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Dalton Entrepreneur Brings Harvest HomeBy Tammy Daniels - July 21, 2008
iBerkshires Staff
DALTON — A local entrepreneur is growing a business for families who want fresh, local produce on their plates by bringing the farm straight to their kitchens.
"Something just told me this was going to be a success," said Aleisha Gibbons last week about her newly launched Berkshire Organics delivery service.
It also caught the eye of Martha Stewart Omnimedia, which has featured Gibbons for its "Dreamers into Doers" contest.
The Sheffield native has tried on a few careers, including teaching and sales. She liked organic produce but not the supermarket prices and often had trouble getting to farmers' markets — not unlike so many other working families.
With more and more people interested in organic foods and the need to support local farms, Gibbons decided there had to be an easier way to bring the two together.
 Aleisha Gibbons |
"I heard about companies out west that were doing it," said Gibbons. So she did some research and looked at successful models, such as Boston Organics, which started in 2002. "I thought, 'Why not try the Berkshires?' There's a good market here for it."
She made her first delivery run on May 30 for 35 customers; six weeks later, she was up to 100, was hiring two employees and planning to add cheeses and meat to her baskets of vegetables, fruit, eggs, cut flowers and maple syrup. She already offers the award-winning Berkshire Blue cheese and organic breads from Bread Euphoria.
Some dozen farms in the Berkshires, Columbia County, N.Y., and the Pioneer Valley and an organic wholesaler supply the goods. "I get the best of what's in season," said Gibbons.
"Everything local is from farms that use organic practices," she added. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's organic certification can be costly and time-consuming, said Gibbons, and she wanted to be supportive of local farmers who were organic but not certified. The wholesaler, from which she gets fruits and out-of-season produce, is certified.
Gibbons, a member of Berkshire Grown, keeps overhead down by not storing the food more than 24 hours and planning out delivery routes to maximize efficiency. She said her business makes local farms competitive with supermarkets, especially when transportation and other costs are factored in. Most of what Berkshire Organics delivers comes from within 40 miles of the customer.
She thinks the service will be popular with people involved in community-supported agriculture as well as Berkshire residents seeking local, healthful food.
Berkshire Organics customers can place their orders online, choosing among seven different baskets of produce — from all-vegetable to kid-friendly combinations — and weekly or bimonthly deliveries. The selections even list which produce comes from which farm.
On Thursday, Gibbons heads to the farms to fill the orders and she and her workers (including her volunteer parents) begin divvying up the produce into bright green recycled, reusable, covered baskets. They're loaded into her Honda minivan on Friday, heading out to homes from Sheffield to Clarksburg.
The customer reaction has been great, said Gibbons. "They're just so thankful to have this service available."
It might also get her an appearance on "The Martha Stewart Show" this fall, when the finalists for the second annual "Dreamers into Doers" awards are named.
Gibbons saw promotions for the contest and decided to send in the 250-word essay to explain what she was doing. The contest is designed to recognize women who have turned their passions into careers, businesses or nonprofit ventures — just like Stewart.
The grand-prize winner gets $10,000 to help her pursue her dream and a lifetime vacation package; the 10 finalists get $1,000 and a week's vacation. Last year's winner runs an organization that gives pillowcases to cancer victims; finalists included cookie and card makers and a cleaning service.
Submissions had to be in by July 11 and Gibbons ended up among the first to be featured on Stewart's Web site — holding her now trademark green basket of goodness. "I have a chance to be in the top 11," she said.
It may be the sign of a successful harvest for this Mount Everett Regional School graduate. |
| What a great sounding company! I wish I lived in the Berkshire's to support this local business, | | from: Julie | on: 07-22-2008 |
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