GA/FL Deliveries: Schedule, Info and FAQ

 

Three times each year, in May, August and December, Peaceful Pastures delivers meat to customers in Georgia and Florida. We've tried to include most of the information below and in a Q & A format, but if you still have questions, PLEASE let us know! We look forward to meeting you in person!

GA Welcome Center, Calhoun, Improveat April 27
from Macon, GA (south) to Tampa, FL May 1
Orlando May 2

DEADLINES
Bulk beef, pork, goat, (no lamb this trip): March 1
Turkeys, turkey breast, ground turkey, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, chicken backs/necks, chicken wings, chicken feet, chicken livers, rabbit, duck, rendered lard, rendered duck fat: April 1
Retail (and add-on's to existing orders): April 13
We WILL have eggs for this trip!

As with all the GA/FL Deliveries we encourage you to order early to ensure the items you have ordered are in stock; remember, we fill orders in the sequence they were received, so those who order first have the greatest likelihood of their orders being filed in their entirety.

New Customer Information

How do I place an order?
If you are a first time customer, you must order via our web site. If you are a returning customer, you may use the web site, phone (615-683-4291), fax (615-683-5559) or email customerservice@peacefulpastures.com

What is a bulk order?
We have changed some of our nomenclature to hopefully make things more clear: BULK applies to beef by the whole, half, quarter; pork whole or half, lamb/goat whole. Of course, as always, it is custom cut to your specifications. VOLUME applies to buying in quantity of the same item, such as 50 pounds or more of ground beef, 50 pounds or more of sausage, etc. You will find the volume prices (if they apply) by each item in the shopping cart of the web site.

THE FOLLOWING  BULK AND VOLUME ORDERS ARE DUE BY THE BULK ORDER DEADLINE
March 1, 2012.
Beef: Ground beef orders of 50 pounds or more
Pork: Whole*, half*; sausage (hot or mild): 50 pounds or more; Ground pork: 50 pounds or more
Lamb: Ground lamb: 25 pounds or more.
Goat: Whole*
*These custom items require a non-refundable deposit to be placed at the time the product is ordered

• What is the delivery fee?
  
  Orders up to $250 - $35
  Orders $251-450 - $45
  Orders $450-$2,000 - 9% of the order’s total
  Orders over $2,000 – 8% of the order’s total
  
  
• How and when do I pay?
  Others than bulk deposits, nothing is charged to your card until we actually compile the order, from 5-14 days prior to the trip. You may pay deposits by credit card, Pay Pal or a mailed check. The final balance due is either charged to your card or paid by Pay Pal no later than the Saturday before we leave. All (individual) customers receive an itemized invoice at the pick up when they receive their meat. If you are paying by credit card, you will receive an email (please inform us of any email address changes) on the day your card is charged, informing you of the total charged. If you are paying by Pay Pal, we will send you a Pay Pal request for money. Again, the itemized charges will be on the invoice you receive in person.
  
  
• Order changes/cancellation policy?                                                                  
   We are happy to make additions to your order right up until the ordering deadline, but deletions from your order will result in a 20% restocking fee.  In addition to the (small) walk in freezer at the farm, we use a freezer storage facility 45 minutes from home. We take people at their word when they place orders from us, and to assure the fastest service, we have been packing the GA/FL as soon as they come in and sending them to the warehouse one pallet at a time.  PLEASE check your freezer space before placing an order; we do not want to charge people the extra re-stocking fee and we do not want to have to start charging people up front.  Please honor the commitment you make when you place the order with us. If more than one person is going in on an order, please make certain each persons commitment is firm (yet another good reason for individual instead of combined orders). 
          
•  Is the meat fresh or frozen?
  All of the meat will be delivered to you frozen, in 25-35 pound, clear plastic bags. Our meats are packed in dry ice for the trip to assure their integrity.
  
  
• Do I need to bring my own coolers?
  Yes. Please have your coolers cold BEFORE you put the meat in them. Please put loose ice into the cooler as you leave home. When you arrive at the stop, empty the ice and put your cold meat into a cold cooler. The meat coming out of the dry ice is -10 degrees; even if you have the air conditioning on in your car, your cooler may only be 70 degrees and this won't do the frozen meat any favors. If you live only an hour or so from the stop, you may want to just put the meat in sleeping bags and bundle it up!
  
  
• How does the pick up work?
  
  1. You will receive an email 7-10 days prior to the delivery giving the time at which to meet us and confirming the meeting point. We MUST receive a response to this email by reply or phone call. You order will not be loaded onto the truck unless we have a confirmation from you. We will get your cell phone numbers at that time as well as provide you with ours. It is critical that you are there by that delivery time, waiting on us.
  
  2. We will be in a (usually) yellow, Penske rental truck and unless otherwise indicated, we will pull into the semi parking area.
  
  3. We try to have our drop offs go as quickly as possible. This is why it is SO important for you to be there early. If even one person is late, it slows down the process for the rest of the people the rest of the day and is so unfair.
  
  4. Due to the large volume, the Tampa stop is especially busy and chaotic. It is much less so if everyone is there on time waiting for their bags. Please do not park blocking the back of the truck (the unloading area) so that everyone may have easy and fast access to the trailer's deck. If several people are coming for the same order, please have (only) one vehicle park up close to the truck.
  
  5. We need to get the meat unloaded quickly, into your coolers fast and the truck sealed back up ASAP. The minute we remove the meat from the dry ice, it has no refrigeration, and we will start unloading just as soon as we arrive at the drop off locations. We will not wait for everyone to get there first, so if you aren't there when the trailer door opens, your meat will set out until you do arrive.
  
  6. Once there, you will receive a sheet of paper with your name on it, telling how many bags you are to receive and the bag numbers. You are responsible for checking the name tags on each bag to make sure it is your bag and keeping track of the numbers. Once you have received all of your bags, sign the bottom of the sheet and give it back to us. We will then give you the invoice and you are ready to leave!
  
  
• Where are the delivery stops?
  Please make sure you know where the stop is prior to the trip and be there waiting when we get there!! IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHERE YOUR STOP IS, PLEASE CALL US PRIOR TO THE DELIVERY DATE! Late customers affect everyone by slowing down every subsequent delivery. Be sure that we have your current cell phone numbers, and we will call if there are any substantial delays on our end. Orders that are not picked up on time will be forfeited and are non-refundable.
  All locations are on Interstate 75 SOUTH bound.
  
  
• Listing of the Georgia rest areas where we stop:
  Georgia:
  1. At the welcome center just over the GA border
  2. Calhoun - north of Atlanta* (specific directions below)
  3. Improveat - Atlanta I-285** (address below)
  4. Macon - north of the I-75/475 split
  5. South of Macon/north of Cordele
  6. Between Cordele and Tifton

*CALHOUN Rest Area from Atlanta: take I-75 North get off on exit 320 - Turn around and get back on Interstate 75 Southbound. The rest area is between mile markers 320 and 319 (rest areas do not have exit numbers)

**Improveat/Atlanta/Perimeter Park- This is our newest delivery stop as of August 2008.  If you do not know where this stop is you must use Mapquest or Google to find it.  Improveat, 2241 Perimeter Park Drive, Atlanta, GA 30341, just off I-285 and North Peachtree. 

• Florida:
  All rest area locations are on Interstate 75 SOUTH bound.
  1. At the Welcome Center just over the FL border
  2. At the Live Oak exit (#439)
  3. Between Gainesville and Lake City- CAR parking area
  4. South of Gainesville - CAR parking area
  5. Ocala-the Howard Johnson hotel (evening of the first day of the trip) exit #352
  6. Tampa - ***Palm River Church of Christ***
  7. Orlando -****Sacred Heart Church****

**Live Oak- from I-75, take exit 439 (Hwy 136), turn away from the (one) hotel and you should see us in the parking lot of what used to be a gas station
*** Tampa - Meet in the parking lot of the Palm River Church of Christ, 8015 Palm River Road, Tampa FL.
****Orlando - Meet in the parking lot of Sacred Heart Traditional Catholic Church, 1018 - 36th Street, Orlando, FL

• How do co-op orders work?
  A co-op order is placed by and paid for by one person. They then make arrangements for dividing the product and the cost amongst members. The co-op invoice will not break the order down by each member.
  
  
• How does my group or business get wholesale pricing?
  We do have wholesale pricing for RETAIL cuts of meat that we are happy to email or fax to you. To be eligible for wholesale pricing the individual or group just needs to provide us with their resellers number, food service license number or retail food permit number. In some states the resellers number is called a wholesalers number or resellers license. They are easy to obtain and you can usually complete the transaction on line.
  Please note that bulk purchases are not affected by wholesale pricing. The bulk price is the SAME as the wholesale price. In addition, the discounts for ground beef (50 pounds or more) and sausage (50 pounds or more) are the same as the wholesale pricing. The main benefit to wholesale pricing is for retail cuts such as steaks and roasts.
  Effective November 1, 2007 to receive wholesale pricing we need to have your number on file. You can email, call or fax it in!

More Road Trip FAQ

Q: Will you stop anywhere other than rest stops?
A: We're sorry, but no.

Q: Can I get a copy of my invoice in advance?
A: We are sorry but we do not have the manpower resources at this time to send each person an itemized invoice before the trip. However, you will receive a copy at the time of delivery

Q: Do you bring extra meat on the GA/FL deliveries?
A: We do not carry any extra product, only what has been ordered.

Q: Why do I have to order so early for road trips?
A: There are many different factors that we must consider several weeks before each trip. Keep in mind that we are compiling thousands of pounds of products for these trips. To provide you with the freshest products, we must know far enough in advance to have the appropriate number of animals processed. Remember all of our beef is aged at least 21 days for the best flavor so the animals are taken weeks in advance of the trip.  It also takes quite a long time to process, compile and weigh each order prior to the trip, and we must know in advance the size/capacity of the vehicle and/or trailer to rent.

Q: Can I pay by cash or check for the road trip delivery?
A; All orders must be paid for prior to our departure from the farm. Due to safety concerns, carrying cash/checks to rest stops (often after dark) is never a good idea