1. Who we are

GrowHive operates the website growhive.co.uk and provides an online marketplace and community platform for customers, growers and independent producers.

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, references to "GrowHive", "we", "us" and "our" mean the operator of the GrowHive website and marketplace.

If you have a privacy question or wish to exercise one of your data protection rights, you can contact us through our Contact Us page.

2. Information we may collect

The information we collect depends on how you use GrowHive.

• Name, email address, telephone number and account details.
• Billing, delivery and collection information.
• Order history, products purchased, charges, refunds and transaction information.
• Grower shop name, profile information, seller details and public shop information.
• Product listings, photographs, descriptions, availability and fulfilment information.
• Grower declarations, acceptance records and related timestamps.
• Verification information supplied by growers, including certification details where applicable.
• Messages, support enquiries and communications sent through GrowHive.
• Community posts, comments, events, projects and other information you choose to make public.
• Technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information and website activity where collected by our systems.

3. How we collect information

We receive personal information directly from you when you create an account, place an order, register as a grower, create listings, contact another user, submit information to GrowHive or use community features.

We may also collect certain technical information automatically when you use the website, including through essential cookies, server logs and security systems.

Information may also be provided to us by payment, delivery, hosting or other service providers where this is necessary to operate GrowHive.

4. Why we use your information

We use personal information where it is reasonably necessary to operate GrowHive and provide the services requested by our users.

• Creating and managing customer and grower accounts.
• Processing marketplace orders and payments.
• Enabling delivery, shipping and local collection.
• Operating grower shops and product listings.
• Providing customer and grower support.
• Preventing fraud, misuse and security incidents.
• Operating grower declarations and verification systems.
• Operating community features and communications.
• Maintaining records required for accounting, tax, reporting or legal purposes.
• Improving the marketplace and understanding how GrowHive is used.

5. Legal bases for processing

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Contract

We may process information where it is necessary to provide an account, process an order or provide a service you have requested.

Legitimate interests

We may process information where reasonably necessary to operate, secure and improve GrowHive, prevent misuse, provide support and manage the marketplace, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Legal obligation

We may retain or process information where necessary to comply with accounting, tax, regulatory, reporting, fraud-prevention or other legal requirements.

Consent

Where consent is the appropriate legal basis, such as certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies, you can withdraw that consent.

6. Customer accounts & orders

When you place an order, we process information needed to complete that transaction. This can include your name, contact information, billing details, delivery address, products ordered and relevant order communications.

Because GrowHive is a multi-grower marketplace, an order can contain products from more than one seller.

Information required to fulfil a seller's part of the order may therefore be provided to that seller.

7. Grower & seller accounts

Growers may provide additional information so that GrowHive can create and operate their seller account and shop.

Certain seller information is intended to be displayed publicly, such as shop names, grower profiles, product listings and information sellers choose to publish about their business or produce.

Other information is used internally for account administration, support, marketplace operation, declarations, verification and legal or reporting requirements.

8. Grower Declaration records

GrowHive may require growers to accept a Grower Declaration before using certain seller features.

We may record information such as the declaration version accepted, the date and time of acceptance and information associated with the grower's account.

These records help us demonstrate which marketplace rules and responsibilities were presented to the grower at the time they accepted the declaration.

9. Organic & other verification information

Where a grower uses a GrowHive verification feature, we may process information they submit for that purpose.

This can include certificate details, issuing bodies, certificate numbers, dates and uploaded supporting documents.

Verification documents are intended for administrative review and are not normally published as part of the grower's public shop.

A public verification status or badge may be shown where appropriate without publishing the underlying private documentation.

10. Payments

Payments may be processed through third-party payment providers.

GrowHive may receive information confirming the payment, transaction reference, amount, status, refunds and other information needed to administer the order.

Full payment-card details are generally handled by the payment provider rather than being stored directly by GrowHive.

11. Shipping, delivery & collection

Information needed to fulfil an order may be shared with the relevant grower and, where necessary, delivery, postal or courier providers.

For local collection, information may be used to help the customer and grower arrange an appropriate collection.

More information about fulfilment is available on our Shipping & Delivery page.

12. Messages & communications

GrowHive may provide ways for customers and growers to communicate about products, orders and marketplace activity.

Messages sent through GrowHive may be processed or stored where necessary to provide the communication service, protect users, resolve disputes or investigate misuse.

Users should avoid sharing unnecessary sensitive personal information through marketplace messages.

13. Community content

GrowHive includes community features such as projects, events, discussions, food-sharing listings and other public contributions.

Information you deliberately submit for public display may be visible to other visitors and users.

Do not include private or sensitive information in a public post unless you are comfortable with it being publicly visible.

14. Location information

GrowHive is designed to help people discover growers, produce and food closer to them.

Location information may therefore be used where necessary to provide local search, delivery, collection, grower-discovery or map features.

Where a feature requests access to your device's precise location, your browser or device may ask for permission before providing it.

15. Cookies & similar technologies

GrowHive may use cookies and similar technologies to keep the website functioning, maintain sessions, remember preferences, provide shopping features, improve security and understand website performance.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to operate. Other cookies, such as analytics or marketing cookies, may require your consent before they are used.

Where required, GrowHive will provide appropriate cookie choices through the website.

16. Email & marketing

We may send service communications that are necessary for your account, orders, seller activity, security or important marketplace information.

Marketing emails will only be sent where we have an appropriate legal basis to do so.

Where marketing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent or unsubscribe from future marketing communications.

17. Who we may share information with

We do not sell personal information.

We may share information where reasonably necessary with organisations that help us operate GrowHive.

• Growers and sellers fulfilling customer orders.
• Payment processors and payment service providers.
• Hosting, email and technical service providers.
• Delivery, courier or postal providers where applicable.
• Security, fraud-prevention and anti-spam services.
• Analytics or website-performance providers where enabled and permitted.
• Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where reasonably necessary.
• Government bodies, regulators, courts or law enforcement where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

18. Marketplace reporting & legal records

Online marketplaces can be subject to accounting, tax and seller-reporting obligations.

GrowHive may therefore need to collect, retain, verify or report certain seller and transaction information where required by applicable law.

Information required for these purposes may need to be retained even after an account is closed.

19. International data transfers

Some technology and service providers used by GrowHive may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, appropriate safeguards will be used where required by applicable data protection law.

20. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or where a longer period is required for legal, accounting, tax, fraud-prevention, dispute or reporting purposes.

Different types of information may therefore be kept for different periods.

Closing an account does not necessarily mean that all information can be immediately deleted where we have a legitimate or legal reason to retain it.

21. Security

GrowHive uses reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

No website or online service can guarantee absolute security, so users should also protect their account passwords and notify us if they believe their account has been compromised.

22. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you rights in relation to your personal information.

• The right to request access to your personal information.
• The right to ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• The right to request deletion of information in certain circumstances.
• The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• The right to object to certain types of processing.
• The right to data portability where the legal requirements are met.
• The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.

23. Complaints

If you have concerns about how GrowHive handles your personal information, please contact us first so we can investigate the issue.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) .

24. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as GrowHive develops, when our systems or services change or when legal requirements change.

The date shown at the top of this page indicates when this version was last updated.

Where a change is significant, we may provide additional notice where reasonably appropriate.

Related GrowHive information

You may also wish to read our Terms of Use and Shipping & Delivery information.