‘Ugly’ produce delivery service makes its way to Tacoma

These fruits and vegetables may be nothing to look at, but that doesn’t mean they need to be tossed.

That’s the philosophy behind Imperfect, a produce delivery company that sources its “ugly” produce from farms and delivers to homes at prices it says are cheaper than store-bought.

Imperfect has launched in a few Tacoma ZIP codes already, and it plans to roll out to more in the coming weeks — so check back if you don’t see your area listed now.

“One in 5 fruits and veggies grown in the U.S. goes to waste, typically because it doesn’t meet the strict cosmetic standards of grocery stores,” the service says. “Imperfect works directly with farmers to find a home for this ‘ugly’ produce.”

“Ugly” includes produce that’s the wrong shape, size or color. Imperfect also sells excess produce, which may not be so ugly after all.

According to Imperfect, a small box costs around $12 and a large box costs around $18, with organic produce boxes costing slightly more.

How it works:

▪ Customers sign up for a box on Imperfect’s website.

▪ Choose your box size (small, medium, large, or extra large), choose your produce (organic, conventional, fruit, vegetables or a mix) and choose the weekly or biweekly delivery option. (You also can skip a week of delivery.)

▪ Customize your box from the menu, which changes each week.

▪ Your Imperfect produce box is delivered to your home.

For more information, go to imperfectproduce.com.

The business also has a careers page, and says it plans to hire more Tacoma-area drivers in the future: bit.ly/2t1nXi2

This story was originally published February 27, 2018 at 8:00 AM with the headline "‘Ugly’ produce delivery service makes its way to Tacoma."