So we have a saying around here that “Numbers don’t lie.” Numbers don’t get hunches, have feelings, get political, or get emotional. Numbers tell a story whether you like it or not. And right now, COVID numbers in our enchanted state aren’t good.

And I cannot look at the numbers in New Mexico without thinking about our 40 employees and thousands of families who depend on us for healthy food and a healthy work environment. So I want to lay out a few things here as we prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

I will be the first person to tell you that we were not ready for the first wave of the Corona virus in March. We did not have the vendors, vehicles, employees, refrigerated infrastructure, website functionality, etc etc to handle such an increase in demand for our food. I am not sure any company was ready for it, but we duct taped stuff as fast as we could. Fortunately, we learned a lot and tooled up since those early days in April.

Now I do not have a crystal ball and have no idea as to what will be coming around the bend, but we are prepared and I want to let you in on a few things to give you peace of mind.

Invest in loyalty. Looking back at this year, I realize that we should have capped our growth. Instead of capping growth, we cut programs like our Meal Kits, Juice Bar, and limited offerings. Moving forward I do not want to do that. We will be focusing on our current/loyal customers before we get too far over our skis. I promise to take care of the people who have taken care of us over the years. What will this look like?

Expanded Delivery Day Options. I want to have more delivery days available to you every week. Personally, I miss my cut-off deadline often. I am sure that I am not alone in that oversight. So instead of having to wait a week, I want you to have another option to fill your tummies. Look for more delivery days being added to your account coming up. Choose the day that works best for you or get 2 deliveries. Up to you.

Household Needs. The pandemic has made me realize that we need to offer more than just food, we need household staples too. Look at the website for items from face masks to soaps. I do not want small things like dish soap to force you to the store.

Local Meats. During the first wave, my brother texted me and wrote “Bro, your Butcher Shop only has beef jerky and mustard, is that right?” Uh (tail between my legs), Yes. Our local ranchers were not prepared for the demand that we saw after the national supply chain left shelves empty. We have added ranchers to our team and now are very well supplied with the best local meats that you’ll find anywhere. We got you covered.

Coolers. Folks, I just do not see us returning to the use of reusable coolers. I ask (ok, beg) that you just hang onto and use any cooler that you may have. Those coolers are $35 at the store and your deposit was about half of that. So I hope you can look at the coolers like you got a really good deal on a sexy cooler. The other way that you can look at is you have a vintage piece of memorabilia. A badge of honor that you were with SKRS Farms when we had coolers.

We have so many coolers left around here that I have already picked one out that I will use as my urn. So if you ever see a lime green Coleman cooler floating down the Rio Grande, don’t open it; I may be stuffed inside!

The Warehouse. I want you to have complete trust in the cleanliness of our warehouse facility. We never let the public into our warehouse. Only employees are let into the warehouse so that we prevent anything from coming into the warehouse that we do not want. Employees wear masks and never work if they are feeling sick. We even encourage mental health time off if folks are feeling tired or anxious with everything going on in our world now. Without a healthy team, we have nothing.

Delivery Vehicles. Our delivery trucks/vans are Not someone’s car. These are dedicated delivery vehicles that have steel cargo areas that are cleaned and sanitized. It kind of boggles me a bit when folks order meal delivery and it comes in the back of some dude’s car. I can’t help but picture some Golden Retriever sitting (possibly farting) on the same seat where my Nacho Bell Grande is riding. My mind goes to dark places, what can I say?

Let us help keep you and your family safe. If you need/want something that we do not have, please let us know. We are like Morgan Freeman in Shawshank…we can find you things.

Keep smiling under those masks! Farmer Monte

Over the last 17 years, we have seen a pretty wild roller-coaster in the business. And let me say that I know that we are not unique. Every small business is on a bucking bronco of a ride. It is not for everyone, but I can honestly say that I have not had a boring day in the last 2 decades.

We grew through the “Buy Local” bumper sticker days of the early 2000s. Buckled up and had loyal support through the Great Recession of 2008. Weathered the storm of huge start-up companies getting into the home delivery game. And of course most recently, fed tens of thousands New Mexicans during the worst health pandemic our world has seen. It has been a turbulent adventure and one that I enjoy engaging in every day.

I strongly believe that there is no Winning the game of business, being able to continue playing the game Is winning in my book. And every year that we are able to keep food coming to you is another year I am grateful for. It is easy to lose sight of how important financial support is for small local businesses, but even small amounts keep our local economy turning. So I know that I speak for all local businesses when I say Thank You for supporting local Mom n Pop businesses during this time and all of the time. Your support is the fuel for our state.

I bring this up because over the last couple of weeks, I have felt a sense accomplishment for our little business. This is not in some arbitrary sales goal, but rather seeing the fruits of our labor finally starting to take shape.

In business, and in life, there are times when we work hard for our goals. For our mission, vision, or whatever you want to call them. But lofty goals do not come to fruition over-night. You must stay focused and work towards an end that you cannot even see at the moment. Chase the mirage in hopes that something amazing will materialize out of a New Mexican dust devil. We have been on this journey for quite a while. At least it feels like it when I look at myself in the mirror.

With all of that, we have some really cool and tasty things at our fingertips now and I want to make sure that you know about them. So here is a quick breakdown on what the fall will be looking and tasting like around here.

Produce. A pretty phenomenal year from all of our local growers. Heirloom tomatoes, garlic, and all of the fresh tree fruits from our buddy Paul at Excelsior Orchards.

Local Meats. We have put a lot of energy this year into building out the best local grass-fed meat program in the state. I can tell you with confidence that you will not find a higher quality meat offering anywhere. The care for the animals and the earth are second to none. On top of that, be-cause we are connecting you to the ranchers directly, you get huge savings and the ranchers get paid top dollar. A true Win-Win.

Bakery. Again, we have added many great partners to our bakery category and this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have brought Bob (owner of Wolfe’s Bagels) in to bake the highest quality Local bagels that you can find. Myra, from Authentic Cookie in Santa Fe has been having huge success with her pastries and pies. Andre from Wild Leaven in Taos has added his fermented breads made from Locally grown grains. Pastian’s from ABQ has joined the team with their hoagies and yummy macaroons. They all join up with Sage Bakehouse from Santa Fe and Swiss Alps in ABQ to offer you the best bakehouse options throughout the state.

Juice Bar. If you are like me you love fresh juices, but hate the trouble and mess of making them. This was the driving force behind our Fresh, Cold-Pressed, Unpasteurized Juice Bar. Don’t be a typical juice bar, be better and different. You see our juice bar is not a business, it is an avenue for our growers to sell more Organic produce. And since we are working directly with the growers, you save money while supporting our farms. I never want you to say “I really want that juice, but it is too expensive.” So I can promise that you will find a better value juice option anywhere in the state. Cut costs, not quality.

Prepared Foods. The only thing that I can say about our prepared food line is Wow! Convenient, great fun flavors, incredible value, and supporting local producers. What is not to love about that combo? Eat like a local celebrity and pay the same that you would for mass-produced fast food. We are and will be pouring tons of energy into this new category for you. Please check out all that flavors that Chef Jules has for you.

Stay healthy and happy amigos, Farmer Monte

Take me to the website

Excelsior Orchards has begun the apple harvest. Apples have become so ubiquitous that not many people get all that excited about an apple harvest. Well I am that food nerd who loves when our Colorado apples begin. We will start the sea-son with Galas. Again, most Galas are a rather pedestrian piece of fruit. But not from Excelsior.

Paul’s fruit is grown in some of the best orchard land that we have in our entire country. Couple that with the fact that Paul is meticulous about details. And you will taste some of the most amazing flavors you can find. I find myself saying, “Oh crap, that is what Gala is supposed to taste like??” So do yourself a favor and load up on some of his fruit. You will be so proud of yourself that you did. Might even pat yourself on the back.

Quick note about his Apples and Pears:
Pears are real troopers. They will stay in your fridge for many weeks. When you are ready to eat them, take them out, give them a day or 2 on your counter, wait for the yellow tint, and dive in. If you like pears to have a crunch, eat them while they are green. There is no wrong or right way to eat them.

One thing that you will notice though as they start to tint up in your kitchen is the floral aroma that pears develop. This is actually why I like Pear Cider more than Apples. Apples are great, don’t get me wrong, but pear cider has floral notes that hit your nose as you drink it and it really adds a complexity that I love to the nectar. So additionally, I really recommend that you try some of our fresh cold-pressed pear cider.

Apple storage. Galas have more sugars in them than the up-coming Fujis. What this means is that they are obviously sweeter than Fujis, but they do not store as long. Galas are good for about a month once they come off the trees. Fujis have more “legs” and can last 8-10 weeks off the tree without losing quality or crisp. Honestly though, the apples are so good that they get munched quickly. But if you are interested in storing some, go for 1 month max on Galas, 2-3 months on Fujis.

We also have a new addition to the Excelsior family of fruit and that is the Grape. First harvest for grapes this year. Like all of the other fruit we get, these grapes are phenomenal. Enjoy.

We have been receiving many emails and calls wondering what is happening with The Stand. So here is a quick update.

We are wrapping up an insane month of demo in the space. The transformation from a pharmacy to an industrial feeling produce market kicked up a lot of dust and dumpsters.

A very fun project though. As we started to peel back the layers of the onion, we began to see the history of the building. Originally it was a mechanic shop, pizza joint, pharmacy, café, etc. Incredible journey that is marked by some really funky use of walls, colors and spaces. Our goal is to keep that character present in the building’s future. So there will be steel beams that seem out of place, wood ceilings that don’t match (because they were built in different decades), and concrete floors that were stained green. I love real things. I love things that have a bit more grit to them rather than polish. Besides, grit is more fun.

And let me touch on the roll out for a moment. The main goal of the Stand is to provide more unique and prepared foods to our entire distribution network. We needed a commercial kitchen to help get the home delivery model to where I want it to go. Only when we fulfill all the demand for our home delivery customers will we open the doors up to the public. So know that the brick n mortar store will not detract from your experience as a customer. It will only be enhanced by the kitchen.

And this is why I think the Stand will be so successful and unique; we do not need this space to operate like a typical restaurant. I can promise you that it will be different than any restaurant that you have ever been to. The theme of the restaurant is Our Favorite Flavors of NM. Period. It is not Italian, Asian, Mexican, or any other theme. Menus will be designed based on what we have access to currently. And menus will probably change more than some of us change our undies.

Fresh, Local, Yummy, Fun. This will be the mantra of the food we produce from the Stand. And rest assured that all of the flavors that Chef Jules is cranking out of the kitchen will be available to all of our customers, not just walk-in customers. Our home delivery model has never had a kitchen, now we do!

Have a great weekend. Stay safe and happy, Farmer Monte

After inventing Solar Power Heated Underwear, the great Viking captain, Loki, was quoted as saying, “Uff Da, Necessity is the Mother of invention!” And after a thorough examination of our local meat sup-ply, I have to say that I really understand what Loki meant.

During the peak craziness of COVID-19: Episode 1, our national meat supply took an absolute hammering. Availability low, prices high. Not a good recipe for consumer confidence. With all of that, a huge spotlight focused in on New Mexico’s ability to sup-ply its own meat. After all, we have the land, we have the ranchers, and we have the pasture-raised animals.

The one bottleneck (and this is a huge limitation), we just did not have the processing capacity for the demand that hit our state. In the short run, this became a problem; however, in the long run, our state realized a huge opportunity. So here is an update with how our state is transforming to meat [sic] this opportunity.

This August we will see a processing plant in Las Vegas (NM) open its doors again. It closed several years ago as the move to centralize processing plants was the national mantra. Now, the pandemic has opened the eyes (and minds) of folks to realize how important a diversified regional food model is to our national security. We cannot have 85% of our nation’s meats processed in less than 10 plants. That is a system waiting for disaster. And COVID exposed that.

Now we are seeing a move, at least in NM (which is all I focus on), to open several local processing plants that have previously closed. This means a) less travel time and stress for animals, b) less cost/more profit for ranchers, c) more local jobs!, d) more animals that are raised in NM Stay in NM, and lastly, more diversity for our state’s food supply. This is a huge win for our state. We have seen so many losses due to COVID, we must celebrate every victory that we can get.

So look for our incredible beef and pork offering on the site right now. You will not find better quality, value, or mission anywhere in the country.

Another piece of wise Viking philosophy falls along the lines of “Let no good deed go unpunished.” Again, this rings in my noggin as we try to hire crew members in this challenging time. And let me pref-ace this by saying that this is not a political statement, this is a snapshot from a small business in a small state.

With the highest unemployment that this country has seen in decades, we have never had such a hard time hiring a crew. Read that again and let that sink in. The free money that is being handed out to Not work, is making it almost impossible to find people To work. It is hard on our business as we try to expand our services/offerings to more people through-out the state. I hope that this is just a momentary loss of sanity, but we need to find a better way to help people.

With that, if you know people who a positive force in this difficult time, please have them email me…

What else is happening around here?? All in all things are moving very well. We have our feet back underneath us after the first spike and we are ready for whatever comes down the road.

I cannot tell you how grateful and thankful I am for the amazing team that we Do have working (for you) right now. The nation is anxious. It is evident everywhere from the TV news to the supermarkets. But our team comes to work with a mission and with focus of what we are all up against. The stresses of life outside these walls are left at the door and our team is doing a fantastic job of filling your fridge and your family’s bellies. Rest assured that we have your back in these times and are looking at ways to better feed/serve you.

Thank you for your support and trust. We do not take that responsibility lightly. Stay healthy amigos!

Farmer Monte

An old Bernalillo Buddhist used to say that “You never step in the same Rio twice.” And by the way, I just made that up, so don’t go try and Google Bernalillo Buddhist. But the idea rings true. Life, like the water in a river, is fluid. You are a different person today than you were yesterday. Most of the time (in calm waters) it is hard to see how our lives change daily. But I think it is safe to say that the last 3 weeks have been a very tumultuous time for everyone on the planet. Our lives are changing daily if not hourly.

So it is not a surprise that our little local home delivery business has been thrown into the chaos along with everyone else. We have been in business for 17 years. Fine-tuning our mission. Chewing on what our selection of food should look/taste like. And yes, obsessing about the efficiency of logistics.

But nothing over the last 17 years could have prepared us for how the last 3 weeks have unfolded. Let me have a few minutes of your time to bring you up to date on what has transpired for us and how we are adapting to this new way of life.

My dream/mission for this movement from day one has been to feed all of the New Mexicans who wanted our food. I have written so many times that our local food model is not for everyone. We are not the Golden Arches trying to sell a billion burgers. Our food is thoughtfully sourced from the Mom n Pops. We talk in harvest numbers not stock prices.

I never want to turn someone away who wants a seat at our table. For me, the local food movement is rooted in the notion of Inclusion. Feed those who want to eat locally and support fellow New Mexican businesses. Over the past 3 weeks, the mouths at our table have become many and are growing.

And I will be honest with you, we were not ready for this flood of new people in the first week Or maybe even the second. I think the technical term that they use in business management classes call it a “Total Shit Storm.” Or maybe that is just what it feels like. It has been so overwhelming that I actually shed a few tears one day. I am a 44-year-old hairy guy and had tears in my eyes like my goldfish just died. And the most frustrating part was that I couldn’t even pat my eyes. A) because there is no tissue paper left in the Enchanted state, and B) we’re not supposed to touch our dang faces. So I had to wait for the desert air to dehydrate my tears.

But then I saw our long-time chariot driver, John, after he was wrapping up a 70 hour week of deliveries. His face was exhausted. Eyes bloodshot from days behind the wheel. And instead of complaining he simply said, “We’ve got this.”

And folks, that is what I have to tell you today; you have the most dedicated crew working to keep you, your family, and your neighbors fed during this time. Every one of our team is tired, stressed, over-worked, But… they are 100% committed to the challenges that we all face. We could not do what we are doing without this commitment. There is a definite feeling of being on the front line around here and we are so grateful for your trust in us at this time. It is not taken lightly. Thank you!

So how do things get better logistically in a time of such high demand? 1) We just fired up a 1,700 square foot walk-in cooler. This brings our total cooler space to over 3,000 ft. 2) Two new delivery vans just arrived yesterday morning from Georgia. Total 8 vans to help cover the state. 3) Restructured route density in ABQ to get more deliveries done in fewer hours. 4) Hired dozens of new crew members to help prep, sort, pack, route, deliver, and return emails/calls. 5) We have asked our partners to harvest more, make more, milk more, bake more. Our supply of local food will catch up to the demand. I promise. We have an incredible group of suppliers on our side. On your side.

Few things that will help us help you…
1) Try and do as much of your account maintenance on your own through our web site.
2) We have been sending out a ton of emails. Please make sure you have not unsubscribed from our mailings or you will NOT receive these updates.
3) Double check your billing settings to make sure payment info is current. We don’t want you to miss an order because of an expired card.
4) Be patient. We are doing our best and will get systems back to normalcy soon.
5) Stay healthy. Eat well. Be grateful. Go dig in the dirt!

Salud, Farmer Monte