Meet Sarah Houston! She's an accomplished runner, a personal trainer and a Mom with a young family. After discovering Good & Fugly on Facebook, Sarah gave us a go with our special introductory offer, and hasn’t looked back.
Now she and her family are wasting less time at the supermarket, and discovering new foods and recipes that they may never have tried otherwise! It’s been a win all-around for the Houston family.
We had a short chat with Sarah about her experience with Good & Fugly. Have a read, and do reach out to us if you have stories of your own to share, because we love hearing from you, and what it is about Good & Fugly that you’re enjoying.
It’s Good For The Whole Family
There are few things as satisfying as digging into a plate piled high with fresh, vibrant fruits and vegetables. And if those greens come with a side of sustainability, it's a win-win for our taste buds and the planet.
More and more Aussies are discovering just how effective Good & Fugly is at delivering both. Sarah Houston is one of those. We’re about much more than turning 'ugly' fruits and veggies into a solution to the food waste crisis. We’re also about taking people on a food journey, and helping them discover and use fruit and veg in interesting ways that they may never have otherwise. Sarah found us by pure fortune over social media, and hasn’t looked back because of that side of us.
We do love hearing these stories about people that are making the most of their Good & Fugly boxes. If you have a story of your own to share, contact us!
1) What was it about Good & Fugly that caught your interest and got you to give it a go in the first place?
I was on the lookout for ways to change our shopping habits around fruit and vegetables (avoid wastage, increase variety, inspire new recipes and avoid multiple trips to the shops). I saw videos on G&F that appeared on Facebook and the produce looked super fresh, colourful and varied, it looked convenient while feeling like we were contributing to a good cause, and I liked the idea of being able to choose the box that suited my family. The first box offer also meant I could try it out for a discounted rate.
2) How aware would you say you were of the causes that Good & Fugly addresses (e.g. farmers having to discard produce, the environmental impact of food waste, the cost of living for Aussie families) and would you say you've become more aware of them by following Good & Fugly?
From seeing G&F socials and website, I was aware that a key purpose of the boxes is to utilise produce that doesn't 'look the part' from supermarket standards but is perfectly good food - although the extent of it was a shock! My own mission to reduce our household food waste meant that I was interested in learning more and I like the idea of being a small part of driving change for the bigger cause! Seeing some of the partnerships with farmers is definitely a feel-good factor.
Like most people, I am increasingly aware of and subject to the rising cost of food shopping. The price of the box (small fruit and veg) has resulted in a reduction in our weekly food bill whilst improving our selection of seasonable fruit and vegetables and without waste.
3) How do you like to use the produce in the Good & Fugly boxes?
The boxes help to shape our meals for the week. Once we get the delivery, we get an idea of what we will have and when!
The produce from the Good & Fugly boxes goes towards:
- Fruit for my son's lunch box.
- Snackable vegetables (cucumber, celery, capsicum sticks etc) for 'Crunch and Sip' at my son's school and for taking to work.
- Fruit for smoothies in the mornings.
- Vegetables we haven't used much of before (rainbow chard was an intriguing new addition to our diet!) and looking at recipes that allow them to be used.
- What protein we will have with other vegetables for dinners.
- Utilising vegetables for stir frys, salads, sides, soups and baking etc.
- More often than not, we give the weekly recipe included in each box a go too (Standouts so far were the choc orange muffins and zucchini fitters)!
4) Have you found that Good & Fugly has changed your habits in any way - e.g. the recipes you cook, how you use supermarkets etc?
Good & Fugly has given us structure to our meals and a more varied diet. I used to buy the same fruit and veg and as a result, we often got bored and inevitably produce would be wasted and/or we would do multiple shopping trips.
We now:
- Only use the fruit and veg produce from the box and don't buy extras (unless we have a special occasion etc).
- Use all of it through better planning and more interesting/varied meals (so avoid waste).
- Use vegetables that I would not have previously thought to buy and therefore try recipes I wouldn't have tried before.
- Only buy meat and non-perishables from the supermarket.
- Lead our meal planning through the fruit and vegetables we receive.
5) Is there anything else you'd like to share about your Good & Fugly experience?
We love our G&F experience! It was exactly the solution we were looking for. My son gets excited when the box arrives, and I like that he is learning about reducing waste and better routines with fruit and veg. The service has been easy to use, and I like the little things, like that we can return the box for reuse!
