Open Kettle

HistoryUngraded Produce was founded by Durham resident, Courtney Bell the summer of 2015 before her Junior year at Duke University. From the desk of her summer internship in Detroit, she learned a lot about the extent of food insecurity and the scarcity of fresh affordable produce. As a result she was inspired to find a way to make fresh foods more affordable and accessible and saw an opportunity to connect consumers with discounted, high-quality ugly produce. She quickly realized that this was a great way to fight food waste as well. With no prior business experience, she set out to build Ungraded Produce, and launched a trial period on Duke's campus. During her senior year, she delivered 10 pound bags of ugly produce to 15 subscribers out of the trunk of her car. After she graduated in 2017, she realized her dream and officially launched Ungraded Produce in the Raleigh-Durham market.SpecialtiesIt's what's on the inside that counts! We rescue 'at risk' ugly veggies and fruits from going to waste. We handpick and pack the produce into boxes, and deliver it to customers' doors for 30-50% cheaper than supermarket alternatives. We also donate produce to local pantries for each box sold.