Growth by Leaps and Bounds – FARM BOUND

A few years ago, I heard about a company called Farm Bound that was delivering fresh organic produce once a week on Fridays to a retailer here in Fort St. John, BC for same day pick up.  I inquired and a few of my co-workers were using the service and were extremely pleased.  The cost of living is much higher in Fort St. John and the access to fresh organic produce was limited.  If you purchased cucumber on Sunday for Greek salad on Wednesday chances were the cucumber was spoiled before you could use it.  It was disturbing to waste so much food so I learned to buy the day I was going to make Greek salad.  Fresh only means “Fresh” to the store not the freshness of the produce that was on a truck for a couple of weeks.  The initial offerings from Farm Bound were organic produce however the selection of organic offerings have improved greatly and it is extremely worth the purchase.  How did they get this way you ask?  Well, a lot of it has to do with listening to their customers about the products and service they wish to receive.  The other aspect has to do with service development and the speed, cost, quality and brand impact.

Farm Bound Facebook  and Farm Bound Zero Waste Facebook  and their website.  Their Instagram are @farmboundbox and @farmboundzerowaste.  On Farm Bound’s website under pickup locations they ask:

DON’T SEE YOUR TOWN?

CONTACT US TO GET A PICKUP LOCATION 

STARTED IN YOUR AREA

 

Farm Bound is constantly seeking feedback from their customers and as you can see they use the information to improve their organic offerings and their delivery locations.  They also use feedback they get from their producers/farmers on delivery schedules and seasonal produce.

The service development for Farm Bound happened in a very short period of time from the initial deliveries in  June 2015.  Customers place their orders or change their existing orders no later than 9:00 p.m. on Sunday nights for delivery to occur in Fort St. John at the Artisan Farmhouse on Fridays.  Their deliveries have been received on time and on the day expected with I believe one exception due to weather.  This was unheard of here in the North.

The cost of the service is extremely reasonable as you can see.  The only time we would get fresher vegetables would be if we grew them ourselves or at the local farmers’ market. The other consideration on the cost is that the produce is organic therefore is not associated with any pesticides, herbicides, etc.  It is believed that those chemicals can wreak havoc on one’s body. This is an important factor when considering the cost of your overall health.

Jaye Coward, owner of Farm Bound has established an excellent working relationship with the producers/farmers which results in exceptional quality produce.  Since Farm Bound is guaranteeing the producers/farmers with a steady stream of income based on the commitment of the customers then these suppliers can focus on the quality of their product.  It becomes much less stressful for the suppliers.

The other aspect of this service is the brand of the business.  Farm Bound has made an excellent name for themselves.  They are dependable, trustworthy, transparent and their products are tasty. It is extremely refreshing to find a business with an online presence that is down to earth.  Jaye’s interest in permaculture was of great interest and knowing that Farm Bound takes this to heart has the feeling that Farm Bound will be around for a long time.  It surely meets the needs of their customers, producers/farmers and employees.  It makes for a great work environment.

Lessons for Others

In conclusion, listening to one’s customers, suppliers and even employees will generate some new ideas that could improve the speed, cost, quality and brand impact as we can see how Farm Bound took off.  The experience and connections that Jaye acquired while working the Farmers’ Market certainly paid off in her ability to nurture relationships with the suppliers.  Her passion for the Global Food Movement certainly comes through in all the work she does with Farm Bound. On a side note when I contacted Farm Bound for this case study Jaye, herself responded to my email.  Her willingness to help was appreciated and it was an absolute honour to do this case study.

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