Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Barry.
Jeff, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Boston and grew up in Providence, RI. I’ve always had a strong interest in small business (my dad ran his own business based in RI), but also wanted to do something that had a positive impact on the environment.
In 1995, after college, two years as a Peace Corps volunteer and grad school at Tufts studying environmental economics and business, I moved out to San Francisco. While out there, I subscribed to a service very similar to Boston Organics. Every other week, I would receive a mystery box of organic fruits and vegetables. It was through that experience that I began to eat healthy, learn about fruits and vegetables I was not familiar with, as well as learn about the benefits and importance of certified organics and sustainable agriculture for the environment.
In the summer of 2002, my wife and I moved back east. She got a job that relocated us to Massachusetts. I decided I would start Boston Organics. My grandfather gave me money to purchase a van and I had friends from San Francisco help build a website. I found some farms and suppliers. I then walked throughout Boston/Cambridge/Somerville and Medford putting up fliers with a promotion to kick-start the business. A few weeks later in August, I had 12 customers.
Fast forward 15 years later, we have grown to a customer base of over 2000 households and businesses, with a staff of 20 employees. It’s been through a combination of luck, hard work, a dedicated and committed team, as well as an amazing and loyal customer base, and strong network of farms, suppliers and business partners that we’ve been able to thrive. In 2013, we became a Certified B Corporation – we use business to help solve social and environmental issues. In addition to profitability, we must also consider what the impact of our business decisions will have on the environment, the communities we serve, and our employees.
Has it been a smooth road?
Delivering consistently great quality organic fruits and vegetables in New England provides many challenges as you can imagine. We’ve seen our share of blizzards, droughts and other adverse conditions. These weather conditions not only impact deliveries to our customers, but also consistent availability from our network of farms and suppliers. Fortunately through the hard work of our committed staff as well as our strong partnerships with farms and suppliers, we’ve always been able to figure out a way to get the deliveries to our customers.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We provide organic grocery delivery service to office breakrooms and households throughout the Boston area. Our focus is on organic fruits and vegetables. We source as much local as possible. Our customers appreciate us for many reasons. First and foremost is the quality of the produce and the consistency of the service. We are also known for our great customer service. As a local and independent company, we are able to be very responsive and provide a high level of service. Because we own and maintain our own fleet of vehicles (including cargo bikes) and our drivers are employees (who are paid a living wage and receive benefits), we have a very tight control of the deliveries. Our customers also appreciate that we are mission driven and know that through their support, they are helping to build a healthy food system.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston has been a great city for a business like Boston Organics. Boston has one of the healthiest urban populations in the country. This is a great market for a company that produces and sells health and wellness products/services. I have found that the city itself has been very supportive and provides very good infrastructure. Snow storms that would cripple most cities are dealt with quickly allowing us to keep our vans on the road and our customers served.
Pricing:
- For as low as $27 (includes delivery fee), you can have an order delivered to your home
- A standard office fruit box starts at $32
- Customers can also build their own customized box through our new website
- We offer a local only box for $32
Contact Info:
- Address: 50 Terminal St
Building 2, Suite 105
Charlestown, MA 02129 - Website: www.bostonorganics.com
- Phone: 617-242-1700
- Email: service@bostonorganics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bostonorganics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bostonorganics/
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/bostonorganics/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boston-organics-boston
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
