~Words by Lydia
I bit into the carrot and decided that I’d had enough of supermarket veg. More and more often I was coming away from the supermarket with a fairly empty shopping bag after wandering up and down the aisles trying to weigh up which products to buy.
I was concerned about the seasonality of produce; how far food had travelled; what price farmers were being paid; how animals were being treated; and the heaps of plastic packaging.
With the tasteless, watery carrot still on my plate, I set up our order with Flavour First, a fruit and veg box delivery scheme run from Donaghadee. We loved it straight away. Vegetables and fruit had taste again!
At roughy the same time, we discovered Warwick’s Butchers at Holywood Arches and so we had quickly solved our meat sourcing issue too. Next on our list was bread and cheese but that wasn’t going to be the end of the list either.
We knew the food we wanted was out there; we had enjoyed it at delis and markets in and around Belfast. The challenge was how to make this food part of our weekly food shopping, rather than limit it to the occasional market visit?
Inspired by the reduction in household waste thanks to our Flavour First veg box, Justin hit on the notion that a local food delivery box might be something that would appeal to people as well as solving our own food shopping challenge.
People could order the products they buy on a regular basis but they would all be sourced locally and, to make it easier, we’d deliver their shopping to their doorstep.
It’s not a new idea. People in Belfast remember bread being delivered by van when they were kids; milk delivery is still popular and veg boxes have been hugely successful.
We believe in the power of local. Working closer with food producers; reducing food miles; maintaining taste and quality; reducing packaging and keeping the local economy happy. For us, looking back at how food used to make it to our tables influences how we can move forward sustainably.
With the idea barely hatched in November 2019, Belfast City Council’s Business Idea Awards popped up and we were shocked to be chosen by the panel as a finalist on the award evening. This was a huge encouragement when the business was still a concept in our heads. People were interested and excited about it, so we got to work!
We aimed to start trading in March 2020. When lockdown hit, we weren’t sure what to do. It didn’t seem like a great time to start a business. There was a lot of uncertainty about supply chains, contact with people and financial forecasting. However, home delivery and local products has proved to be exactly what is needed through this unusual time and we’re looking forward to getting going, bringing NI’s great tastes to the masses.
Our website will be launching very soon and then you’ll be able to place an order for delivery- www.localboxni.com .
Follow us @localboxni for all the latest updates.
