Riverford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Riverford is an organic farm, dairy and bakery cooperative in Buckfastleigh in Devon, England.
Riverford farm was taken over by the Watson family in the 1950s and followed the normal history for UK farms until the mid 1980s when Guy Watson decided to convert to organic farming. By the late 1980s this had been achieved, but when the failure of negotiations with a supermarket chain led him to seek an alternative produce distribution methodology. This was the weekly food box, delivered direct to customers doors with locally grown produce. The key to the success of this veg box scheme has been that, size of box apart, the customer gets that weeks standard produce.
Eliminating choice works in Riverford's favour, permitting economies of scale that approach those of supermarkets whilst reducing the delivery time from field to kitchen - ensuring fresh food. Riverford also choose varieties for flavour rather than appearance and deliver earthy, unclean, vegetables which again improves storage and taste. One other benefit of the lack of choice is that customers work with the rhythm of the seasons in their cooking and discover new vegetables that they have never tried before.
From a weekly delivery of around 30 boxes to family and friends, by early 2005 Riverford are delivering to around 20,000 homes. To achieve this they have formed a mutual cooperative of British farmers - not all in Devon. The weekly boxes come with a newsletter explaining both the content of the box and giving a brief sermon / diary / blog on things Riverford. The result is a large yet personal method of shopping with the bulk of customer's having been found by word of mouth.
Following in Jamie Oliver's footsteps, Riverford have, in March 2005, obtained the catering contract for lunches at a local primary school.
