AVA Byte: Smart, Simple, Sustainable Indoor Garden

Sat Dec 19 '20 Announcement
over 5 years ago – Sat, Dec 19, 2020 at 05:06:04 PM

Hi All,

Happy Holidays from the AVA Team!

It's been fantastic to see photos and videos rolling in from all the Bytes. We're so excited to see all the at-home farmers enjoying your harvests! Some of you may have seen the announcements for the new Winter Pod Packs and our microgreen innovations that will be coming soon. More to come for new accessory timeline updates by February.

Before the holiday break, we wanted to send out a region by region update to wrap up this year. 

Canada:

All outstanding orders (pod packs and Bytes) have shipped. If you did not receive your pod packs (or have not received shipping information for pod packs), please email [email protected], send us a message on Facebook, or reach out via LiveChat on the site.

United States:

We are working with our distributor to get all AVA Bytes shipped before the holidays. They have about 40 left to get through, so if you have not received yours, thank you for your continued patience. If you have moved/changed your address, or want to update your order, please notify us immediately via email ([email protected]), Facebook messenger, or via LiveChat on our website.

Regarding pod packs, thank you for your patience. We have been facing shipping delays as our US pod pack facility has been on temporary hiatus due to COVID concerns. We recognize that some of you are finishing up your Basil Starter Packs soon or already have, so we will continue monitoring the COVID situation with our US partners. Most packs should be sent before the end of December, but this may trickle into mid-January with the holidays.

International Backers:

Since different countries have different rules and certifications, we are wrapping up an email update for each region to provide you with the most accurate timeline information. This should be sent out by next Wednesday, December 23rd. Please check your junk for an email from [email protected] if you have not received an email by Friday, December 25th. Thank you for your patience!

From all of us here at AVA, we are wishing you all a fantastic winter holiday and a happy New Year. 

Let's Grow,

Team AVA

Mon Aug 31 '20 Announcement
over 5 years ago – Mon, Aug 31, 2020 at 06:46:56 PM

Dear AVA Food Futurists, 

We hope you are continuing to stay healthy and safe! Another update based on your location below. 

US Backers:

We have received approval from all the parties for continuing to ship devices to the US! We got the final letter required on Thursday and have scheduled for the shipment to our new third party partner in the US. Upon receiving it, they will fulfill domestically. If you need to change your address, please let us know as soon as possible as we now have to ensure the system is kept up to date! In order to receive shipping notifications, please update us with the best email to reach you at if your current email address is not one you check regularly!

However, we have been informed that upon entering the US, they can still inspect the shipment. This timeline will vary but they now only have to inspect the shipment as a whole rather than each individual device, which will speed it up drastically. Once we have received word from our third party that they have received it, we will let you know!

As we mentioned in the last update, we partnered with a US small business to manufacture the outstanding pod packs that you have all ordered/were promised. These should be arriving within the next 2 to 3 weeks, we are waiting for final confirmation from our partner on the timeline. For some of you, the pod packs may come before your device. We are working hard on getting you all growing and appreciate all your patience!

Canadian Backers:

From our records, almost all Canadian orders have been shipped, with one or two outstanding still. Please let us know if you have not received your Byte!

As for your pod packs, we should have them all shipped out to all of you who received your Byte in June and July by September 15 and those of you who received your Byte in August by September 30th. We had to make some changes due to the seed supply issues but this has been sorted and now we are working closely with our pod pack partner here in Vancouver to get them assembled and shipped.

International Backers:

We recognize an update is long overdue. We do have some finalized insights for a few regions but are continuing to have slow communication from the appropriate customs agencies and potential pod partners. Starting next week, we are bringing on a new team member to dedicate their time to this fully so we can make progress much more quickly and provide a more detailed update.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have concerns about your delivery or would like to update shipping instructions and addresses due to COVID-19, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible. Allow for about 2 to 5 business days for an answer! 

Let’s Grow,

Val & Chase

Fri Jul 24 '20 Announcement
over 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 06:16:51 PM

Dear AVA Food Futurists, 

We hope you are staying healthy and safe! Here is an update for you based on your location. 

US and Canadian Backers:

You should have received either an email or text to confirm your address. If you did not receive an email confirming your shipping address, please email [email protected]. PLEASE REACH OUT TO US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU HAVE AN ADDRESS CHANGE THAT YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY SHARED. 

We did see a slow down in production, as we continued to make changes and updates based on feedback from the first users. This has shifted our timeline back but below is the new timeline based on location. Unfortunately, we have been waiting to hear back from the USDA for a few weeks and finally spoke with them yesterday. 

Canadian Backers:

Your devices are being shipped! Your pod packs will follow in the next month (or earlier, depending on when you received your Byte). You should receive an email with your tracking number once your device has shipped.

The current schedule for Canadian Backers is all devices should be shipped out by August 5. If you have not received a tracking number by August 15, please send a follow-up email to [email protected]. 

US Backers:

Currently, there are significant customs delays if US Customs chooses to inspect the devices. This means that individual shipments are being held for long periods of time (up to 90 days). We are working with our fulfillment provider to send devices to the US in bulk so the entire shipment of US devices can be inspected together in hopes that this will speed up the process for all backers, and not leave random individuals waiting for months. Unfortunately, this means we cannot ship out devices as we finish up them individually but rather we wait for the entire shipment to be completed and then send them out. Hopefully, the bulk shipping will decrease the customs time as they can inspect the shipment in bulk as one rather than many individual shipments.

Moving forward, we have begun a partnership with a US small business (trying to accelerate the timeline) to manufacture the outstanding pod packs that you have all ordered/were promised. If this timeline works out to be faster, we will shift asap to sending devices without pod packs and shipping the pod packs separately. This is entirely dependent on the USDA approval for a couple of permits that are required but would decrease the chance of customs delays. We will keep you informed as we hear back from the various parties involved.

Our current goal is to get all the US devices packaged up and ready for bulk shipping by August 15. From there, our fulfillment partner will ship out to each of you individually upon receiving the bulk shipment. This does leave the variable of US Customs but we will inform you the moment we have shipped and will continue to share the progress of Customs Clearance as we know more.

We are doing everything we can to get you your Byte as soon as possible and are working closely with the USDA on speeding up the process. 

International Backers:

We are working through the certification and potential pod importers for each region. We will be sending out an email update per region by the end of next week. Each country has its own regulations and we are working through each region thoroughly to come up with an accurate timeline. Communication has been slow as we explore potential partnerships and requirements, especially because it does differ per region, but we are working on it!

Questions or Concerns?

If you have concerns for your delivery or would like to update shipping instructions and addresses due to COVID-19, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible. Allow for about 2 to 5 business days for an answer! 

Let’s Grow,

Val & Chase

Wed Jun 3 '20 Announcement
almost 6 years ago – Wed, Jun 03, 2020 at 02:55:32 PM

Dear AVA Food Futurists,

Quite hard to believe another month has passed us, and that summer is almost upon us here in the Northern hemisphere. Times flies when you are building boxes and shipping out units! We are making today’s update as succinct as possible because the world is a crazy place.

1. US & Canada Backers - By next week Friday, we should have received all devices from our manufacturer. We are slowly but surely shipping out more devices from our office. We have been able to bring in an extra pair of hands to help us move devices out faster, but the process is still slow with social distancing. We are focusing on the safety of our employees first as well as sanitized units for all of our backers. In order to see your spot in line, we have created a rough timeline. Again, this is dependent on how restrictions change as our government responds to COVID but we will do our best to adhere to it. 

You should receive either an email or text to confirm your address if you have not already. PLEASE REACH OUT TO US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU HAVE AN ADDRESS CHANGE THAT YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY SHARED. 

You will also receive an email with your tracking number once your device has shipped!

A few additional notes beyond shipping:

1. International Backers - we hear you asking for a more detailed update and timeline. Our goal is to send something out regarding your Bytes by the end of next week. We are currently evaluating where things stand for certification both for the device and agricultural importation. 
2. Pod packs - You will all be receiving the basil starter pack (or have already received it). We already have the additional pod packs that you have chosen in our system, and will be sending those out in time for your next growing cycle! Going forward, we will be launching our pod subscription online so you can select your next pod pack directly through our website if you did not sign up during the campaign. 
3. Accessories - Some of you ordered the wall mount, microgreen tray, and/or mushroom kit. We are working on developing these now and getting them manufactured. We will send a thorough timeline in the next email. 

Questions or Concerns?

If you have concerns about your delivery or would like to update shipping instructions and addresses due to COVID-19, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible. Allow for about 2 to 5 business days for an answer! 

Let’s Grow,

Val & Chase

Sat May 2 '20 Announcement
almost 6 years ago – Sat, May 02, 2020 at 12:04:45 AM

Dear AVA Food Futurists,

This update is a day overdue but we have been working around the clock. Between bug fixes, folding boxes, and testing devices for QA, our days are packed. Normally, we would have all hands on deck for helping with these tasks but we are practicing social distancing with our small in-office team and with the rest doing what they can remotely. There has been a lot of learning when it comes to assembly and packaging in our makeshift production space. As we shared in the last update, we turned our entire office space into an assembly line. After all the device issues, manufacturing delays, and COVID madness, today we reached a big milestone!

We personally delivered the very first 10 Bytes to local backers!! While it is not the full 80 we promised by April 10, the first devices are out of our doors and into yours! After the seemingly endless delays and struggles we encountered the Byte is finally ready to ship. We are so grateful to have reached this day and certainly could not have done it without your endless support and patience. 

Now we know that you may be wondering about the other devices… we are working on getting those out the door as fast as we can. Next week, our goal is to get the majority of the remaining devices we have in the office shipped to Canadian and US backers.

Production Update

More good news! Our manufacturer has assembled more Bytes and that means even more devices to ship in the coming weeks.   

Shipping Schedule

COVID-19 Impact

We are still working closely with our manufacturer to support them and get more Bytes produced as soon as possible. We will continue to update you on further shipping dates as soon as we have more clarity. We are doing everything we can to support them and get Bytes out their door, through ours and to you! We are carefully monitoring the situation and adjusting our workflow based on the daily challenges COVID-19 is creating. We’ll keep you closely posted every step of the way.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have concerns for your delivery or would like to update shipping instructions and addresses due to COVID-19, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

The journey has not been an easy one and it is far from over, but we are excited for what is to come! We would like to thank you again for helping us get one step closer to helping anyone, anywhere, get growing! Stay healthy and safe. 

Let’s Grow,

Val & Chase