Azure Standard for Beginners
Azure Standard has been our family’s favorite source for natural groceries and bulk whole foods for over ten years now.
Before that, we were part of a different natural food co-op. We’ve been buying healthy, natural food this way for over twenty years!
Through the years, I’ve seen questions about what Azure Standard is, how to find or establish a drop, and what to order.
In this post, I’ll share all about how Azure Standard works, why we choose to order from them, and exactly what we order each month!
The links below are my referral links.
What is Azure Standard?
Azure Standard is a family-owned company providing high quality, affordable, organic, natural groceries. They also carry health, household, and garden supplies.
Azure specializes in providing quality bulk and natural foods.
You can often save money on your grocery bill by buying items in bulk. This is why we started buying many of our groceries through Azure Standard.
Rather than buy a small bag of wheat berries or oats, for instance, we buy 50 pounds at a time, which saves money in the long run.
It also helps stock my pantry so that I always have the basics available to make a meal, even if we haven’t been to the grocery store recently.
However, if you’d prefer not to buy such huge bulk quantities of an item, they also carry smaller sizes. For instance, you can buy various dried goods in 5, 10, 25, or 50 pound sizes.
For other items, you can order them by the case (if you use a lot of the item, this can be a great idea), or you can order an individual item if you only need one.
You can join a delivery drop with others, but you can also just place an order and have your groceries delivered directly to you.
We’re part of a local drop that one of my friends started. This just means that our order comes on a truck and we meet the truck at a previously set place when the truck shows up.
How to Get Started with Azure Standard
Getting started with Azure Standard is easy! Here are the basics of getting started.
- Create an account on the website.
- Join a delivery drop local to you.
- Place your order on the website.
- Meet the truck on the designated delivery day.
- Pick up and take your items home.
It’s that simple!
Alternatively, you can also place your order online and have your order delivered directly to you. The only downside of this is that you have to pay shipping, but it’s still a great option to consider.
How Do Azure Standard Drops Work?
In order to find a drop near you, there’s a page on the Azure website called “Find a Drop.” When you open this page, you’ll see a map with little location dots on it.
Zoom into your state and then choose the drop location that’s closest to you. You can also search by city, state, or zip code.
When you click on the drop in your area (each drop has a blue dot you can click on), a little window will open up with more information and a way to contact the drop coordinator.
Don’t see a drop in your area? You can also create your own drop! The information for setting that up is on a page called, “Start Your Own Drop.”
What to Order from Azure Standard
There are so many things available to order on Azure Standard’s website! Here are a few of the things we’ve ordered through the years.
Grains
- Whole wheat grain (we usually order the 50-lb bags)
- Soft white wheat
- Spelt grain
- Unbleached bread flour
- Einkorn flour
- Organic popcorn
- Oats
- Rice
- Quinoa
Baking Supplies
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Rapadura
- Cane sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Molasses
- Coconut sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Spices
- Dried herbs
Dairy Products
- Raw cheese
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Cottage cheese
- Sour cream
Produce
We usually buy whatever is in-season and on sale. You can often get a great deal on “seconds.”
- Apples
- Pears
- Peaches
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Etc.
Oils
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Ghee
- MCT oil
Nuts and Seeds
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Sprouting seeds
Legumes
- Black beans
- Pinto beans
- Great Northern beans
- Lentils
Dried Fruit
- Dates
- Figs
- Raisins
- Cranberries
- Cherries
- Coconut (shredded)
Frozen Foods
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
- Butternut squash
Home Goods
- Cleaning supplies
- Beeswax candles
Chicken Feed
- Scratch & Peck
- Chicken wheat
- Grubs
This is just a small sampling of the products they carry. There are so many other items available that there are too many to list here. Check out the website to get an idea of what is available!
Our Usual Azure Standard Order
Since we’ve been ordering from Azure Standard for so many years, our orders have varied through the years depending on our needs at the time.
Also, since we buy grain in bulk, we don’t need to order it every time. So our order varies from month to month.
But here’s what we regularly order from Azure Standard:
- Unbleached flour
- Bread flour
- Raw honey
- Yogurt (goat milk and whole milk grass-fed)
- Cottage cheese (probiotic)
- Raw cheese
- In-season fruit
- Frozen blueberries
- Chicken feed
As mentioned above, we will also add wheat berries, oats, or other bulk items if needed when the order is due. But since we purchase these in bulk, we don’t need to order them monthly.
Azure Standard Review
Our experience with Azure Standard has been positive, and we’re so thankful to have this option to purchase healthy, natural food without driving to the city (an hour and a half away).
Since we live in a rural area, finding natural, organic groceries (that are affordable) can be difficult.
Of course we try to purchase as much locally as possible (we’re often able to find honey, molasses, dairy products, free-range chickens, and other items from local farmers and Amish and Mennonites).
But sometimes we can’t obtain what we need locally, especially finished products like raw cheese, yogurt, and grains and flours.
Azure has been a lifesaver for us! I honestly can’t imagine life without this company since we’ve been ordering from them for so many years.
If you haven’t tried Azure Standard yet, I highly recommend it! Check out the website and get started here.
Read More Pantry Ideas
- Pantry Staples to Always Keep On Hand
- Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix (Large Batch)
- Taco Seasoning Recipe (Large Batch)
- How to Make Your Own Vanilla
- How to Make Chicken Stock in the Crock-Pot
- 9 Must-Have Real Food Kitchen Tools
Pantry Staples to Keep on Hand
Thank you for this email. I got a calling in my head a few weeks ago about this and ignored it I suppose God used you to say hello let’s do this so I ordered everything this morning. My husband and I already have chicken dealer here hear I order 5 cases at a time and our beef is grass fed and finished from the valley we live in and my vegetable seedlings are thriving we eat as close to the land as possible I cook every night no eating out or processed food in this hose dried beans do great in crockpot and then one of my 4 freezers. I also have our egg chickens I guess a cow is next for milk and butter.
So thank you again
I’m so glad it was helpful and came at the right time! It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job of sourcing good, healthy, local food. That’s wonderful! We try to do similar things, buying chickens and beef from local farmers. We also have chickens for eggs, and I would love to have a goat for milk (we don’t have enough land for a cow, unfortunately), and bees!
Are all products organic, free range, raw (dairy products) Are nuts raw, non irradiated, non jet fuel coated, etc?
I have found few bulk suppliers who have all organic, all pastured, all non irradiated or jet fuel coated products. Most have a combination, which is usually mostly commercial and regular traditional store food and most are NOT what I want re: organic.
Just wondering.
I’d LIKE to begin something like this. Years ago, we had a food club that met weekly to order bulk foods that were all organic, pastured, free range, etc. If we didn’t want a 50# bag, we would divvy it up to get the discount. It was wonderful. but I have never seen ONE company that can give the all organic products like they did…It would be great if Azure Standard was this type of company.
I’m not sure if every product is organic, but that’s what we buy from them. We’ve been very happy with the groceries we’ve purchased from Azure through the years, and they have a huge selection of organic, non-GMO, and non-irradiated (for the nuts) items. With our drop group, most of us just buy our own bags of bulk items, but it would certainly be an option to create a drop group with friends and then divide it up to share the discount. We also used to be part of a co-op like that, and it was great!