Frequently Asked Questions

For almost all products across the board 75%-80% of what the customer pays goes to farmers and producer organizations. The mark-up that we have on fresh produce varies between produce, as  perishability and transport costs are higher.

Our mark-up covers our overheads and operating costs. We ensure to pay a decent living wage  to our employees with bonuses, paid leave, medical assistance and education loans.

The reasons are straightforward and simple! 

Our aim is to provide organic farmers a fair and consistent price for their produce. Our mark-ups are just enough to cover our additional costs of operation.

The “discount” that most retailers give, represents a surplus that has been discounted in their profit margin. At reStore we do not follow this system. 

We may offer some discounts on perishable products to prevent wastage (so you can buy extra and perhaps share with friends!).

The only discount we do offer on dry groceries is 2% for bringing your own reusable packaging. This is to thank you for helping us save on the cost of packaging, and together reducing our waste footprint. 

Our aim of supporting organic farmers is best achieved if our off-take is a substantial part of their produce. All our overheads, transport, storage and administrative costs are thereby reduced. And we are able to offer more affordable prices to you – our community. 

Most mainstream stores, which pre-package products enforce a minimum qty via their pack size. Our philosophy of “sale from the bin” is a means to reduce unnecessary packaging. We still have to follow minimum quantity sales so as to keep our prices affordable.

We have set the levels such that a family of 1-2 persons can use this quantity within a month.

We make occasional exceptions to this – for instance if you are trying a rice variety for the first time. Or you wish to make your own value additions from multiple grains. We request you to treat these exceptions in the right spirit!

As organic products are not treated with pesticides and other chemicals to increase their shelf life, they need to be stored thoughtfully, as previous generations would have done. However, in keeping with modern lifestyles and living spaces, we suggest that you purchase and store groceries for no more than one month at a time.  Also, at reStore we sell from bulk-containers and wrap in paper or cloth – which do not offer a moisture barrier and hence cannot be used for storage.

Storing dry groceries from our store:

• Transfer your purchases to clean and dry containers (steel / glass / ceramic) with lids, on the same day as you purchase them. Paper and cloth covers are not suitable for storing them; not even within another container. 

• Add sweet flag (vasambu) / dry chilly into your container (1 piece for 1-2 Kgs of grain), to reduce chances of pests.

• Keep rices, millets and pulses closed but do allow some air movement. If the grain is unused for several days, open and slightly shake the contents. 

• To prolong their shelf-life, pulses can be dry-roasted mildly, allowed to cool and then stored as above. Whole pulses in particular are susceptible to pests and must be inspected often.

• If you will not be using an item for more than ten days at a stretch, store in the refrigerator in a ziploc bag.

• Store rava-s and flours similarly to grains but take even more precaution in humid weather. 

• All sweets and savouries are best purchased in your own reusable containers (which can be securely closed to prevent moisture entry). If you are taking them home in paper covers, transfer them immediately upon arrival.

• Cold-pressed oils are to be stored only in steel or glass and not in plastic.  Coconut oil that is a few months old can be kept in an open container in the sun (protect from leaves or dust by a mesh), to remove excess moisture.

• Catch them early, by inspecting often. Dry the grain in the sun. The heat will drive away the insects. (Shade-dry the rice varieties). Then visually inspect and re-store as above in a clean container. Use within a few days or refrigerate for longer storage.

• Refrigerate all vegetables other than root veggies especially in the hot and rainy months. Tomatoes are better stored at room temperature.

• Wrap bananas, pineapples and mangoes in paper, and store them in a rice bin for quick ripening. Check on them daily. Store papayas and other fruits at room temperature and eat at optimal ripeness.

• Greens: remove roots, clean, dry and wrap in a damp cloth or plastic pouch with holes, then refrigerate. Use the same or next day

We take precautions to carefully source, store and clean all our dry groceries. We also request you to follow the above storage precautions. Despite these efforts if any product spoils or becomes infested within 15 days of purchase we will be glad to exchange it for store credit. Please bring the item back within 15 days or contact us to describe the problem.

• Please note – we are not able to accept returns for other reasons, such as a particular item did not agree with you.

We sell only naturally produced, seasonal fruits and vegetables, we request you to take in stride variations in ripening, tenderness, imperfections or spoilage in a small portion of the produce. We do not generally reduce payments to farmers based on these issues. Our pricing is also done without a margin for this. Please do give us feedback (call or whatsapp), however, so that we can also communicate these issues as they arise, with our farmers. 

In case some produce is totally unusable/does not ripen at all/has major spoilage, please contact us in a timely manner once you notice the problem (same or next working day) by phone or Whatsapp.  We offer a 50% store credit for such items, i.e. reStore and customers share the losses rather than pass it on to the farmer.