Our Mission

Clemson Area Food Exchange (CAFE) is a cooperative group of small farms and gardeners located around the Clemson area. Each grower farms his/her land using strict standards to ensure that everything produced is chemical-free. All member farms are dedicated to supplying their customers with the freshest and highest quality vegetables, herbs, mill products, dairy, eggs, meats, fruits, flowers, and transplants. Participating farms vary in size and specialty, but all carry the common thread of dedication to community, environment, health and education.

Our History

Clemson Area Food Exchange was founded in 2011 through the combined efforts of Lance Howard, Elian Evans and the input from current member farms. Recognizing and responding to needs of community members and small business owners, we combine the efforts of individual growers to market their produce.

Why Support Locally Grown?

Enhance local economy: By purchasing produce and other items from local growers you are providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses.

Save natural resources: Buying locally makes you an invaluable link in the process of saving resources such as fossil fuels and packaging materials. Also, we are right here in your community so the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum.

Provide learning opportunities: CAFE supporters provide member growers the means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture.

Supporting a way of life: The number of small farms in the United States has decreased dramatically in the last decade. Please help us preserve an honest and worthy means of making a living.

We believe that small, diverse, family-owned farms contribute to society’s overall health.

Membership Fees

To provide with farms tours, educational programs, and to help us with our overhead costs, we ask that you pay an annual fee of $20 per household for one calendar year. You are welcome to try us for two orders before you pay the membership. The website will automatically add the membership fee to your third order.

Beginning in 2012, we decided that since we are an all volunteer, not-for-profit organization, that we would like to compensate our volunteers for their help. Therefore, prices have gone up slightly to compensate. If you would like to volunteer in some capacity to earn shopping credit, please let Elian or Renee know.

Ordering Options

Unlike other co-ops, buying clubs, or CSAs where everyone gets the same box of stuff (and you don’t know what you’re getting until you get it), with CAFE you get to order what you want, in the quantities that you want, from the farms that you want. The weekly email lists the produce, milled products, fresh flowers, and artisan goods available that week, and you can browse the items on this website before you place your order.

Other Important Items

Placing Orders

By Friday evening at 9 PM growers have updated their availability here on the website. Normally an email will go out to all members about that time as well. Customers must place their order for the week any time from about 9 PM Friday night through Monday at noon. Orders are placed here on our website.

Growers receive their orders and harvest on Monday and Tuesday.

Paying for Orders

Payment is accepted through PayPal or Wingcash. (With PayPal, you don’t have to have an account to use.) bq. Links to pay will be provided in your order confirmation email.

WingCash is a way to pay with cash using a free e-wallet. Once you put cash in your wallet you can send it to us without a transaction fee. You can learn more at wingcash.com/about or wingcash.com/faq

or click here to pay.

You are welcome to pay upfront, say in $100 or $50 increments, and draw down your balance. Several of our members do that. It saves us money and saves you time.

Picking Up Orders

We meet Tuesdays for picking up orders. We have three locations. Please choose your pick-up when checking out.

-Clemson: Tuesdays from 3:30-6 pm at The Arts Center. It is off of highway 93 at 212 Butler Road. Click here for a map.

-Liberty: Tuesdays from 7-8:30 pm at 322 Summit Drive (across from Liberty High School). Click here for a map.

-Seneca: Tuesdays from 5-6:30 pm at Oconee Medical Center They are located at 298 Memorial Drive. Click here for a map (PDF file).

Gift Certificates

Gift Certificates are available! If you would like to purchase a gift of health and flavor, please consider a CAFE gift certificate. You can decide the amount and the lucky recipient can purchase locally grown produce without having to pay membership fees!

Sponsorship

Sponsor a membership! If you would like to sponsor a membership for an individual or family, please contact us.

Questions

Still have questions? Please email Elian or call her at 864-372-9004.