Farmivore Delivers Fresh Local Produce to Your Door
When Max Becher began selling second-quality produce from his truck seven years ago, he had no idea it would lead to an entirely new way to connect the community to fresh produce from small-scale farmers. What started in 2013 as an email list where Becher sold slightly blemished produce for cash from local farms in Ojai, has become a thriving business bringing local produce to the doorsteps of residents throughout Ventura County.
Ojai Farmstand, as it was then known, was a way to get crops into the hands of consumers outside of the farmers’ market. By 2014 the offerings included Becher’s crops as well. A newer farmer himself, Becher partnered with another young grower, Mike Roberts of Baby Root Farm in Camarillo, and in 2018 Farmivore was born.
Today, consumers can shop for fresh local produce through Farmivore’s website or their easy-to-use app. Unlike a traditional community-supported agriculture (CSA) harvest subscription produce box, which offers whatever farmers have available in season, Farmivore allows customers to curate a custom mix of fruits and vegetables for delivery straight to their door.
“Seascape strawberries pop at farmers’ markets right now and on Farmivore. We also have baby corn that chefs go crazy about, and watercress that grows wild on the ranch,” Roberts said. “It’s essentially the best our local area has to offer.”
Through the app, which came out less than a year ago, customers can quickly put together a small, medium or large box of produce. “It makes ordering very quick and convenient,” said Becher. While Farmivore offers a variety of staples, such as avocados and navel oranges, they also sell niche products like native herbs, often sending push notifications to app users when something unique is available in limited quantity. Delivery is a flat rate of $5 throughout Ventura County, regardless of how many pounds of produce you order.
A PARTNERSHIP OF FARMERS
Becher and Roberts first met, as one might expect, at the farmers’ market years ago. Roberts was farming under the tutelage of Phil McGrath and selling for McGrath’s farm at the time. He watched as CSA orders declined every season.
“Farmers had to come up with a way to make local produce more appealing,” said Roberts, “and I immediately recognized Max had figured it out.” When Becher reached out to him about partnering on Farmivore, he jumped at the opportunity.
Numerous hyper-local farms supply Farmivore: “first and foremost our very own home farms growing onsite as part of the McGrath Family Farm collaborative,” but also including Steel Acres Farm and Ojai Roots in Ojai, Milliken Family Farms in Lompoc, John Givens Farm in Goleta and more. A few farms they source from are slightly farther away but provide produce that is more difficult to come by, like apples from Fair Hills in Paso Robles or stone fruit and citrus from Ken Lee in Reedley.
All of the farms Farmivore works with are committed to organic and sustainable farming philosophy, and about 80% of the produce is organic certified. Many, like Baby Root and others leasing farmland from McGrath, incorporate biodynamic and permaculture techniques.
MEETING NEEDS DURING A PANDEMIC
The business model Farmivore created is a potential game changer, raising the profit margin for farmers by hiring them and their families to pack produce boxes or deliver orders.
“More and more of the money put into Farmivore [through sales] goes back to the farmer,” said Becher in describing their operations. “They take pride in selling their own crops through Farmivore and are a motivated and hardworking team.”
“For me, what Max’s done with Farmivore, what he invented, it’s complex and no one else has done it, that I’ve seen,” said Roberts. “Operated by farmers, delivered by farmers—it’s profound in its simplicity.”
In the midst of growing as a company, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hit and suddenly many residents who might usually shop for produce at grocery stores were looking for safe alternatives that could offer home delivery.
“COVID increased our sales significantly. It took us to a level we’d never been before, and we know this is a privileged position to be in,” said Becher, who acknowledged it has been emotionally moving to offer a market for farmers whose sales fell due to restaurant closures and shelter-in-place orders.
SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMS BY BUYING LOCAL
Farmivore’s partnership with McGrath farms extends beyond supply and logistics; they share in an effort to provide opportunities for new growers. “The mission of McGrath Family Farms is to grow regenerative farmers,” said Roberts. Through Farmivore, these nascent farmers have an instant market for their produce.
Becher said ultimately Farmivore will only succeed if consumers are willing to support it. “If you want your money to stay in the community, are you willing to eat in a way that makes that happen?”
Residents who patronize Farmivore’s network are building and investing in the regional agriculture that so many view as an integral part of Central Coast California, while receiving local produce of extraordinary quality at their doorstep.
