Ann Arbor, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/29/2017 --Just prior to Thanksgiving, customers were disappointed to learn that Door to Door Organics went out of business, after 20 years providing home-delivery. Ready to step in, Michigan Farm to Family, a Door to Door Organics wholesaler, offers locally raised, organic and GMO-free meat, dairy products, and other local, healthy food options at neighborhood pickup locations throughout lower Michigan.
"Many of the foods Door to Door Organics' previous customers know and enjoy, such as Miller Organic Chicken, will continue to be offered through Michigan Farm to Family," said Ana Savone, the former Grocery Procurement Manager at Door to Door Organics. "We encourage our former customers to continue to buy organic food from small, local farms and food processors and from businesses, like Michigan Farm to Family, that shared in our mission."
For 10 years, Michigan Farm to Family has been supplying its locally-raised foods to retailers and restaurants, as well as to Door to Door Organics, through the Eat Local Eat Natural brand. Then in 2016, Bill Taylor, President of Eat Local Eat Natural, launched Michigan Farm to Family online to provide local, healthy food options direct to consumers through a network of location leaders.
"We work with farmers and processors primarily within 150 miles from our Ann Arbor warehouse," says Taylor. "The farmers we work with are exclusively small family farms or businesses. Whenever we can, we source certified organic or from farms that use organic practices."
Michigan Farm to Family has done the work for customers who want to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. On their website, they provide farm and food artisan profiles, where customers can get to know the stories and learn about the processes (feeds, grazing practices, product ingredients, etc.) used to produce their foods.
"Our goal is to connect your family with local, Michigan farmers and food artisans that meet our requirements," said Taylor. "Many of these farmers and producers are so busy creating their products that they don't have the time or knowledge to bring their products to market. That's where we step in. We know that when we work with these farmers and food artisans, we are keeping the precious tradition of the small family farm and the art of hand-crafted and small-batch processing alive."
Instead of delivering direct to your home, Michigan Farm to Family recruits location leaders who monthly provide their driveway for the company van to park, where customers meet to pick up their food. How it works is that a customer places their order online, chooses the most convenient location to pick up their foods, and pays online at MichiganFarmtoFamily.com. Their food is then delivered to each pickup location already boxed and labeled, so that customers typically spend under five minutes picking up their food.
"Because we are not delivering to each home, and because we act as both the wholesale distributor and retailer, we save costs and pass those savings on to customers," says Taylor. "And we can offer better prices to the small farmers and producers helping their businesses flourish."
Since launching in December 2016, Michigan Farm to Family is now available at 27 pickup locations throughout lower Michigan, including: Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Mt. Pleasant, Sylvania, Ohio, and several places in between. More pick-up locations are being added daily.
"With Michigan Farm to Family, I know where my food comes from and how it is produced," says Christine Bitonti, a customer and location leader in Rochester Hills. "And, many organic and GMO-Free foods are available at better prices and are fresher than those I see at my local health food store. The real surprise for us is that these foods taste so much better than what we buy at the grocery store."
"Sustainably produced foods, especially organic and small batch foods, not only are grown with no pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, they also have been proven to be more nutrient dense than conventionally produced foods," says Taylor. "And, with a shorter supply chain more nutrients in foods are retained and they simply taste better."
To learn more about Michigan Farm to Family, visit their website at https://michiganfarmtofamily.com.
You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Farm and artisan stories, sale items, recipes, and additional offers are available in their email newsletter. Registration on their website is free. For new customers, the delivery fee ($5.00) is waived on first-time orders.
Anyone interested in free home delivery, should consider becoming a Michigan Farm to Family location leader. An easy-to-fill out application is available on their website.
"I enjoy spreading the word about Michigan Farm to Family to my friends and neighbors," says Bitonti. "By buying local, I am helping to support Michigan's small family farms and food artisans and Michigan Farm to Family makes it so easy and the foods taste so great!"
