Originating in Indianapolis three years ago,
Green BEAN Delivery, formerly known as Farm Fresh Delivery, began with Matt Ewer and Beth Blessing's motivation to make organic, natural, and local foods available and accessible to Midwest communities. After noticing customers, farmers, and food naturally progressing to the Cincinnati area, John Freeland, the Cincinnati Regional Manager, willingly accepted the position to run the Cincinnati warehouse and to work with Ohio Valley food producers and artisans.
Green Bean Delivery has served Cincinnati for about a year and four months. The company has 1,100 customers and delivers to nearly 700 households a week ranging in the Greater Cincinnati area from as far north as Monroe, as far south as Florence, and as far as the west end of Cincinnati. Donating food and driving customers to donate food is a main priority for this thriving local business.
"We have a strong partnership with Freestore Foodbank and we also ask all customers to donate staple food supplies and place them with their bin." Freeland said. "We then take our food and donated food to the foodbank each week, making the fight for hunger more of a priority."
When Green Bean Delivery first settled in Cincinnati, they donated one ton of their own supplies to Freestore Foodbank to show the community that this is one of their priorities. Since then, they have donated up to five tons of food.
Not only is helping the community a priority, but also Green Bean Delivery is expanding as a company itself by developing more companies. They recently developed a unique line of grocery products known as Farm to Kitchen Foods. Customers can purchase online high quality products with natural and organic ingredients to accompany their produce bins.
This line develops recipes such as dressings and salsas and works with local farmers to use their produce in these products sold online. Freeland praises that they even help farmers produce products with their waste. A farmer had pounds of blackberry's that were going to waste, and they decided to put them to good use by making a blackberry syrup.
Another company developed under Green Bean is known as Tiny Footprint Distribution. This company works with vendors within a one hundred mile radius that do not have the transportation or capability to get to the end retailer.
"We are already out there in the community, therefore we saw a need to help smaller food producers to get their products to retailers since we already pass by." Freeland commented.
This way these local and healthy products do not go to waste and Green Bean Delivery has the means to transport and deliver these products to the communities. Another project under the works is known as the Cool School Lunch.
"The idea behind that is to make it easier for cafeteria managers and food producers at schools to buy a wholesale organic item." Freeland stated. "A lot of them are handcuffed to the service with whom the school signed a contract. The organic produce doesn't exist on the large companies price book."
By linking with schools and giving them the option to buy organic allows parents, workers, and students make healthier choices and learn more about nutrition. In the future, Green Bean Delivery would like to have parents, teachers, and kids interact with the idea of nutrition and order lunches online. They also would like to develop new recipes and use the facility to create lunches.
The biggest misconception about Green Bean Delivery is that the bins and groceries are only luxury items.
"This is far from the truth." Freeland reiterated. "The items are more of a replacement for funds spent at the grocery store."
Freeland explained how much of the money spent at grocery stores crosses state lines or even goes out of the country. With Green Bean Delivery, each penny counts and goes toward the local market.
Not only does buying locally help the local economy, it also has a great impact on the environment.
"We bring the food to the doorstep." Freeland exclaimed. "People aren't driving to the grocery store, which lowers the carbon output in Cincinnati."
Green Bean Delivery offers a unique service of allowing the customer customize each bin.
"We wanted to put on a twist and allow people to make it 100 percent customizable to diminish waste." Freeland explained.
If a family does not like a certain product, they have the liberty to choose items their family would eat. The company also does not charge any service or delivery fees to the customer.
Freeland discussed the amount of positive feedback the company has received since they started receiving produce bins and/or groceries.
"A lot of focus has been on the kids." He continued. "Kids get involved, look forward to the green bin and unpacking the fruits and vegetables. The kids are learning about a healthy lifestyle." Freeland exclaimed.
Customers also proclaim they have noticed an increase of energy, a loss of weight, or the sense of feeling better. People also with severe illnesses use the service to guarantee the use of quality products and to use the delivery service due to the inability of traveling to the store. Freeland ends with the long-term goals of Green Bean Delivery.
"We want this to be a sustainable fix to the broken food system today." He said. "The businesses have taken over food and pigeon holed consumers to what their options are as far as healthy food." Freeland continued. "We want to teach people in the next generation how they can feed their family in a healthier manner."
Photography by Scott Beseler.
Ohio farm
Green bean delivery logo (provided)
Delivery photo (provided)
Farm fresh tomatoes