Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurel Valchuis.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
One summer working on a farm in Ireland, I loved getting fresh vegetables to our CSA customers every week, but couldn’t help but look around and see all the people in this lovely little seaside town NOT eating the beautiful vegetables we were growing on the farm. I started Al FreshCo to get people eating more local vegetables, more easily.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve tried a lot of different methods of selling our meal kits and communicating our message. I started selling at farmers’ markets on my tricycle, which was fun, but exhausting, and we weren’t reaching the people who didn’t have time to get to a farmers’ market. We stayed on the bike, but moved to doing home deliveries and selling our kits online, which has been great. It’s a constant question on our minds though: how do we reach the people who just need to eat local vegetables, without much fuss. For people who love to be on the bike, in the kitchen, or in the fields (yes, we are all farmers, too!), it’s hard to keep up with marketing and reaching new people!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We’re most proud of sourcing 100% of our vegetables and beans locally. We are lucky to work with a handful of amazing farmers who know that we’re willing to incorporate their vegetables, even if it’s only a few bunches of this or that, into our menu. It sparks our creativity in coming up with menus, gives our customers super fresh and exciting meals, and gives our farmers a flexible, alternative market for their produce.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston is great to start a business that is driven by mission: we’re surrounded by smart people who care about their community, and environment, and think about the impact of the foods we consume everyday.
Pricing:
- Each Meal Kit (feeds 2 people): $19.50
Contact Info:
- Website: www.al-freshco.com
- Phone: 617.971.8762
- Email: eat@al-freshco.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/alfreshcomeals
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/alfreshcomeals
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/alfreshcomeals
Image Credit:
Eric Lewandowski, Kayana Szymczak
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