Not only did Sarah and I visit the Farm Fresh to You farm, we asked Moyra, the head of FFTY Marketing and Thaddeus's wife, a few questions about the operation of the farm.
How many customers do you serve through your CSA?
We do 8,000 deliveries per week and have 15,000 active customers in the greater San Francisco Bay Area (the 15,000 total includes customers who get every-other-week, every-third-week and every-fourth-week deliveries). We do 1,000 deliveries per week and have 2,500 active customers in the greater LA area – we just started deliveries in LA in September based out of our new Anaheim warehouse space).
How do you determine what items to grow? How do you determine the product mix?
Thaddeus, who manages all farming operations, works with his brother Noah, who manages our sales department and puts together the FFTY box selections, to put together the planting schedule. In addition to the CSA deliveries, we sell directly to restaurants and grocery stores and do 15 farmers markets. The planting schedule is put together based on what we can grow in a given season coupled with requests from CSA customers and what has been successful in the past for our sales department. We are a “truck farm,” which means we grow whatever we can based on the season. Also, we try to grow heirloom varieties, which taste good and sell well with our clientele. The produce mix in the various boxes is based on two priorities – (1) using as much of our produce and other local produce as possible and (2) making sure that there is a good variety in the boxes. This means that in the winter time, we source from produce in the Pacific Northwest to ensure that we get enough fruit (pears, apples, berries) in the boxes to keep customers happy. That said, we also have a local only option – our Valley box, with produce sourced within 150 miles of where the delivery takes place.
What was the tipping point in your decision to open a retail location at the SF Ferry Building?
We had been selling at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market and heard that the Ferry Building was going to be renovated as a marketplace. All four brothers/owners began talking about how having a space in SF to showcase the farm and the CSA was an important next step for PR and growth. We then approached the planners and were able to secure a space in the initial planning phases.
Sarah and I appreciate FFTY for taking the time to discuss their operation with us. We had a great time visiting the farm, too.
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