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Terms of Service for the Red Hill’s Small Farm Alliance Online Farmer’s Market

All Members of the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance Online Farmer’s Market (RHO) must agree to be bound by the following Rules (which may be modified at any time by the RHO) and by applying to become a Member, agree to be so bound:

Expectations for the Customer:

  1. There is an annual $30 registration fee to shop at the RHO Market. Each order placed by a customer is a legally enforceable contract. If a customer fails to pick up an order, the customer is still obligated to pay for the items in the order. A $10 abandoned order fee will be charged to the customer's account if an order is left at a Hub beyond the specified pick-up time.
  2. RHO staff will inspect and pack all orders prior to pickup. If a product is damaged during packing or is found to be of poor quality, RHO will provide a store credit to the customer.
  3. RHO aims to provide the highest quality products, which requires our member farmers/producers to deliver market-grade products. The customer understands that since many RHO farmers do not use pesticides or herbicides, fruits and vegetables may have cosmetic inconsistencies (i.e., will not look "perfect"). 

RHO Rules for Producers

All Members of the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance Online Farmer’s Market (RHO) must agree to be bound by the following Rules (which may be modified at any time by the RHO) and by applying to become a Member, agree to be so bound:

**All Producers are ultimately responsible to the customer for the quality and freshness of all items. RHO market management reserves the right to turn away any items deemed unacceptable.**


Expectations of the Producer/ Farmer:

a. At a minimum, all products should be labeled with the producer’s name, the product's name, and the selling unit (1/2 pound, 4 items, etc.). Labels should be of sufficient quality to adhere to the package through handling by RHO staff during order preparation. The name of the product on the label should match exactly the name of that product as it was listed on the market. Labels must be easily read from 2 feet to enable packers to pack the correct product.

b. Properly labeled meat will be clearly labeled with the type of meat, the name of the cut, net weight, the name, and address of the person/company who processed the meat, the USDA facility number, and the name and address of the farm. The name of the product on the label should match exactly the name of that product as it was listed on the market.

c. All meat must arrive to the RHOM facilities frozen, vacuum sealed, and labeled correctly. Any discrepancies in packaging or quality must be clearly noted in the tagline of the product description. These discrepancies can include: loose/broken vacuum seals, irregular packaging (example: 1 pack instead of 2 pack), ice crystallization on the meat due to air pockets, irregularity to the producer's normal product (thick cut instead of thin for example).
> To note these discrepancies in the tagline of your product description, log into your producer account in Local Food Marketplace. Go to "Products," click on the product you wish to edit, then edit the text in the smaller editable text box directly above the larger box containing the product description.

d. Properly labeled eggs will include the name and address of the farm.

e. Whether on the label or in the description of the item, all promotional claims must
be true.

f. If a producer is unable to provide all the items sold, the producer must call the Market
staff at (850) 960-1367 by the day prior to Market and let them know which items
will not be delivered.

g. Producers are expected to be on time when bringing their products to the Market. Producers who will arrive late to market are expected to call RHO Market staff at (850) 960-1367, let them know they are running late and what time they will arrive; this does not negate the assessment of the $50 late fee. Meat producers must deliver their products on Wednesdays between 2:00 and 4:45 p.m. All other producers can deliver during those same hours on Wednesday or deliver products on Thursdays between 7:00 and 8:45 a.m. Not arriving on time impacts packing and deliveries. Being late will result in a $50 fine for every late occurrence, to be deducted from the producer’s monthly check. If a producer is late due to an unavoidable emergency determined by market staff, the fine will be waived for that day.

h. The RHO Market does not deliver plants or any items that weigh over 10 pounds. The producer is responsible for delivering those items to the customer. Producers may deliver to the customer’s home, or they may deliver those products IN PERSON to the customer at the RHO Market between 3:00 and 4:30 p.m. on Market Day.

i. Note: All items to be picked up at RHO must include “RHO PICKUP ONLY” in the title or tagline of the item. The producer must be present to deliver the items to the customer.

j. Producers will be paid monthly for their sales. To assist with administrative costs, RHO receives 15% of sales revenue from each participating producer. The percentage of revenue is reduced to 10% for any month in which the producer volunteers 4 hours toward supporting RHO activities or Market assistance.

k. All Producers, by becoming members of the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance Online Farmer’s Market agree to indemnify the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance against any liability for any claims or damages resulting from that Producer’s products sold, including all attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance in defending itself from any such claim.

l. A service fee of 7% is added to each customer transaction made through the online market to cover operational costs. This fee does not impact the producer’s revenue.

Cottage Foods:
Cottage foods may be offered for sale only by producer members. No person selling only cottage foods will be accepted for membership in the RHO Market. Cottage food producers must comply with all Florida Cottage Food Laws in addition to the guidelines outlined in this document. If a producer presents Cottage Foods at the market, and the product is not labeled in compliance with the Florida Cottage Food Laws, the RHO Market reserves the right to refuse the product.

                     Rev. 4/2023