POMORA FAQs
Adoption and Fostering Questions
What is an Adoption and how long is it for?
An Adoption is an ongoing commitment to your tree. You pay for one quarter up front and on a quarterly basis thereafter. There is no end date but you can cancel at any time. The Adoption model provides a steadier and more predictable cashflow to our farmers which allows them to budget ahead and invest in their people and their farms.
What is Fostering and how long is it for?
If you're not quite ready for a full Adoption, you can Foster instead. Fostering is like an Adoption but for a fixed time period with no automatic renewal. You select the duration of the Fostering when you place your order (1, 2, 3 or 4 quarters) and once the time period ends, so too does your Fostering arrangement. You may renew your Fostering arrangement or upgrade to full Adoption by emailing us at support@pomora.com but the onus is on you to do so.
What do I get in return for Adopting/Fostering?
In return for Adopting/Fostering a tree, you receive:
- an Adoption Pack including an Adoption Certificate and a Welcome Booklet about your tree;
- updates/news about your tree from your farmer throughout the year;
- quarterly shipments of olive oil from your Adoptive tree.
What do I get in a quarterly shipment?
Each quarterly shipment of olive oil contains 3 x 250ml tins of oil. Typically, these are:
- Winter: 3 x Olio Nuovo – our youngest, freshest oil;
- Spring: 3 x flavoured oils (e.g. 1 x Lemon, 1 x Chilli and 1 x Rosemary);
- Summer: 3 x classic Extra Virgin Olive Oil;
- Autumn: 3 x flavoured oils (e.g. 1 x Basil, 1 x Garlic and 1 x White Truffle).
***If you prefer to receive PLAIN OLIVE OILS ONLY (i.e. non-flavoured olive oils as set out below), that is no problem at all and can be arranged. Just drop an email to support@pomora.com after you place your order and we'll put a note on your account. ***
Can I gift an Adoption/Fostering?
Yes, adopting an olive tree is a great gift idea. In particular, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents' Day, Arbor Day, Chanukah and Tu B'Shevat are all popular occasions for gifting an Adoption.
About Us
What is Pomora?
Pomora is an adoption programme. Our goal is to create a community of food lovers and food producers who share an ethical vision. People who care about high quality, wholesome foods of known provenance; people who care about mother earth and treating her with respect; people who care about and look after each other; people, we hope, like you.
Why an Adoption Programme?
By adopting an olive tree, you help to support traditional farming communities and protect the earth from big agri-businesses. In return, you receive the most delicious olive oil throughout the year from your very own tree! How good is that?
Why choose Pomora?
Pomora is committed to supporting small, independent growers. We don't have any physical stores and cut out all the middle men from the supply chain so more of your money goes to the farmers and into their local communities. Our farmers have generations of experience behind them and employ traditional and sustainable farming methods. They respect the land which supports them and they take care of their employees. It's this respect and care which produces such great, award-winning olive oil for you to enjoy. Doing good tastes good!
From where is the name Pomora derived?
The name Pomora is a portmanteau of Pomona and hora.
Pomona is the Roman goddess of fruitful abundance who watches over fruit trees, gardens and orchards and cares for their cultivation; Hora is the Latin word for hour or time.
The fusion of these two words is intended to reflect the combination of respect for nature and the gifts she bestows upon us and the bringing of traditional methods into the internet age that is the foundation of the business.
Miscellaneous Questions
Will the olive oil be from my adoptive/fostered tree exclusively?
Unfortunately, it's not practical to harvest and press the olives from all the trees within a grove individually so the olives from your tree will be pressed together with the olives from other nearby trees.
Can I visit my olive tree?
Yes, tree hugging is good! We encourage Adoptive Parents to visit their trees and meet our farmers. Just drop us an email on support@pomora.com and we’ll make the necessary introductions. Please try to give us as much notice as possible as we have to agree the dates etc with the farmers.
Do I own the tree?
No, the tree is still legally owned by the farmer, on their land but as its Adoptive Parent, you make a vital contribution to its wellbeing.
Is your packaging recyclable?
Yes, all our packaging can be recycled and we encourage everyone to do so.
Pricing and Shipping Questions
How much does it cost to Adopt/Foster an olive tree?
An Adoption costs £36 / $69 per quarter. After your initial payment and first oil pack is shipped, you will be re-billed £36 / $69 every quarter (approximately 2 weeks before the oil pack is shipped). An Adoption is an ongoing commitment and you can cancel at any time.
Fostering can be for 1 to 4 quarters and costs:
1 Quarter = £45 / $79
2 Quarters = £85 / $150
3 Quarters = £125 / $225
4 Quarters = £160 / $300
All prices are subject to change (our lawyers told us to say that).
How much does shipping cost?
The cost of shipping is included in the prices displayed on the website, there are no additional delivery charges to pay.
To which countries do you ship?
Our standard shipping destinations are the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA) and Canada. You can place an order from anywhere in the world (e.g. as a gift for someone) for delivery to the UK, USA or Canada. If you would like us to ship to another destination, please email us on support@pomora.com and we will see whether it is possible to ship to that destination. We may need to charge a premium for shipping to non-standard destinations.
When will my order be shipped?
When you place an order with us, you will receive by return an order confirmation email with links to your Adoption Pack. If you have requested that we send you a hard copy of the Adoption Pack, this will be dispatched within 2-3 days.
We will ship your first quarterly shipment of oil within 2-3 days if we have stock at the time you place your order. If not, your first oil pack will be shipped as part of our next regular quarterly shipment.
***In the run up to Christmas, while we have stock, our default is to send the first oil pack straight away unless requested to do otherwise. Please email us on support@pomora.com straight after placing your order if you would prefer your first oil pack to be shipped in January.***
The regular quarterly billing and shipment cycle of olive oil is:
Bill 15th December -> ship early January
Bill 15th March -> ship late March / early April
Bill 15th June -> ship late June / early July
Bill 15th September -> ship late September / early October
each year.
For UK deliveries, we ship by Royal Mail 48. For USA and Canada deliveries, we ship by Royal Mail Priority International Business Parcels.
Delivery time is estimated as approximately 2 working days for the UK and 5-7 working days for the USA and Canada.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept payment by Visa, MasterCard and American Express through our payment provider Stripe. All data transfer is done over SSL and we do not store any payment card details on our servers.
Existing Order Questions
What happens if my shipment is damaged or fails to arrive?
If your quarterly shipment is damaged upon arrival or hasn’t arrived within 2 weeks of the expected date, please email us at support@pomora.com. We will either try to trace the original pack, send a replacement pack, credit you with an extra quarter or give you a refund.
Can I cancel my order and how do I do it?
If you would like to cancel your order, please email us at support@pomora.com. You may cancel at any time but if you do, your tree will be orphaned. The point at which you cancel determines the refund you will receive (see below). Please note that a failed quarterly payment does NOT cancel your Adoption. However, we reserve the right to cancel your Adoption after four consecutive failed quarterly payments.
If I cancel my order, what refund will I get?
The refund you receive depends on when you cancel. If you cancel before your first quarterly shipment is dispatched, you will receive a full refund unless you have requested a hard copy of the Adoption Pack in which case we will deduct £7 / $10 from your refund.
If you cancel after one or more quarterly shipments have been dispatched, you will receive a full refund minus the Fostering cost of the number of quarters dispatched (and minus £7 / $10 if you requested a hard copy of the Adoption Pack).
For example, if you paid £160 / $300 for a 4 Quarter Fostering and cancelled after receiving 2 quarterly shipments, your refund would be £160 - £85 = £75 ($300 - $150 = $150), assuming you had not requested a hard copy of the Adoption Pack.
All refunds will be made to the credit card that was used for the original purchase.
Can I cancel an order bought as a gift?
Yes, you can. You can either cancel and get a refund or keep the Adoption / Fostering for yourself. In either case, please email us at support@pomora.com to let us know what you would like to do and we will make the necessary arrangements.