Springvale Farm's 'Moo to You' delivery service goes from strength to strength
Moo to You, a spin out of Streamvale Open Farm at Ballyhanwood, Newtownards in Co Down is delivering fresh fruit and vegetable boxes to thousands of homes across Northern Ireland.
The unique service was developed shortly after the first coronavirus pandemic lockdown earlier in the year which shut the open farm to visitors. The open farm is part of a much larger dairy farm.
Chris Wilson, manager of the Open Farm, and wife Helen came up with the farm-to-door delivery service as a response to the pandemic threat to the business and its employees. The lockdown led Chris initially to furlough 10 employees. The success of the initiative enabled to reinstate many posts and create seven new jobs. The new recruits include three pilots laid off because of the collapse of air travel and the grounding of hundreds of passenger jets in the UK and Ireland.
The quirky Moo to You branded venture, which began delivering dairy products, has since expanded its fresh product home delivery service to include more than 100 locally sourced items such as artisan breads and baked treats, vegetables and fruit, eggs, beef and bacon, fish and fresh Streamvale ice cream from the farm to homes throughout Northern Ireland. It’s the only home delivered service covering the entire region.
Fresh vegetables and fruit in boxes figure strongly in Moo to You’s home delivery service.
“We originally started with milk from our 200-strong of dairy herd cows which we supply to Dale Farm,” says Chris. “I had seen a Sky News report about a shortage of milkmen during the pandemic. I then spoke to Dale Farm and they were very keen to support us and to supply additional products such as fresh milk, butter, cheese and yoghurt for our delivery service.
“We then publicised the Moo to You concept through our own website and social media channels,” he adds. “It’s a quirky and fun identity that seemed to capture the imagination of many people here at a very difficult and gloomy time.
“We were completely surprised by the flood of calls from people who were either self-isolating or fearful about having to go out to shop because of the virus and the likelihood of long queues at supermarkets. Many people were also worried about food shortages in supermarkets because of panic buying,” he explains.
The Open Farm, furthermore, has vast experience in providing fresh food from local suppliers from its successful café on the farm which had also been shuttered due to the lockdown. “We were able to count on food from our suppliers for Moo to You. As it has developed, many others have also come on board.
As a result, we now have a butchery section with meat from Corries, another local farm with an expansive retail operation, as well as fresh fish and seafood from Cully and Son in Portavogie. Bread and baked goods are provided by a small bakery in the area. In addition, the business puts together vegetable and fruit boxes and has an extensive range of ready-to-cook convenience meals. Mash Direct in Comber supplies its range to the operation.
Customers can also order the Moo Cool Box which they can be left out on delivery day for restocking by the driver.
The enterprising business started with one van and now has five refrigerated vehicles on the road delivering by a network of routes to hundreds of homes throughout Northern Ireland. Seven new jobs have also been created. Customers now order from a new online site for speedy delivery.
Chris says: ”We’ve found that housebound people here really do appreciate fresh, local foods from farms and artisan producers being delivered direct to their doors whenever required. And they like our drivers taking time to talk to them – socially distanced of course.
“A Moo to You delivery driver was often the only caller many customers saw during the long lockdown. And we actively encourage them to chat to customers. We are all in this together. They were welcomed by customers everywhere,” adds Chris.
The entrepreneurial Chris hope to continue the delivery service beyond the pandemic. “We’ve built up an immensely loyal customer base who are able to select food and drink from our range of upwards of 110 products,” he continues. “It’s clear from feedback we’ve received from customers everywhere that there’s a growing appreciation of the benefits of food and drink sourced from local suppliers. They know its fresh with provenance and that it means jobs for local people,” he adds.