New! Service Fee Takes Effect Week of June 14 2026!
Added on June 6, 2026
Effective June 14, 2026, we will be introducing a flat service fee of $5 on each order placed. The fee will be noted as a separate line item reflected in your total amount owing.
We appreciate your continued support in keeping Urban Harvest financially sustainable!
Lisa & the UH Team
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Thank you to all who have responded to our request for input - we received responses from 108 customers! We appreciate those who expressed full support of a service fee, and we're also grateful for the honest and thoughtful questions, reservations, and suggestions raised. We have carefully considered your input alongside our own financial planning, and this is not a decision we are making lightly.
Please feel welcome to reach out if the service fee will create financial hardship for you; we recognize that our customers span many income levels, and we are able to waive the fee by request when affordability is an issue.
If this is the first you've read about our service fee, please see below for more background.
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Service Fee Background
If this is all new for you, here is the request for input we had sent out in our May 21st and May 28th updates before coming to the decision to implement a $5 service fee, as well as some responses to common questions received. (108 of you responded, thank you!!!)
With multiple rising overhead costs (from replacing refrigeration units and delivery vehicles to a substantial rent increase), the time has come for me to deeply consider how to make this beautiful labour of love a more financially sustainable operation that is resilient for years to come. As such, I will be implementing a new service fee, additional to the price of your Harvest Box, starting in June 2026 (exact launch TBD).
I am proposing a flat service fee of $3.50-$5, and I would like to know your thoughts!
What amount do you see as a fair and reasonable service fee?
Will this additional cost impact your frequency of purchasing from Urban Harvest?
If there were an option to cover the service fee for another customer, how often do you think you might do that? (eg every order, 1/mo, 1/year, random?)
If there were an option to have us waive the service fee for you, is that something you would request? If so, how often? (eg every order, 1/mo, 1/year, random?)
THANK YOU for your helpful feedback!
A little history on my pricing philosophy: I have always worked hard to keep overhead as low as possible and the value in our Harvest Boxes as high as possible, because I truly believe that quality, organic food should be accessible to all. In addition, I believe in paying staff a liveable wage, paying fair prices to farmers and other suppliers, and providing caring and personal customer service. Combining these goals has been a fine balancing act, and the truth is, I have been subsidizing our pricing for the past 26 years by living a modest lifestyle, wearing many hats in the business (working 6-7 days/week most weeks), operating in a very humble warehouse space, and housing our office in my home.
However, as my net income dropped by about 20% in 2025 (a big ouch!), and I am no longer a spring chicken (or a young carrot, lol!), my family, team, and suppliers have been reminding me that many other similar businesses (including LocalMotive in the South Okanagan and SPUD in the Lower Mainland) DO charge service/delivery fees of $5+. I am finally getting my head around this. It is not my intention to make food more expensive when I know many are already struggling to prioritize fresh produce with so many other expenses mounting; however, it IS my hope to continue paying farmers and staff fairly for their labour, and connecting you to quality food that supports a healthier planet.
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Responses to common questions received:
Qu 1: Would the service fee apply to pick-up orders as well?
A1: Yes. Pick-up orders save on delivery costs but have their own costs (cooler storage, staff time, admin), and most of our overhead costs are the same, whether we're delivering or offering pick-up. (We also have limited capacity to expand pick-up orders; it's an option we offer for customers living outside our delivery area or for whom delivery is not possible.)
Qu 2: Why not just increase the price of our Harvest Box?
A2: Adding a separate service fee rather than increasing our box pricing gives us some flexibility to help keep our service as affordable as possible for everyone. For example, if you are an individual who would be deeply impacted by adding a service fee, waiving (or reducing) the fee could be an option. We could also potentially reduce service fees in future as our financial balance shifts.
Qu 3: Will I have to pay a separate service fee?
A3: No! The service fee will be noted as a separate item, and included in your order total, just like any produce star charges or add-ons, so your balance owing at the bottom of the order is the amount payable. If you like to prepay in lump sums (rather than paying each time), you are still welcome to do that, and the service fee will simply be applied against your credit as part of each order's total. (If you currently have a weekly or biweekly autopay option set up through your bank, however, you WILL need to update that amount to include the service fee.)