apod, Ahold's grocery delivery service in the US, has partnered with Harvest Moon Farms for the second year to supply customers with farm boxes. For 12 weeks during summer and early autumn, Peapod customers can order Harvest Moon farm boxes at peapod.com, for home delivery or pick-up at three locations, with more pick-up points to be added during the summer season.
The 'Local Farm Box' will contain five to seven seasonal items, along with news, photos and recipes from the growers, Bob and Jennifer Borchadt of Harvest Moon Farms.
According to Ahold, 'nearly 50 types of certified organic produce will be available throughout the Harvest Moon Farm's growing season', including beans, beets and broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes and collard greens.
Commenting on the link-up with Harvest Moon, Peapod stated, 'Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way to get summer's bounty directly from the farm to your table, but the path to your table isn't always easy - or profitable - for the farm'.
The online grocer continued, 'With Peapod in the mix, costs are removed and convenience is added for both the farm and the consumer. For example, Harvest Moon Farms will make one, weekly delivery of CSA boxes to Peapod instead of making multiple runs to many different drop-off points'.
'In addition, because of the collaboration, Peapod funded the farm’s early crop costs for seed and other supplies, which helps Borchardt better manage cash flow and scale for anticipated growth'.
'From the shoppers’ perspective, being able to order CSA boxes at peapod.com means no more expensive farm “shares” to buy up-front, and no getting locked into a weekly commitment – shoppers simply order boxes when they want them', the retailer added.
Ahold's Peapod online grocery format serves 24 US markets throughout Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Wisconsin.
