Those who enjoy buying locally grown produce, meats and eggs but have a hard time making it to farmers markets on Saturdays now have a new option to purchase items online and pick up during the week.
The new Rivermont Area Buying Club, spearheaded by Restoration Acres Farm, began May 30 and features four farms and producers.
The “club” is free and was started by Rachel Palma, owner of Restoration Acres Farms in Bedford, so consumers would have another way to purchase locally grown and produced food products and so farmers eventually might be able to pull away from farmers markets on Saturdays if they choose.
Palma said she hopes this new style of selling will take over her spot at farmers markets. It’s been a plan of hers since 2013.
“We know it will explode once people get a hold of it; we just wanted to bite the bullet,” she said. “It’s more efficient with our time as farmers. We love farmers markets, they’ve been huge for us, but to go for seven hours and hope you sell something. You’re hauling a bunch of product and just [waiting]. It’s great to meet people and build clientele, but we also have stuff to do back at the farm.”
Before posting available products online, Palma reaches out to club partners to find out what inventory is in stock that week. Customers then can place an order online, producers fulfill the orders and Palma picks them up for distribution.
Right now, customers can purchase online from Restoration Acres Farms, Great Day Gardens, Scratch Pasta Co. and Stone Spice Co.
Pickup is held every other Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in a driveway on Club Drive in the Rivermont area.
Palma said the first week had four customers, but if it grows, she will do more in other areas.
Great Day Gardens owner Arden Jones — who produces vegetable crops, herbs and flowers and bakes sourdough bread — said she thinks the new club will be a great option for those who cannot make it to the market on Saturdays.
The farm is located in Forest on Thomas Jefferson Road.
“We appreciate having more orders for produce mid-week to balance the weekend harvest, and coordinating with Restoration Acres Farm helps us be more efficient with our time,” she said. “It has a lot of potential to offer people in Lynchburg a great variety of locally and sustainably produced food items, and I hope people take advantage of this awesome opportunity.”
Jones said the program is similar to a CSA — Community Supported Agriculture, which allows customers to buy seasonal, local or, in some cases, regional food directly from a farmer — but is not done as regularly and would be good for consumers who don’t want as much produce.
Usually in a CSA, a farmer offers what are called “shares” to members, who pay a fee and receive a box of food from the farm every week.
Alisha Meador, a Lynchburg resident, said she tries to go to the Lynchburg Community Market every Saturday, but sometimes travel or other activities means she can’t.
“Having a mid-week option is perfect for us, as we can just swing by after work since it's in our area,” she said.
Meador is a big believer in supporting local farms.
“Not only is the food so much fresher, but you get to know the people that are producing what you eat, and there's really no substitute for that,” she said. “The Palmas are such a sweet family, and I love that our kids get to know the people who supply so much of our food.”
Palma likes this style of selling because she knows what she brings will be eventually picked up and taken away.
“I take a load of product and know it’s already been sold, and then you come home with empty coolers and have hopefully made the same amount as you would at the market,” she said.
Palma said she hopes more farmers and producers will get on board to grow the club.
Jones said once an order is fulfilled, all she has to do is collect the items that have been harvested, wash them and bag it up for Palma to take away.
For the club, Jones sells to Palma at a wholesale price, and Palma turns around and sells the product at a retail price.
Jones agreed with Palma about having to take several hours out of the day to hopefully sell at a farmers market but thinks by using the internet, she can reach a larger customer base.
“I encourage people to try it even if they don’t always think they will always do it,” she said. “The more people we have, the more successful it will be.”
Rachael Smith covers local businesses and nonprofits for The News & Advance. Reach her at (434) 385-5482.