One company is arguing convenience shouldn’t be the sole factor you use to determine who you do your weekly shop with – buying local is just as important. Photo: Alpha Fresh Foods.
Imagine if you could shop for your groceries and know you will receive the freshest produce possible from local farmers and growers.
That’s what Frank Iannelli, co-owner of Alpha Fresh Foods, is offering his customers with Alpha Fresh, “a digital fresh produce market”.
“That means we are a place where you can do all of the shopping that you’d normally do at a fresh food market, but from the comfort of your house and have it delivered.”
The business that would become Alpha Fresh started with an orange orchard in 1952, and has since grown into a business delivering fresh food to households in Canberra, the Snowys and the South Coast.
Their line-up includes items you’d find on any supermarket shelf, ranging from zucchini and schnitzel to milk and figs, but with a flat $5 delivery fee.
The company has built connections with local growers and agents from across the Canberra region, meaning they can source their items straight from the farmers, he says.
“Our dad also owns a refrigerated transport company so we’re able to have the produce delivered to Canberra multiple days per week, which is really handy and always ensures optimum freshness.”
Once the produce is in the hands of the Alpha Foods team, their staff work quickly to get it to the client’s doorstep.
“When a supermarket gives you abysmal packets of herbs for the most ridiculous prices, we give you proper bunches of fresh, glorious herbs for lower prices.
“When supermarkets prepare and package all meat off-site and deliver it to each store, our meat is all cut fresh to order on the day, and delivered that afternoon,” Frank says.
“We don’t let it sit on the shelves.”
Frank says that this gives Alpha Fresh Foods more flexibility than a traditional supermarket.
“With the major supermarkets, you’re being taken for granted, you’re not being cared for and you’re putting all this effort into a relationship that doesn’t care about you,” he says.
“They are bound to selling for the masses, so you’re restricted to purchasing what they have decided they’re going to sell you, based on what the majority want and need, but not necessarily you.
“Our customer base is a lot smaller than the major supermarkets, so it means we’re able to pick and choose what produce we can sell to our customers based on what they actually want and need.”
It all comes down to relationships – with growers and with clients, Frank says.
“We’ve been in the game a long time now and have some incredible long-standing, personal relationships with growers and their agents.
“We’re not a conglomerate, we’re real people and a family-run business, which means we have better access to better produce and better prices thanks to the relationships we’ve built,” Frank says.
“That’s more money going into the local economy, more local jobs and more money going direct to farmers and suppliers because they don’t have to follow the extravagant and extremely expensive requirements needed to deal with the major supermarkets.”
For more information visit Alpha Fresh Foods.
Original Article published by Claire Sams on Riotact.
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