  • Berries – The quality has always been great, but we recommend making sure that it isn’t berry season, as you may be able to get them at the grocery store for a steal!

The Verdict: Misfits Market vs Imperfect Foods vs Hungry Harvest

If you’ve made it this far, you have a good sense of each company’s offering and pricing, but might still be fuzzy around what really sets these companies apart in terms of their core mission and history so far.

Review of Misfits Market

The company has a two-pronged mission statement that focuses on making healthy food less expensive while also reducing food waste. By sourcing quality fruits and vegetables that stores can’t or won’t sell, they promise prices up to 40% less than you’d find in a traditional grocery store. They focus on helping farms find a market for the things they would grow and rescuing produce from the landfill.

 

Misfits pride themselves on delivering to both cities as well as rural areas, and working with smaller and mid-sized farms which generally lack infrastructure to sell ‘ugly’ produce before it goes bad. Thus they deliver to every  zip code in the states they  service,  rather than just select cities. They also support farmer’s cooperatives that may struggle to make ends meet.

 

The company was founded in 2018 and employs hundreds of full-time employees. They’ve raised over $300m from top tier VCs like Accel, Sound Ventures, and Greenoaks Capital. Misfit’s key competitors — besides Imperfect and Hungry Harvest — are services like Jupiter, Weee!, Whole Foods and, of course, your local grocery’s delivery.

 

This is sure to be a breakout year for Misfits Market.  They are expanding beyond just locally-source produce by launching a new add-on marketplace with products from sustainable brands for 25-50% off compared to buying the same items at the store, with all of the food being rescued from going to waste. Pretty cool, I must admit! If you’d like to learn even more about our experience using the service, read our review of Misfits Market.

Review of Imperfect Foods

As a subscriber for multiple years, it’s safe to say I’ve been very happy with Imperfect / Misfits market. All but 2 of my weekly deliveries have arrived on time (the two that were late came the next day, just one day late, after lots of apology and heads up from Misfits.)

 

One of the things I like best is the variety of produce + household items available. Maybe some of this stuff is at my local grocery store, but the fact that they offer deals on artichokes or other items that I’d never seriously consider purchasing is a fun way to expand my palette and culinary skills. 

 

I’ve also enjoyed their meats and pasta (they have a pasta brand “Anna’s Pasta” that my kids LOVE). And sometimes they’ll get pre-marinated chicken fajitas or other ready to go items that make cooking faster and easier.

 

Overall, my ugly produce box has become an indispensable part of my weekly routine. I login on Monday (when I get their reminder email) and review the veggie suggestions. I then think about what I want to cook over the coming week, and then that’s it!

 

Plus, I’ve set a few items to be delivered every week, so that I never run out. In particular, I love getting
fresh herbs like cilantro, it makes cooking so much better to have fresh on hand every week. 

Review of Hungry Harvest

Hungry Harvest was founded in 2014 and is a comparatively smaller company with around 50 employees and $525k in seed round funding. They are a graduate of the Conscious Venture Lab accelerator and if they look familiar, you may recall seeing them on Shark Tank in 2016, where they secured $100k from Robert Herjavec for a 10% stake. (We haven’t been able to find their Shark Tank appearance online, but here is a link to a local news station that covered them.)

In addition to reducing food waste, and offering the convenience of delivery, Hungry Harvest also has a goal to partner with student run ‘Produce in a SNAP’ organizations to wipe food deserts off the map in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and DC. In those markets you can use EBT to purchase your ugly produce box. It’s unique enough to warrant a section on this review!

 

Which ugly produce subscription service is best?

So far, Imperfect Foods seems to have captured a lot of early-adopters. As a result, they’ve been able to raise the most venture capital and arguably have evolved the most to fit most consumers’ overall grocery needs.

 

But I wouldn’t count out Misfits Market. They are slightly newer, but have secured significant runway for growth, and are going toe-to-toe with Imperfect by creating a waste-reducing marketplace for more than just produce.

 

Ultimately, both are equally convenient and offer similar quality. Imperfect Foods and Misfits Market offers a larger selection of goods.

 

Given that these services are somewhat geographically limited (at least for the time being), we think your choice should come down to one simple question: which service can bring you the best fresh food from the closest local farmers?

 

If you live in a rural area, that’s likely Misfits Market, which caters to all zip codes in the states they serve. (Click here to save 50% off your first box).

 

If you live on the east coast, like supporting an underdog that’s not only tackling food waste prevention, but food desert elimination, Hungry Harvest is the way to go.

 

Whichever you choose, feel good about contributing to food waste reduction. You’ll be giving these so-called ‘ugly’ products a second chance! Have  you experienced locally-sourced produce subscription boxes? I’m sure there’s a lot more regional or community-based options that we’ve yet to cover, so please chime in in the comments below.

 

One parting thought on produce box subscriptions in general: keep in mind that you can totally choose the extent to which you want to rely on a produce subscription box. I’ve seen friends regularly skip their box when they know they have other plans or will be out of town. One friend even took advantage of each service’s introductory offer to enjoy meaningful discounts to groceries over a month and a half before making up his mind – not a bad strategy to acquaint yourself with the nuances of each before making a final decision!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In my area, for produce, yes – Market typically cheaper than the regularly priced items. For meats, it depends – the marinated items are pretty affordable, but some of the speciality items are on par or even slightly more expensive than the grocery store (steak, for example). So, overall, Imperfect works great for my wallet for a lot of the veggie and fruit staples I like to have in my meal rotation every week. And they carry a lot of rotating items that I can’t get at my store – some of which are great, like chocolate “nubs” – and others, like specialty coffees, that I’m really unlikely to ever purchase. 

Unfortunately, Misfit Market does not accept EBT or SNAP food stamps yet.

Like Misfit Market, Imperfect Market also does not accept EBT/SNAP food stamps yet.

Hungry Harvest accepts SNAP/EBT and cash through its “Produce in a SNAP” site.

Related Reading

About the Author

Alex Goldberg

Alex worked at three early-stage startups before starting Fin vs Fin. Covering the rise of direct-to-consumer health, his mission is to help patients access better treatments online. He's also a husband, father, and UC Berkeley grad who enjoys golf, podcasts, live music, cooking, and home improvement.

Learn more
Alex Goldberg

Alex Goldberg

Alex worked at three early-stage startups before starting Fin vs Fin. Covering the rise of direct-to-consumer health, his mission is to help patients access better treatments online. He's also a husband, father, and UC Berkeley grad who enjoys golf, podcasts, live music, cooking, and home improvement.

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