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Berkshire Trade & Commerce
Vol. 12 No. 4 “The Business Journal For Berkshire County”
AUGUST 2008
BERKSHIRE TRADE & COMMERCE monthly
Business provides weekly fresh produce deliveries
BY JOHN TOWNES
A new business aims to make it more convenient
for busy consumers to enjoy fresh healthy food and
support local agriculture.
Berkshire Organics is a service that delivers weekly
baskets of naturally raised produce, eggs, bread, cheese,
meat and maple syrup to customers throughout
Berkshire County. As much of this food as possible
comes from regional growers and food producers.
Owner Aleisha Gibbons of Dalton sees her business
as making it more feasible for people to eat wholesome
fresh food, while also providing another sales
venue for local growers.
“A lot of people would prefer to eat fresh healthy
local foods, but they don’t often get around to it,”
said Gibbons, who launched the business and began
deliveries on May 30. “It can be difficult to remember
to go to the farmers’ market when it’s open, or take
the time to seek out these foods in the store. This is
a way more people can get it, by having it delivered
to their home.”
Within the first few weeks of operation, about
60 customers have signed up for the service, which
provides a container of food delivered on Fridays.
Gibbons said the packages are intended to provide a week’s supply of fruits,
vegetables and other included items.
Berkshire Organics (446-5510 or website berkshireorganics.com) offers
several different packages. These range from the Bachelor or Bachelorette
Basket, which includes enough food for a single person for $32 a week, to a
Berkshire Basket ($42) for couples and small families to a Bountiful Basket
($52) for families of four or more. Berkshire Organics also can provide specialty
baskets, such as a Veggies Only Basket. Also available are deliveries
to businesses, which are negotiable.
Gibbons noted that the service does not require a contract, and can be
canceled at ant time. Or a customer can temporarily halt deliveries when
they go on vacation or for other reasons.
Describing her prices as competitive, Gibbons said she has based them
on her own research into the cost of these products in the store, plus a
service charge.
“Actually, what’s happened is that I set the prices at what they were when
I was planning the business,” she said. “But since then, the price of many
of these items in the stores has gone up. So, even with the delivery charge,
the cost to the customer is now about the same as what they would pay if
they bought them in the store.”
To ensure that the foods are fresh, she schedules her pick-ups and has products
delivered to her on Thursdays, so that they do not sit on the shelf.
Gibbons noted that the specific items she delivers are based on what
foods are in season and other factors. A basket has an average of 10 to 15
different products each
While she generally incorporates the same items in a week’s package
for all customers, she can add or leave out specific items for individuals
upon request.
“One of the things people tell me they like about this is the chance to try
different things,” she said. “They enjoy discovering
different foods. Recently, I included Swiss chard, and
a woman told me she really enjoyed finding ways
to use it, even though she would not have bought
it on her own.”
Much of her time is spent finding sources of food
for the weekly deliveries. She has been purchasing
wholesale items from about five or six growers in
Berkshire County so far. She said she searches out
supplies that are fresh and as natural as possible. While
not many local growers are government-certified as
organic, many do use similar natural methods. Gibbons
said she patronizes those who use natural and
organic methods even if they are not certified.
“I look for sources that can provide the specific
items I need and best quality,” she said. “I also have
to be able to adapt to conditions quickly. For example,
I had arrangements to buy strawberries from one
grower, but I had to find another source when he had
to cancel because the weather ruined his crop.”
She also buys from growers and farmers’ markets
in the Pioneer Valley and nearby sections of New
York, which have slightly different growing seasons.
In addition, she supplements regional food with
products she obtains from a wider area through an
organic food distributor.
“What we offer from local growers is largely based
on what’s in season at the time,” she said. “Having
access to food from other areas through the distributor
allows me to also offer more variety.”
She plans to operate on a year-round basis, so outside supplies will be
necessary when the local growing season is over.
Gibbons currently handles the operation herself, including the buying and
deliveries. Her father, Ron Cabaniol, assists her by handling the deliveries
in northern Berkshire County. She said she plans to hire others as the business
expands.
A native of Sheffield, Gibbons left the Berkshires to work as a teacher.
She returned to the area a couple of years ago.
“When I first moved back, I couldn’t get a job as a teacher, and I went into
corporate sales and marketing,” she said. “That was very stressful and high
pressure, and I decided I had to do something else.”
A visiting sister-in-law who lives in the West mentioned that the concept
of organic home delivery services is becoming more popular in that part
of the country.
“I wondered why it wasn’t being done here,” recalled Gibbons. “The idea
made sense to me. I’ve always loved fresh food, and when I was growing
up I’d go with my mother to the farmers’ market. But I know from my own
experience that it’s difficult to find the time for that, and I realized that a lot
of people are in the same position. So I decided to do it as a business.”
While the time may be right for the concept, an added challenge has been
the rising cost of gas.
“People ask me about that a lot,” Gibbons said. “They ask why I’m doing
this at a time when gas is at an all-time high.”
However, she said, she had already factored in rising gas prices in her
business plan.
“One way I deal with it is by being smart in how I use my vehicle,” she said.
“By planning my delivery routes very carefully, I’m able to make my deliveries
to south and central Berkshire on about half a tank, which isn’t so bad.”?
Aleisha Gibbons is signing up customers for her
new service which provides weekly deliveries of
local produce and other fresh food items.
AUGUST 2008
BERKSHIRE TRADE & COMMERCE monthly
Business provides weekly fresh produce deliveries
BY JOHN TOWNES
A new business aims to make it more convenient
for busy consumers to enjoy fresh healthy food and
support local agriculture.
Berkshire Organics is a service that delivers weekly
baskets of naturally raised produce, eggs, bread, cheese,
meat and maple syrup to customers throughout
Berkshire County. As much of this food as possible
comes from regional growers and food producers.
Owner Aleisha Gibbons of Dalton sees her business
as making it more feasible for people to eat wholesome
fresh food, while also providing another sales
venue for local growers.
“A lot of people would prefer to eat fresh healthy
local foods, but they don’t often get around to it,”
said Gibbons, who launched the business and began
deliveries on May 30. “It can be difficult to remember
to go to the farmers’ market when it’s open, or take
the time to seek out these foods in the store. This is
a way more people can get it, by having it delivered
to their home.”
Within the first few weeks of operation, about
60 customers have signed up for the service, which
provides a container of food delivered on Fridays.
Gibbons said the packages are intended to provide a week’s supply of fruits,
vegetables and other included items.
Berkshire Organics (446-5510 or website berkshireorganics.com) offers
several different packages. These range from the Bachelor or Bachelorette
Basket, which includes enough food for a single person for $32 a week, to a
Berkshire Basket ($42) for couples and small families to a Bountiful Basket
($52) for families of four or more. Berkshire Organics also can provide specialty
baskets, such as a Veggies Only Basket. Also available are deliveries
to businesses, which are negotiable.
Gibbons noted that the service does not require a contract, and can be
canceled at ant time. Or a customer can temporarily halt deliveries when
they go on vacation or for other reasons.
Describing her prices as competitive, Gibbons said she has based them
on her own research into the cost of these products in the store, plus a
service charge.
“Actually, what’s happened is that I set the prices at what they were when
I was planning the business,” she said. “But since then, the price of many
of these items in the stores has gone up. So, even with the delivery charge,
the cost to the customer is now about the same as what they would pay if
they bought them in the store.”
To ensure that the foods are fresh, she schedules her pick-ups and has products
delivered to her on Thursdays, so that they do not sit on the shelf.
Gibbons noted that the specific items she delivers are based on what
foods are in season and other factors. A basket has an average of 10 to 15
different products each
While she generally incorporates the same items in a week’s package
for all customers, she can add or leave out specific items for individuals
upon request.
“One of the things people tell me they like about this is the chance to try
different things,” she said. “They enjoy discovering
different foods. Recently, I included Swiss chard, and
a woman told me she really enjoyed finding ways
to use it, even though she would not have bought
it on her own.”
Much of her time is spent finding sources of food
for the weekly deliveries. She has been purchasing
wholesale items from about five or six growers in
Berkshire County so far. She said she searches out
supplies that are fresh and as natural as possible. While
not many local growers are government-certified as
organic, many do use similar natural methods. Gibbons
said she patronizes those who use natural and
organic methods even if they are not certified.
“I look for sources that can provide the specific
items I need and best quality,” she said. “I also have
to be able to adapt to conditions quickly. For example,
I had arrangements to buy strawberries from one
grower, but I had to find another source when he had
to cancel because the weather ruined his crop.”
She also buys from growers and farmers’ markets
in the Pioneer Valley and nearby sections of New
York, which have slightly different growing seasons.
In addition, she supplements regional food with
products she obtains from a wider area through an
organic food distributor.
“What we offer from local growers is largely based
on what’s in season at the time,” she said. “Having
access to food from other areas through the distributor
allows me to also offer more variety.”
She plans to operate on a year-round basis, so outside supplies will be
necessary when the local growing season is over.
Gibbons currently handles the operation herself, including the buying and
deliveries. Her father, Ron Cabaniol, assists her by handling the deliveries
in northern Berkshire County. She said she plans to hire others as the business
expands.
A native of Sheffield, Gibbons left the Berkshires to work as a teacher.
She returned to the area a couple of years ago.
“When I first moved back, I couldn’t get a job as a teacher, and I went into
corporate sales and marketing,” she said. “That was very stressful and high
pressure, and I decided I had to do something else.”
A visiting sister-in-law who lives in the West mentioned that the concept
of organic home delivery services is becoming more popular in that part
of the country.
“I wondered why it wasn’t being done here,” recalled Gibbons. “The idea
made sense to me. I’ve always loved fresh food, and when I was growing
up I’d go with my mother to the farmers’ market. But I know from my own
experience that it’s difficult to find the time for that, and I realized that a lot
of people are in the same position. So I decided to do it as a business.”
While the time may be right for the concept, an added challenge has been
the rising cost of gas.
“People ask me about that a lot,” Gibbons said. “They ask why I’m doing
this at a time when gas is at an all-time high.”
However, she said, she had already factored in rising gas prices in her
business plan.
“One way I deal with it is by being smart in how I use my vehicle,” she said.
“By planning my delivery routes very carefully, I’m able to make my deliveries
to south and central Berkshire on about half a tank, which isn’t so bad.”?
Aleisha Gibbons is signing up customers for her
new service which provides weekly deliveries of
local produce and other fresh food items.
Business Provides Weekly Fresh Produce Deliveries