The Membership

Can I try out a soup for a week, or send soup to a friend for a week?

Yay, yes! Soup Club itself isn’t set up to do this, but a new connection with AirBnb created the opportunity for any interested guests of theirs traveling to town to join Soup Club during their visit like a savvy soup-loving local. The best part is this means anyone can join for a week using the service I set up with them! Options for delivery include 1 quart soup, 1 quart with Sea Wolf bread, and 1 quart with Sea Wolf Bread and my homemade chocolate chip cookies. More about this soup offering here. For information about other soup fun I’m having with them, take a look here.

Can I see a sample newsletter?

Here is a sample newsletter; if you become a member, you’ll get one every week! They contain the story of the week’s soup, its ingredients, serving suggestions, a shopping list for the serving suggestions for next week’s soup, and a good helping of silliness.

Who isn’t a good fit as a member of this club?

Anyone with severe allergies, but especially those with allergies to legumes. (Dried beans and lentils are a major source of protein throughout soup season.) While the soups do not contain broth or stock, they are not intended for anyone following a low-sodium diet. (For those soup lovers, Caroline advises to make soups from home from one of her cookbooks, adjusting the salt level to suit your habits.) Many picky eaters have been converted into soup-lovers in this club, but be advised that Caroline’s signature soup style is full of big flavor and prone to eccentricities – so enter at your own risk.

What is the commitment when I sign up? Can I cancel anytime?

An important part of what allows Soup Club to operate smoothly is having a fixed, predictable amount of soup for Caroline to make each week. This is why it operates like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription relationship between a customer and a farm, in two terms that follow the seasons. (A subscription/membership essentially saves a share of what soup is made, just as it does produce on a farm in a CSA.)

By signing up at the start a term, the commitment is to remain for its entirety, through the end of December at the last delivery before the new year (the Fall term), or through the end of soup season in May (the Spring term). This commitment is solidified in the form of a $50 fee added to your first invoice of the term; it will be used as a credit for the last month’s invoice of the term. If you end up leaving before the end of your term for any reason, the fee is non-refundable. Term fees can roll over to the following term to act as a placeholder for a returning member.

Contact Caroline directly with specific questions.

Can I see a schedule of what soups are in a term?

Part of the fun of Soup Club is the element of surprise: of what soup is coming, but also about reinventing vegetables with bad reputations.

What if I don’t like certain ingredients?

Give the soup to a friend, a neighbor, someone in your community who is sick. Another one will come the following week to surprise you.

How do I place a one-time order?

Soup Club operates like a CSA, with soup season split into two terms. It isn’t set up for shorter membership intervals (other than a gift subscription). Contact Caroline directly to arrange a gift subscription.

Do you sell gift subscriptions?

Yes – with a one-month minimum, arranged by calendar month, pending availability. (For example, the month of October rather than a one-month period beginning mid-month.) Contact Caroline directly to inquire.

What is the soup season?

Soup season runs from September (just after Labor Day) to May (just before Memorial Day), generally tracking the rainy months in Seattle.

How do I sign up?

Fill out and submit the "Join Now" form; Caroline will contact you with your status, depending on whether or not there is room for you! If there is, she will collect your payment details; if there isn’t, you will be placed on the wait list.

How do I change my subscription?

Term 1 is September through December; term 2 is January through May. Subscriptions can be changed during the two weeks surrounding the crossover between terms 1 and 2 in early January. For all other inquiries and scenarios, please contact Caroline to discuss.

Can I pause my subscription?

Membership from year to year is continuous, including summer break from June, July and August; your spot in the club is held for you through summer. If you decide to stop your membership, we’ll miss you, but please notify Caroline one month in advance via email so she can open your slot to someone on the waiting list.

Is there a wait list for new members?

Yes – use the “Join Now” form to be added. When there is space available to move a potential member from the wait list into the club, Caroline will reach out with the good news.

How do I update my payment information?

Reach out to Caroline directly; she will pass you along to a teammate in charge of billing.