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What Organic Means to Us.
It hasn't been updated substantially in ages, but we'll do just that - if time ever permits.
A Brief History of The Sproutpeople
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Sprout School & Shop Sprouting Seed Info Center
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Organic is the only sustainable agriculture.
When it comes to sprouts, organic is even a bigger deal. Sprouts have been blamed for several food-borne illness "outbreaks" (see our food safety page) over the past decade, and it has been true in EVERY case, that the seed used was NOT organic. When you eat a sprout you are eating the seed. It is for that reason that sprouts that do not use organic seed can not be certified organic. Beware the sprout grower/seller who claims that they are organic because they don't use fertilizer or pesticide. There are way too many sprout growers who label their product "organically grown" even though they have absolutely no connection to organics - except that they wish to derive extra profits by associating themselves. They care for money - not for the Earth or your health. We have been responsible for co-ops dropping such products - or at least altering the labeling to omit this lie.
By nature sprouts are grown with water only, there are some additives in commercial sprout growing - usually bleach and gasses - but no one uses fertilizers and pesticides (at least I don't think so, though I guess I wouldn't be surprised - people are usually more concerned with selling than quality) on sprouts. If you care about organic food you should either know the grower enough to know that they are indeed organic or you should only deal with certified organic growers/products.
The federal (USDA) standards that finally came into being in 2002 (after many years of work and perhaps too much compromise) are not, in our opinion enough to judge by. In 2003 for example there was a "coup" that resulted in hugely corrupt use of the word organic. It was reversed thanks to many letters and a huge public outcry, but the fact that we have to be so vigilant is an indication of how precarious federal standards are. As far as we're concerned we think it is still necessary to use our heart when we shop. We buy from farmers (at farmers markets) we trust, stores we trust and companies we trust.
SOS (Save Our Sprouts!)
SPROUTPEOPLE®
170 Mendell St.
San Francisco, CA 94124
Toll Free:
877/777-6887
(877/SPROUTS)
We only use the phone for emergencies.
Back in 2001 we were still using the phone. One day I was talking to a long-time customer while pushing my (then 4 year old) daughter on the swing in our backyard (this is what a mom n' pop business is like on the internet). It dawned on me that my priorities were severely messed up, so I stopped using the phone. I love to talk and I love to help, but my family would never see me if I picked up the phone again, and that's just wrong don't you think?!
The very best way to contact us is through E-mail =:-)
We are quite fast and VERY thorough. We love to help.
We have been an internet only business since 2001. We are not a big corporation. We are but 2 people, Mom n' Pop Sprout. We decided after years of juggling our family's (kids, dogs, cats and even our own) needs, and the needs of Sproutpeople, that we had to make more time for our kids, so we stopped talking on the phone. All calls go to voice mail and have since 2001.
We are very fast to fill orders and answer e-mail, and though we wish we could make the time to talk, we just can't seem to get more minutes into a each hour. We are many years older than when we started and our days are too short and made up of too few hours to do everything. This limitation in our business has not kept us from pleasing our customers, nor from growing (as we have every year since 1993). We do what we do as well as we can, and we think we do it very well indeed.
We appreciate your patronage more than we can say. We ask that you use the phone for emergencies only and that you search our site for answers before e-mailing us. This site is bigger than any 4 sprout books put together, it is always available and it is free, and we know that almost all questions are answered here.
Thanks again for your support and your many kind words.
Sproutpeople