Shipping FAQ

We aim to deliver your order to you in the quickest and most efficient way possible. Dressing shipments go out every day of the week, while Kraut shipments go out on Mondays and Tuesdays. All Kraut orders placed after 2:00pm EST Tuesdays will be shipped the following Monday. Your order status will be updated with tracking information via email once your order ships. Transit time with the provider can range from 1-7 business days depending on the day of the week it was shipped and where you are in the country.

The cardboard outer box and inserts for Dressing orders are both recyclable, and the new insulated insert for the kraut is 100% PET recyclable, made almost entirely from recycled plastic drink bottles, and requires around 70% less energy to produce than those using raw materials. We are excited to be using sustainable packaging with our new shipper designs.

We do not ship the dressings & marinades refrigerated in order to reduce the environmental impact of shipping. The dressings & marinades can live outside of the fridge for a short period of time without any negative effects. Your products are safe to consume. Please refrigerate them upon arrival to ensure best taste and quality.

As long as your Kraut pouches arrive at room temperature or cooler, they will be safe to eat - just put them in your fridge as soon as you can. The ice packs keep them cool during shipment so that the fermentation process stays slowed and the pouches do not get too puffed up, but sometimes when shipping during warmer weather or with current postal service delays it doesn’t stay quite as cold as we’d like. If you do not feel comfortable eating the product let us know and we’d be happy to provide you a refund or re-ship your order.

Due to active fermentation our goods continue to create CO2 - that’s how you know they’re live and probiotic. There is a vent on the back of each pouch that lets them off-gas when they get full (or puffed), but sometimes some builds up during shipping or if it gets warm on the way home. Just open them up to let the gases out!

The pouches do sometimes leak if they’ve been not upright for a while at the store or if the vent wasn’t able to keep up with the CO2 being produced by the live fermentation and the pouch puffed up a lot. Despite the leak, there shouldn’t be an issue with the quality or flavor of the product, and once you open it and re-seal the pouch it should be fine in the fridge stored upright.

We are so sorry about this! It sounds like the fermentation in one of the pouches was a little too enthusiastic during shipping. Please send an email with your order number and an image of the bag to customerservice@clevelandkitchen.com

Depending on the quantity you ordered and the product combinations ordered, we may have shipped your products in different boxes (there is a limit on how many bottles go into each box). If you ordered our kraut, those will arrive separately from the dressings & marinades as they must be shipped cold. If the rest of your order does not arrive within 5 business days, please send us an email: customerservice@clevelandkitchen.com

All food sales are final on Clevelandkitchen.com. Cleveland Kitchen is happy to replace any item(s) in the unlikely event that any products are damaged or spoiled during transit. Cleveland Kitchen is not responsible for damage or loss resulting from shipments being returned or unable to be delivered by the carrier as a result of incorrect address information you provide us.

If you purchased a Cleveland Kitchen product at a local retailer / grocery store, and are not fully satisfied or receive a damaged item, please return the product directly to the store it was purchased from. Although we cannot accept returns or issue refunds for store-purchased items, we would still like to know if you had an issue with any Cleveland Kitchen product. Please email our team at customerservice@clevelandkitchen.com.

All Cleveland Kitchen products within their expiration date should taste fresh and delicious! If you have an experience with a product that smells uncharacteristic or has an off taste (outside or personal preference), please let us know by emailing customerservice@clevelandkitchen.com. Please include where you purchased the product, along with the lot # and expiration date of the product so that we can pass this information along to quality assurance. Replacements for products not purchased through clevelandkitchen.com are handled on a case by case basis.

At Cleveland Kitchen we strive to provide the best fermented foods in the nation. If you received an incorrect item, damaged product, or have any other issues please let us know immediately! Our customer support team is happy to respond to your messages between 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST Monday to Friday.

You can cancel an order at any time before your order ships. You may cancel an order by contacting our customer service by email: customerservice@clevelandkitchen.com 

Because our products are food items, we are unable to accept returns or refund products once they are shipped, except in the case of damages or defects.

We do our absolute best to protect our precious cargo while in transit but sometimes damages do happen. Cleveland Kitchen is happy to replace any item(s) in the unlikely event that any products are damaged or spoiled during transit. Please email us (customerservice@clevelandkitchen.com) with a photo of your damaged shipment and your order number and we will arrange for the replacement to be sent out right away.