Frequently Asked Questions

ONLINE ORDERING

Orders are often processed within minutes of being placed, so reach out to us as soon as possible if a change is needed- we will try to accommodate! To change or cancel your order, please contact us at shipping@farmtosummit.com or by phone at 1.970.508.3550.

Usually! Shoot us an email to shipping@farmtosummit.com and we will do the best we can to accommodate any request.

We offer free shipping on website orders over $75. Orders with discount codes applied must exceed $75 AFTER the discount is applied to receive the free shipping option.

At this time we only ship with the United States. For international shipping REI.com or Garagegrowngear.com are your best options.

We do not accept returns on food unless it is damaged or defective upon receipt. If you have a return please email shipping@farmtosummit.com. Qualifying returns can be exchanged for new product, or a refund will be issued to the original payment method.

If you are thinking BIG, give us a shout at info@farmtosummit.com. We can chat. We do not offer our meals in bulk containers (i.e. without individual packaging).

PREPARATION

Check the back of your pouch for exact water amounts and rehydration times—each recipe is a little different. Farm to Summit meals are simple to make, even in tough conditions. Add boiling water directly into the pouch, stir well, reseal, and let it sit. In less than 20 minutes you will be digging into a hearty, veggie-packed meal made from Colorado-grown ingredients.

Consider insulating the pouch with a jacket or other piece of insulating gear to ensure proper rehydration and a warm meal.

Water boils at a lower temperature the higher you climb. That means your “boiling” water isn’t as hot at 12,000 ft as it is here at 6,000 ft (the elevation of our facility)—so your Farm to Summit meal could need a little extra time to fully rehydrate.

Many camp stoves, pots, or water bottles have volume markings you can use as a guide—but keep in mind they aren’t always perfectly accurate. When in doubt, start with a little less water than the pouch calls for. You can always add more if your meal needs it, but once water is added, you can’t take it back out. Add gradually, stir, and adjust until it’s just right.

About 5-20 minutes, depending on the meal.

YES! Check out each individual product page for our suggested soak time.

Check if the silica packet is intact. If so, no problem. Simply remove the packet and enjoy your meal.

DIETARY CONSIDERATIONS

Our facility is not certified gluten-free, and we have not conducted third-party lab testing to verify that our gluten levels fall below the FDA threshold of 20 ppm. We do follow a strict allergen-control protocol, and many customers with gluten sensitivities enjoy our products. However, if gluten poses a medical risk for you, please use your discretion when consuming our meals.

We’re not a certified organic facility, but many of the ingredients we use are organically grown. A large portion of our produce comes directly from small, local Colorado farms that practice regenerative agriculture, dryland farming, and low- or no-chemical growing methods. Many of these farms choose not to pursue organic certification due to cost or administrative barriers—but we know their practices firsthand and trust the quality of what they grow. Our commitment is to sourcing ingredients that are responsibly grown, nutrient-dense, and aligned with our values of supporting healthy soils and resilient local food systems.

Nope—Farm to Summit meals contain no preservatives. Our meals are made shelf-stable using real ingredients and a careful dehydration process, not chemical additives. We believe good food shouldn’t be engineered to last forever. It should be grown by real farmers, cooked in small batches, and preserved naturally.

SHELF LIFE AND STORAGE

Shelf life varies slightly by recipe and the ingredients in each meal, but Farm to Summit products are generally good for 18 months to 2 years from the date of manufacture. Every pouch is clearly labeled with its individual best by date so you know exactly how long it will stay adventure-ready.

Because our packaging is Omnidegradable®, we recommend storing your Farm to Summit meals in a cool, dry place and out of direct sunlight to maintain peak freshness. Avoid humid environments or areas with extreme temperature swings (like a hot car or damp basement), as these conditions can shorten shelf life For best results: Keep meals inside a sealed bin or pantry cabinet, Store away from heat sources such as stoves, heaters, or south-facing windows, protect from punctures or heavy pressure that could compromise the pouch. When stored properly, your meals will stay adventure-ready from season to season.

At Farm to Summit, we preserve our meals using traditional hot-air dehydration—a method humans have relied on for thousands of years—because it allows us to work directly with fresh, Colorado-grown produce while maintaining flavor, texture, and nutrient density without excessive processing. Dehydration removes the active water in food using controlled warm air and humidity, naturally preventing bacterial growth and creating a lightweight, shelf-stable meal. We cook all our recipes from scratch in small batches, then dehydrate and heat them to 165°F briefly to ensure safety without compromising quality. Freeze-drying, on the other hand, requires extremely low temperatures (around –58°F) and vacuum extraction of moisture, a process that demands far more energy and can damage ingredient cell walls, often leading to chalky textures and potential nutrient loss.

SUSTAINABILITY

Imperfect produce includes fruits and vegetables that may be oddly shaped, slightly oversized, undersized, or visually inconsistent. These differences don’t affect taste or nutrition, but they can keep produce from being sold through traditional retail channels. Check out our Food Waste page to learn more.

Upcycled food uses ingredients that might otherwise go to waste—like surplus crops or cosmetically imperfect produce—and turns them into high-quality, nutritious food. Check out our Food Waste page to learn more.

Absolutely: upcycled produce is just as safe, nutritious, and delicious as “perfect” produce. All Farm To Summit meals are made following strict food safety protocols. Check out our Food Waste page to learn more.
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Food is often wasted on farms due to cosmetic standards, unpredictable markets, labor shortages, short harvest windows, and limited storage or processing capacity. This isn’t about quality—it’s about logistics and systems. Check out our Food Waste page to learn more.

We work with farmers to capture surplus and “imperfect” produce, then preserve it through dehydration. This allows us to turn fresh harvests into shelf-stable ingredients we use in our meals year-round. Check out our Food Waste to learn more.

Yes. We divert our kitchen scraps from the landfill by partnering with a local pig farmer who repurposes them as animal feed. It’s one more way we reduce waste and support our local food system. (Fun fact: pigs go wild for delicata squash seeds.)

We love that you’re thinking about this. We use some of the most sustainable packaging on the market, and disposal can vary by item. Head to our packaging page for clear, step-by-step guidance on how to dispose of each component responsibly.

OUR COMPANY

All Farm To Summit meals are cooked and packaged at our headquarters in Durango, Colorado.
  1. At Farm to Summit, we believe great food should nourish more than just the people who buy it—it should strengthen the communities that grow it. That’s why we donate 2% of our annual revenue to local nonprofits working on food security and food access across the Four Corners region. Read more here.

Maybe! Head to our careers page for information on any openings we may have.

Probably! Check out our retailer page for more info.