Local food delivery service announces changes

Marlo from Garden Gate Delivery is announcing some changes to her business.  Here's what she said in her newsletter:

"Garden Gate is undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts, and though I could say our home delivery service is closing, it's also fair to say that it is evolving.  I haven't been able to get the farm to family "grocery" portion of the business to make money and, after five years of work, it's time to move on or hand it over. 

This summer we'll begin doing CSA deliveries only, and while this will limit our selection (it's hard to sell ravioli in a CSA), the efficiency of the model will keep bringing good farm foods right to your doorstep.  With the variety of CSAs appearing each year, it's easy to imagine getting almost everything you need through Garden Gate.  We're working closely with local farms to get a good variety of food choices (fruit! bread! soup! meat! veggies!) and flexibility with by-the-season and by-the-week offerings.

If you know of some brave (wacky) souls who are interested in taking over the farm-to-family grocery part of the business, feel free share my name liberally.  I wasn't able to build the business to the point of making money, but it is still growing so I'm not convinced someone else couldn't do it.  The business works best as a collaboration, like a family or group of friends, where people work in return for profits.

We'll keep taking orders for regular home delivery until April 22nd and our last delivery will be on April 24th.  Our selection will remain mostly the same with just a few shelf-stable items like sauces that we won't replace when they sell out.  The website will change as I slowly begin adding a CSA category and by the end of May you'll be able to see everyone we deliver for. 

The weekly newsletter will keep coming out even after we stop doing weekly "grocery" deliveries.  It will include pretty much all of the same things- recipes, local food events and classes, farm news and insights, new (CSA) products and introductions to new food businesses.  I think of the newsletter as marketing, for sure, but I also think of it as community service and education for myself, and I hope you, too.

Don't forget to use your gift certificates if you have them!  They won't carry over to the CSA delivery portion of the business.  If you need help using your GC, don't hesitate to call me and I'll  help get you the info you need.  

I think that's it.  I'll keep you posted on changes over the next few weeks and hope to hear lots from you.  I'd like our CSA delivery to be of substantial assistance to our current customers and your feedback will help guide my conversations with farms about what kinds of bundled products you're looking for."