Many people have turned to alternative ways of buying groceries. Instead of going to a supermarket, some have them delivered. Others call in orders and then go pick them up.
Many of those services are offered by national or regional outlets, such as Amazon, Walmart and Fred Meyer. But a Spokane-area company is also offering grocery delivery services on a smaller scale.
Share Farm bills itself as a virtual farmers’ market. Its founder, Vincent Peak, says the company targets people interested in buying local and lowering their carbon footprint.
The company buys from several growers in the Inland Northwest, as well as farms and ranches in other parts of the nation.
“We can show point of origin, authenticity, of where the food is from, how it was grown, when it was harvested, the touch points on the food. It traveled from farm X to this location Y to your house Z and we’re showing carbon footprint and the road miles it takes to get to you," Peak said.
To order, you go to the Share Farm website or app, check out the foods available, fruits, veg, meat, pick out what you want and then pay. Share Farm delivers two days a week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you get your order in before 5 pm the day before, Peak says your order will be delivered the next morning.
With people so aware of sources of contamination, he says it’s a good alternative to doing the shopping yourself.
“People at the grocery, picking up, touching items with their gloves on, putting them down, choosing something else. At that point, you just have so many touch points on food," Peak said. "To me, that’s why people are really gravitating toward our grocery model. It comes direct from the farm or the warehouse from the distributor. The least amount of touchpoints possible.”
Peak says Share Farm began in Spokane five years ago and now serves customers in Seattle, Portland and Anchorage. He says, besides delivering to individual homes, the company also serves corporations that provide meals for their employees.