One of the things I love most about farming is spending my winters brainstorming how to make our farm better, from coming up with more sustainable ways to heat a greenhouse to considering more attractive ways to package and sell our vegetables to better meets people’s needs.
Last winter, for example, we created our Food Security Club, which helps people eat local, organic produce all winter long by providing bulk amounts of vegetables that are easy to store or preserve.
So what have we cooked up this winter? We were looking over a map of where our customers who pick up a pre-ordered weekly bag of vegetables (CSA) from our farm were coming from. We realized that the vast majority lived where it was convenient for them to stop by and pick up their bag of veggies on the way home from work or a visit to town. Of course!
Many people don’t have the time to drive from one side of the Valley to the other to get a bag of vegetables each week. They’re busy. That’s why grocery stores are located close to the various communities in the Valley. So, short of starting a Makaria Farm grocery store in every neighbourhood, what could we do?
We could deliver.
We are offering delivery of our weekly bags of produce to your home or office for 21 weeks this summer. So from June to November, regardless of where you live in the Cowichan Valley (from Chemainus to Mill Bay at least), you can conveniently enjoy some of the freshest produce the Warmland has to offer, delivered to your door, for less than $23/week.
We’re also expanding to offer our Vegetable Share CSA Program (with delivery) in the Victoria area, for just under $24/week.
As an organic farm, we strive to be environmentally friendly, so we’ll be working on making our delivery service more sustainable over time. If you know of anyone selling a bio-diesel van, for example, please send them our way. And, of course, if you know of anyone looking for local, organic, fresh-picked vegetables delivered to their door this summer, send them our way too!
[February 15 update: Makaria Farm has partnered with Cowichan Recyclists to pilot bicycle delivery of CSA bags in summer 2013 to homes and businesses in downtown Duncan! Please click here for details …]