Frequently Asked Questions

AltGrocery is a community-controlled food discovery platform that connects consumers with local farmers, growers, and independent food businesses. We provide an interactive map and platform to discover, support, and engage with your local food community while prioritizing small businesses over big chains.

Simply visit our map page and enter your location or allow location access. You can filter by business type, products, distance, and more to find exactly what you're looking for in your area.

Yes! AltGrocery is completely free for consumers. You can browse businesses, view deals, check seasonal guides, and use all our discovery features at no cost.

You can browse and discover businesses without an account. However, creating a free account allows you to save favorites, receive personalized recommendations, and get updates from your favorite businesses.

You can recommend your business through our recommendation form, or contact us directly. We review all submissions to ensure they align with our focus on local, sustainable food businesses.

We welcome farms, farmers markets, independent grocery stores, food co-ops, specialty food producers, bakeries, and other local food businesses that prioritize quality, sustainability, and community connection.

Basic listings are completely free and include access to our map, events calendar, and community features. We offer premium business tools like advanced analytics, QR code generation, and enhanced customer engagement features for businesses that want to upgrade.

Yes! Once your business is approved, you'll receive access to our business dashboard where you can update your information, post deals, manage events, and view analytics.

Pop-up Produce Pins are temporary location markers that farmers and vendors can create to show where they'll be selling products for a limited time. Perfect for roadside stands, pop-up markets, or special sales events.

Our seasonal guide shows what fruits and vegetables are in season in your region, helping you eat seasonally and find the freshest local produce. It's updated regularly based on local growing seasons in your area.

Yes! With a free account, you can follow your favorite businesses and receive notifications about their deals, events, and seasonal offerings.

We work directly with businesses to maintain accurate information. Business owners can update their own profiles, and we regularly verify details. If you notice outdated information, please let us know!

We take privacy seriously and only collect information necessary to provide our services. Unlike big tech platforms that share your data with all advertisers, we only share information with businesses you choose to follow. We never sell personal data and use industry-standard security measures to protect your information.

AltGrocery is community-controlled, meaning you decide which businesses can access your data by following them. We prioritize small and medium-sized local businesses over big chains, and we're building a partner marketplace where approved developers can offer specialized tools to food businesses.

Absolutely. You control your profile visibility and can choose what information to share. Your location data is only used to show you relevant local businesses and is never shared with third parties.

We have a review process for all business submissions. We verify business legitimacy, ensure they align with our local food focus, and may conduct site visits or phone interviews for verification.

Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache. Make sure you have a stable internet connection and that location services are enabled if you want location-based results.

Yes! Our website is fully responsive and works great on mobile devices. We're also developing a dedicated mobile app that will be available soon.

You can contact us through our contact form or email us directly. Please include the business name and the incorrect information so we can update it quickly.

We're working on a public API that will allow developers to integrate AltGrocery data into their applications. Contact us if you're interested in early access or partnership opportunities.