From The Farmer delivers fresh produce to customer doorsteps
in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. Customers can customize
the size and contents – including various vegetables and fruits, bread, and
eggs – of their baskets and determine their own delivery schedules, with no
weekly commitment required.
After beginning a student organization that fed hundreds of
local community members during their time at the University of Denver, co-founders
Nick Phelps and Jason Lundberg started From The Farmer in 2010, according to
Stacey Price, the company’s director of sales and
marketing. The company now delivers to more than 2,000 houses per week,
most of which are regular customers, said Price.
“Our office is filled with expertise
ranging from farming, cooking, nutrition, and food policy,” Price wrote in an
email. “We get to work with the most interesting partners and producers
and customers. The common thread in our story is a love of food.”
From The Farmer buys produce from more than 100 different
local farms and producers, according to Price. The business chooses partners
that have a transparent cultivating process, practice sustainability, and have
quality products and healthy practices.
Tyler Baer, the head of sourcing and storytelling, said the
most challenging part of From The Farmer was the quick pace and constant
changes.
“Food moves fast and it never
sleeps,” said Baer. “Each year (growing season) is different and the best you
can do is prepare accordingly and hold on for the ride.”
Price said the business was always built with the intention
to be able to recreate the model in other cities, but the team still has more
work to do in the Washington, DC-area.
In late April, From The Farmer will launch technology to
provide more options to customers, including sustainable meat and dairy and
pantry items, according to Price.
About the Author
Seema
Vithlani is a junior multi-platform journalism major and French minor
at the University of Maryland. This spring she is also an editorial
intern for Washington
Gardener Magazine.
"Local First Friday" is a weekly blog series profiling independent
garden businesses in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic
region. Washington Gardener Magazine believes strongly in supporting and sourcing from local businesses first!
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