I've tried other CSAs in the area but BeWise has the best quality and quantity IMHO. I really appreciate the way they package their produce too. It is very clean, bagged and pretty much ready to eat. I don't have to spend hours cleaning each item and drying the produce on my counter top like I had to before with the other CSA. As for customer service, I've had nothing but great service from them. When we forgot to pick up our box (on 2 occasions in 2 years) the host contacted us in the morning and we took care of it right away. At one point a rep from Be Wise met me nearby to deliver my box to me. I hope to stay a member as long as they will let me. Good people. read more

The produce is amazing even better than the Chino farm and a fraction of the cost. The staff is friendly and helpful. I am so glad I found Be Wise. The price of the items in my box would have easily been double at the grocery store. I look forward every week to getting my box and to see all the beautiful fruits and vegetables inside. read more

Dissappointment is the main theme here. I was really excited that I was going to have my favorite produce delivered so close to home. I sent my check into BeWise and then went out to purchase a really nice juicer and dehydrator to eat a half raw and half cooked diet. I had just gotten my juicer set up when the phone rang. It was some gal who seemed to have never dealt with the public before and the job was definitely not a natural match for her. She said I would be starting the coming Wednesday. At first I asked if I could start the following week since I had my refrigerator full of their veggies from People's Food. Suddenly I questioned the day of delivery. I thought the day of delivery was Friday? I said I really needed to rearrange my Calendar because I thought I was picking up my boxed produce at the end of the week. Casually the girl replied that I was picking up Friday, not admitting she had made a mistake telling me the pickup day. Just think I could have come the wrong day and be blamed about making a mistake. She kept refusing to answer any questions about the program and said she was going to send an email to sign. Definitely a bit over the top for bad customer service. On top of that, I talked to another person in their offices and they disapproved of the fact that I had had a few questions. I then asked them to send my money back. There was a note on the top of my application stating I did not reply to their email, not that I asked for my money back! I was sad for a moment and talked to a few stores that carries their veggies. They said they did not deal with that office because they have distributors that deliver the produce. Guess I have to drive 30 miles to get my produce rather than a few miles. At least I do not get parsnips and oranges that I am not supposed to eat. read more

I love Be Wise! I get the small box every other week and I'm never disappointed. Not only do you get vegetables that are fresh and organic but you're helping out a local business! Price might seem like a lot up front (you pay quarterly), however, it breaks down to ~$13 a week, which is nothing if you already buy veggies. I would highly recommend this CSA! read more

We are new to this CSA program and we could not be happier! The produce is so fresh and delicious. The price is very reasonable considering how much we get and that fact that it is all local and organic. I think we are actually saving money on produce, plus we don't have food spoiling and going to waste because the fruits and veggies are so fresh they last much longer than store bought. I love the variety and I love the fact that we get to try veggies that we probably wouldn't have picked out in the store. I highly recommend! read more

Be Wise Ranch is a great operation and very happy to be a long time customer. Get the small box biweekly and never have been disappointed. The selection is amazing and you try things you would not normally consider trying. You get locally grown produce that is totally organic. The drop off is right around the corner from my house that would be the only draw back because I know they dont go to south-bay. Its not cheap either but well worth it! Plus . . . . your Mom would be happy you are eating your vegetables! read more

I really enjoy getting my produce here, if I could make a suggestion, I would ask for more fruit, less kale and chard.

Everybody else said it all. The veggie/fruit box rocks in 5 dimensions.

We have been CSA members for about 7 months and we love it. The produce is incredibly fresh and delicious and the small box is WAY more than enough for our family of 3. Since becoming members we have learned to love veggies we never even thought of buying before, and I am getting better at planning our meals around what we get each week. It requires some thought and effort but it's a great way to eat - for the environment, our health, and our budget. I have just started to make and freeze baby food for our 6 month old daughter from it as well and I'm happy to be able to give her such healthy food. The only things I can complain about are the fact that they do not offer tours and they use too many plastic bags. I would love to be able meet the farmers and show my daughter where her food comes from one day, and I there has got to be an alternative to using so much plastic. They say they are working on both those things. Highly recommended! read more

We have been getting the small box every two weeks for about a year now and I love it. I have to say it has been a bit of challenge figuring out what to do with all the beets we get but it is fun. My boyfriend and I only go out to eat once a week now since we have such nice good veggies at home and want to cook. I can't say enough about belonging to a CSA, it is really an amazing thing. read more

This is in response to the comment from the Be Wise Ranch employee Sandra: First of all this comment being not entirely correct makes me think that you are trying to cover for your mistakes and that more people should be aware of your business practices. It is true that my husband called that host after 11:00am, but I personally contacted Be Wise Ranch between 7:30 and 8:00am to inquire for what happened with my box. The reason why I didn't call the host is because my previous encounters with her have left me with a bad feeling. In my situation Be Wise Ranch did absolutely nothing to correct this issue. They did not try to keep me as a customer in any shape or form. Even though I had been one of their first customers when not that many people knew about the Farm and I had referred them to a few of my family and friends. In addition, I had been a huge supporter when the Be Wise Ranch "Eye gnat" issue arose by signing all of the petitions that I came across to both being forwarded to me from the farm and outside and had urged all of my family and friends to support the farm. They did not offer any kind of apology or compensation for the box. I would have gladly stayed with them, but this kind of response just made me think that this is just another company that only cares about their profit and not the local farm that sincerely care about their loyal customers. read more

After being a member for probably over a decade, I had to cancel my membership today because of their poor customer service. I sent an email to them in support of my sister who had her box donated at the UTC Governor pick up location. I believed it was humane to offer my sister a refund for a box that she didn't pick up on time and that the host at the UTC location ended up donating. She had been a loyal customer for so many years, supported them through their bad times when they had the eye gnat issues and when they had issues renewing their land lease, so she deserved to be forgiven and treated with more appreciation. On a side note, my husband once picked up my sister's box from UTC pick up location and was just 15 minutes late, but was seriously lectured by the lady host. On another occasion, probably a year ago, this same lady lied to my sister that she donated her box, but later told her her box was still there. This looks like vulture behavior to me. I had always picked up at Clairemont and had never had a box donated. The sweet people at Clairemont had always called to remind me, even at 10 o'clock in the evening. I did receive an email response from Sandra Broussard that said to call her. I asked for a response in writing and never received it. Then I called, and Sandra was talking like a politician. I was never right no matter what I said. I was really disappointed with her political responses and beating around the bushes. She kept defending the host and said my didn't ask for a refund, when my sister was told by another lady that she is not eligible for a refund. After all the support we had done for the farm, sending numerous letters to support them in their eye gnat fights and their fights for renewing the lease of their land, I did expect to be treated better, not like a number. And, she had no problem letting go of me. I told her at the end of the quarter, I won't renew. She told me she could take me off right away. So much for keeping long time customers. It looks like Be Wise Ranch has grown into a big corporation. It's no longer the personable farm it used to be. read more

I am a biweekly CSA subscriber and I cannot imagine being without phenomenal local Be Wise produce! Their organic produce quality and flavor are amazing! I feel like I experience the best tasting lettuce, tomatoes, butternut squash, oranges, etc of my life with this CSA. Additionally, service is very courteous. I am fortunate to enjoy the bounty of their healthful fruits and vegetables and expand my palette and cooking habits beyond my norms. I highly recommend! read more

Loved being a member. The price is great for the amount of fresh organic produce you get. They even will throw in a recipe when you got to pick it up! Make sure you bring your own bag! read more

We have been members of the Be Wise Ranch CSA for over 10 years. They are truly a treasure. The produce is wonderful. So fresh, and such a great variety. My family loves the carrots, and strawberries and when the spring onions are in season, they are just the best! The staff there are wonderful. Any time we plan to be out of town, it is easy to cancel those specific days. Over the years we have even received a few reminder calls when we had forgotten to pick up our box! We often say that getting our Be Wise box is kind of like opening a present, its always fun to see what goodies are inside. Thanks you Be Wise, we are so thankful for you! read more

The most awesome, clean, beautiful produce! It's like Christmas every other week for us. I make it a point to eat every bite. Even if it is not my usual I find a way to fix it. So healthy. The carrots are sweet; not like grocery carrots. Can't say enough about this amazing fresh farm local produce. read more

I'm so pleased with this CSA. The produce is fabulous! The price is great too. It's always a wide variety and gets me to change my menu up from the same old, same old and really helps me stay seasonal with the produce..i.e. not eating tomatoes in January shipped from South America. read more

Other CSAs are SO much better. Paid fee and waited a month for a reply after initial confirmation of receipt of payment (they told us at this time it would be only a week before our first box). When we contacted them, we were told that it was our fault for picking a busy drop off location. They were extremely rude and it took a long time for us to get refunded. We are now using a different CSA and it's SO much better! read more

LOVE getting this CSA every week. The produce is fresh, organic, and cheaper than any grocery store. We've tried so many veggies that we wouldn't have otherwise. read more

I am looking into joining a csa here in San Diego, I use to belong to one in Los Angeles. Be Wise Ranch has mostly positive reviews except for a recent one posted by two family members. It appears that they loved the place and supported them through some type of political crisis but then something happened and they missed a box and according to the program policy the box was donated by a host who was labeled as a vulture ( doesn't seem fair to be name calling ). I would have to call or email Be Wise and this Sandra B. person to get the explanation on the guidelines but it sounds like people enjoy the produce and think that for the most part it is great. I use to belong to a csa that had a two hour pick up window, the driver cleaned up and then left at the end of the pick up time and unclaimed boxes were donated. I certainly did not expect them to wait around on me if I failed to show up. Somehow the slamming review doesn't seem to add up so I will have to check into it with Be Wise there has to be more to what happened, the bad review sounds a little unfair. Do your research. I have a friend and they belong to Garden of Eden, they think it's awesome so I have a call into them as well. I am looking forward to the summer fruits and vegetables,especially heirlooms. read more

Wonderful produce and extremely dedicated staff, always courteous and very helpful. The farmer has bent over backward to be a good neighbor and to mitigate the eye gnats, which occur anywhere that dirt is plowed up in our area. He has gone above and beyond what was asked of him by the county, and the farm provides free gnat traps to any neighbors who wish them. Overall, the farm is a great boon to San Diego County and to our particular neighborhood. read more

Love this place and I have had no problem with customer service. They are always very nice when I call them with a sort of stupid question. lol I split with a friend and we play Chopped (the tv show) the day after delivery. We made roasted beat salad with oranges, field greens, celery and a we made a plum balsamic dressing. Pretty mush the only things we added to our 'basket' were the balsamic,, seasoning and feta cheese. Yummo! Lots of fun and the produce is amazing. The cherries lasted 2 weeks! read more

Becoming CSA members has made my family healthier, more adventurous eaters. The produce quality and taste can't be beat.

Absolute best option for organic produce in San Diego

I wrote this on their CSA page but will put it here too. Be wise ranch's CSA is great! We have been members for at least three years. The produce received is diverse and fresh and the service is great! I had to put my account on hold while I was nursing my newborn because he couldn't tolerate vegetables and they allowed me to do so without any hassle. Re activating was easy. In addition, I recently forgot to pick up my box and sent them an email late that night once I remembered. I got a response that evening with the hosts contact info and then the next morning Sandra called to tell me that she had already contacted the host and that my box was waiting at pick up for me. My only complaint is that we get a lot of oranges....things could be worse. read more

Been a member of this CSA for nearly 20 years and couldn't be happier! The fruits and veggies; dates, berries, apples, citrus, and spring mix, avocados, endless but wonderful butternut squash onions and so on are fresh and clean. Wouldn't have it any other way or leave them. read more

We love to support our local CSA. Be Wise is wonderful! We get organic produce in season that encourages us to try a variety of fruits and vegetables, not just oranges and lettuce. The produce is fresher because it's picked that morning or the day before and tastes better. The staff is also so wonderful and helpful! We have been members for about 2 years and have referred them to others. read more