FAQ
Q1: What is FOLO Farm’s opening hours and what to do if we would like to come by and visit the farm?
We have an open farm for members every Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. It is a time where our CSA (community supported agriculture) members will come and pick up their week's worth of vegetables and also for the core team to get to know these families to exchange farming tips!
As we are getting more visitors, we try to be more organized by keeping our Saturday open to only one tour per Saturday.
Farm tours start at 9 am on Saturdays and we can only cater to visitors who pre-booked as we are short-handed.
Each time slot is limited to 20 pax for the tour experience to be comfortable for everyone and we charge RM30 per pax for both kids or adults. Anyone who wishes to register please use the booking form on this website:
http://www.folofarms.com/book-online
What if your schedule only allows you to visit during a weekday? FOLO does not offer public visiting hours during weekdays. If you have a group of more than 6 pax or would like to come by the farm during the week, you can contact us through Facebook message or email us to schedule a private tour for your group. As these will be paid farm tours, so our farm event coordinator will be in contact with you to arrange the details and customized tour schedule specifically for you and your visitors.
Q2: How do we purchase FOLO vegetables? Why does FOLO have a membership system? Why not just sell loose packets like supermarkets/organic shops so we can choose what we want?
Many farmers are squeezed and isolated from the market by middlemen. They pressure farmers by dictating the low price, the type of veggies, and the fixed quantities that they need. Sometimes when demand is low, they reject the harvests, and farmers are not paid. As a result, most of the risks are borned by the farmers.
We support the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) model because it addresses these issues. As members, we come together to directly support and share the risks with Chief Farmer Shifu Ah Lek, his family, and the FOLO core team.
We put our trust in him to grow whatever is best at the farm given his knowledge and experience.
We cut out the middlemen. When the harvest is plentiful, all of us have more vegetables to eat and share. When the harvest is weak due to the many variable factors, we all can witness the challenges on the farm. So we come together to take home a little less, so not all risk falls on the farmer.
The farmer feels appreciated and appreciates the community members bring. The laughter and energy we feel at FOLO every week cannot be found at any other farm in Johor, feeding our loved ones not just with nutrient-dense super veggies, but also a sense of 'kampung kamaraderie".
Q3: What is included in the weekly CSA box that members collect weekly?
Currently, we offer two types of membership package:
1. Full Package: 24 weeks of the vegetable box that includes 8 types of vegetable (350-450g/portion) plus one container of FOLO microgreens every week. One full box will feed about a family of 4.
2. Salad Package: 12 weeks of the vegetable box that include 500-600 grams of a variety of salad greens plus two containers of FOLO microgreens every week. This is recommended for a small family or working family that doesn’t always have time to cook but want to add a bit of health into their week.
For our products we aim to provide the highest quality and personally grown on our own land:
1. Membership includes a box of farm-fresh produce grown using responsible farming methods.
2. Subscribers do not have a choice as to what they receive each week. We provide our most current harvest and depending on unknown factors like the weather, our portion might fluctuate because of it. The members are notified every week of the harvest and what to expect.
3. We encourage members to come to the farm on Saturdays to pick up their vegetable boxes on a weekly basis. It gives a chance for the members to be exposed to the diversity of microbes at our farm and also reconnect with our loved ones and friends. There are lots of research showing the importance of strong community and microbes exposure on individual health therefore we encourage everyone to join us if possible to take a little time off each week to come by and take in some wellness. However, if you are unable to come, within certain vicinity in Johor Bahru, we do offer a delivery service for a small fee.
Q4: How much does it cost for FOLO CSA membership?
If you are interested to become a member, please PM us through Facebook message or email for us to update you on our current membership price.
Q5: I live in Singapore, is it possible for me to sign up for FOLO membership and have the vegetables delivered to me?
At FOLO farms, we are currently focusing on serving the families in JB but we do have a few members in Singapore and FOLO is still working out logistics to provide delivery and set up a community point in Singapore. Our members come to the farm every week to collect their veggies and hang out, as building a community is just as important to us. Sometimes members do help pick up for others who are unable to come by. If you know someone in your community who comes to JB weekly, and could get the veggies to you, we could make this work once the vegetables are available. We would encourage you if you are interested to become a FOLO Singapore member, please leave your name, contact information, address, and contact us through Facebook message or email us where we will connect you with our Singapore coordinator to follow up with you once membership becomes available.
Hope this info is helpful for you!
Q6: I live in Kuala Lumpur, is it possible for me to sign up for FOLO membership and have the vegetables delivered to me?
Unfortunately, we do not deliver to KL as of now. We have previously tried to use a courier however there is a high percentage of vegetables that couldn't last all the way until KL so we are exploring other options. If you or someone you know travels to JB weekly and is able to collect your vegetables for you, we can work something out.
Q7: I have a small garden and like to try to grow my own food, what would you suggest for me to do? Can I request someone from FOLO to help me set up?
Part of the FOLO community's interest is to gather like-minded farmers/home gardeners to learn together and encourage one another. We are in the process of establishing an internship program to support others who are interested to do similar things. In 2017, we will also be offering Saturday workshops for those who have “green fingers” or who are interested to give planting a try to come and learn about basic farming skills and help you get started on your own edible garden. Please pay attention to our Facebook and website updates for these upcoming sessions. In the meantime, we do take on external projects on a case by case basis, most of these are partnerships with schools to raise up a new generation of urban farmers.
Q8: What if we are traveling or are not available to collect our veggies during certain weeks?
We encourage you to share. Do let us know at least a week in advance:
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Who you will be sharing your veggies with, and who will be collecting on your behalf;
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If not, whether you want to donate your veggies to someone or would like us to donate it for you. We will also let you know if there is someone interested in buying over your share for the week, but no guarantees.
Q9: Why do some of my veggies rot/ go bad? Can I return/ exchange my veggies if they go bad?
There could be several reasons. Like all fresh vegetables, most of the time it is due to handling/ storage issues. Organically grown vegetables also tend to have finer structures and thus need to be carefully handled. We encourage members to keep the weekly harvests cool, transport them carefully and store them in the fridge as quickly as possible. Under similar storage conditions, our vegetables tend to stay fresher than others. Some members commented that they were pleasantly surprised FOLO vegetables stay fresh for up to 3 weeks! We find that amusing because we rarely have enough to eat for more than a week, let alone store it for 3 weeks!
Please also let us know when the veggies go bad – If many other members experience the same issues we might have to trouble-shoot at our farm. For cases where our storage/harvesting was the issue, we will happily exchange the veggies. Bear in mind that we are mostly powered by a group of passionate volunteers that try their best to provide the best for their loved ones. There's always room for improvement and kind consideration and communication are key to our improvement.