Urbivors is dedicated to making it easy to eat healthy in our neighborhood. By making it much more convenient to get fresh fruits from local farms to your table, you can save time, money, and still eat well, all while supporting your local economy. There are many benefits to eating local instead of imported or out-of-season produce. Here are a few reasons why Urbivors is the best choice for your local produce!
We help minimize food loss. Food loss is defined as food that is thrown away, damaged, or otherwise "lost" on its way to the end consumer. Things like dropped/crushed produce, produce spoiled in transport, or other supply chain mismanagement are all causes of food loss. When the distribution system is complex and covers large distances, food loss occurs more often. Our distribution method is simple. We take orders from our customers and then place a bulk order with our local partner farms. Then, as they make their normal deliveries to restaurants, farmers markets, and CSA customers in town, we pick up our produce, pack it up and deliver it to you! This cuts out the long distances traveled and the number of hands that touch your food before it gets to you! The simplicity leads to far less food loss in distribution.
We help minimize food waste. Food waste is food that is thrown away by retailers or consumers. This can happen because it looks misshapen, or its close to expiration by the time it reaches its destination, or even the food we throw away in our homes (whether it is because we don't like it or we do not eat it fast enough) is food waste. With Urbivors, we source all of our produce from NW Ohio or SE Michigan farmers. This means that your produce is picked at its peak of freshness and only needs to be moved a few miles to get to your table. Your produce is picked to order, so it is perfectly ripe and full of nutrients when we deliver it to you. We also do not discriminate against misshapen produce. Even though it looks funky, it still has all of the flavor and nutrients of "Photography-Grade Food".
We also help you minimize your at-home food waste because you have control over exactly how much produce you buy from us. With other methods of getting farm-fresh produce like CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) you have to commit to a monthly/yearly membership in which the suppliers send you a box of produce (which typically has a hodge-podge of fruits or vegetables that are ready for picking) and it comes to you every week or so. Often, these boxes can contain more produce than the customer can eat in a week (before their next shipment) or it contains produce that they do not necessarily like! With Urbivors, your orders are custom, so you get exactly what you want in a quantity that is right for you! All of this greatly reduces food waste.
We reduce your carbon footprint. Supermarket food is transported many miles, which means there is a lot of carbon produced just by getting produce to your table. By buying your food from Urbivors, not only are the distances small between you and the farm, but our distribution system takes advantage of delivery routes that are already being traveled by local farmers on a regular basis. For example, when they deliver to restaurants or designated CSA pick-up locations, we pick up our produce at one or more of these locations so we make it easier on them and easier on our planet. It is a win-win! Food purchased from Urbivors is better for you and better for our planet!
We stimulate the local economy. By buying from local producers, you keep money flowing through your local economy. Supporting your producers, allows them to consume goods or services from other local producers and thus a circular cycle continues. Keeping the money in your community is a good thing. It creates jobs in your area and helps your local producer's livelihood instead of the factory farms hundreds of miles away. Buying local is always a behavior to consider, not just when buying produce.
We don't require a commitment. Other local food delivery options like farm CSA's require an up-front commitment or membership. You pay a large one-time fee for a membership and are then sent produce every week for the rest of the season. With Urbivors, you order whenever you want. This helps you save money if you happen to be out of town for a few weeks per season and miss out on shipments you already paid for. This also helps you reduce food waste.
We are more than an online farmers market. We are excited to promote the amazing local businesses, restaurants, and activities in our community. Being in the know about these local gems is part of being an Urbivor!
Urbivors has a lot of benefits, so visit our marketplace and make an order today!
Come see us on Facebook and spread the word about Urbivors and other local businesses!
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