With school beginning and assignments already piling up, the last thing you want to do is spend what little free time you have on grocery shopping. My Farmers’ Market, an online grocery and delivery service, can save you time by bringing fresh, local food right to your dorm.
The idea for My Farmers’ Market was sparked at a barbecue when Nathan Steele, owner and operator, wanted a convenient and efficient way to provide local products to local people. Steele has a background in food, having spent time fruit-picking in the Okanagan and working in various kitchens.
In February 2013, My Farmers’ Market sprouted. The business has had steady growth ever since.
“In the last three months it has been doing a little bit of exploding and we’re beating each prior month substantially,” says Steele. “It’s kind of taking off here at this point.”
Many of the customers are regulars, and these consumer relationships are important to Steele.
“Quality is my priority, not making money,” he says. “I’m stepping back looking at the bigger picture and just trying to create a real quality service that people can really enjoy and want to come back to.”
Many of the foods featured on the website are produced within Manitoba, says Colby Charles, operations manager. A wide variety of non-local organic food is also available. In the spirit of being a one-stop shop, health and beauty items, household items, and pet foods can all be purchased through the website.
The website is easy to use, with grocery items organized by section (produce, meat, dairy) and a shopping cart system. For a number of postal codes, just place an order before 12 p.m. to receive same-day delivery. Orders from campus (R3T postal code) are delivered on Saturdays from 6-8 p.m.
There is no minimum order amount, though orders $50 and above receive free delivery. The delivery charge is $7.50 for orders below $50.
Charles understands the busy student life, being a past student himself. My Farmers’ Market is designed to provide you a little more time in your day.
“Spending all your time studying, having to go to the grocery store was just an extra amount of time that could have been spent doing something else,” says Charles. “Healthy students are productive students.”
The prices of the items are comparable to grocery store prices, and there is no minimum order.
“We’re just trying to create a very sustainable model for better distribution and local food,” says Charles.
