We make sure to hold one thing very consistent around the farm, and that is change. If folks are adverse to change, I can tell you that working here would be like listening to nails on a chalkboard for 8 hours a day. But I am a firm believer that if we are not progressing, then we are dying. There is no room for complacency in the marketplace. Grow. Innovate. Or get used as a speedbump.
What’s In the Harvest Box Next Week?
So that is my preface to this amazing cup of coffee that I made myself on Monday. The sun was shining, I want to say that I heard birds chirping, and then there was this cup of coffee. Perfectly steamed beans, lightly frothed milk. I was so happy with my cup of coffee that I missed the cut-off time to order my box for the next day. And to make matters worse, my kitchen was empty after the 4th of July holiday week. I was a very angry bear. Think I even swore.
I thought, “How the heck are we supposed to shift the paradigm of shopping for food with such poor service? What kind of company is trying to change the way people shop by only offering 1 delivery day a week?” I was getting so mad at myself. That does not feel good when you realize that your business model is not living up to its potential. Kind of a rude awakening.
So after the bad language, the challenge was set. How can we make our service better? We have food, drivers, farmers, packers, office admin folks working every day of the week. So why can’t we increase the number of delivery days that we offer our members? And after finishing that incredible cup of coffee, I still had no good reason that would hold us back from feeding you better.
Actually, the reason that we have gotten ourselves into this situation is really because of our obsession to bring you free home delivery. For us to make deliveries free, we have to have high density of deliveries. Makes sense right? But the thought of having to go to the store after I missed my cut-off gave me anxiety. I hate the store. So is a small convenience charge worth keeping me from having a panic attack? Oh, you betcha! (as they say on the family farm in North Dakota). And I know that so many of our members miss their cut-off times weekly and feel the same.
So my brainstorm concluded with the realization that Free Delivery and a small Delivery Fee are not mutually exclusive. You can have both. We can offer free delivery routes AND we can offer days and times with small fees associated with them to cover our costs. So we are making a big step in trying to serve you better while letting you select the kind of service you would like to receive.
OK, what will this look like? As a trial, we will begin with all folks East of the Rio Grande in ABQ to make sure that we can do this before offering it to all our members.
We will be adding Same-Day Delivery Service for 6 days a week, Sunday through Friday. You can place your order by Noon on any of those days, and we will deliver your order between 2-6pm that same day. Too good to be true? I thought so too until I realized that we already have everything in place to make this happen. We are perfectly positioned for this. The only difference will be that these Same-Day Routes will have a $5 Delivery Fee added to them to make up for the lack of density that we will have with these new routes.
We will STILL offer a Free Delivery option on Tuesdays and your corresponding Night Route (so no freaking out please) with the same cut-off time (10am Monday). So the only effect will be that Friday deliveries will now only be available for Same-Day Deliveries for the $5 charge.
We are leaving the choice to you. Plan ahead and get free delivery, or wait to the last minute (like me) and pay a small charge for Same-Day Delivery. I love having choices in life and I think you will enjoy these new options too. Please email me if you have any questions.
Farmer Monte