As Jane Black explains in our current issue, the Silicon Valley startup Good Eggs pairs the artisan quality of farmers markets with the convenience of FreshDirect, and now they’ve expanded from the 415 to the 718. Lucky us.
But Good Eggs isn’t the only e-tailer reinventing food shopping with a one-two of digital and delivery. Several other startups offer online portals to excellent ingredients. As the founder of Farmigo said at the Edible Institute, his plan is to put supermarkets out of business. Here are four others working to change the grocery game forever:
Good Eggs customers can order items like Kreimheld butter, White Moustache yogurt and Fine & Raw Chocolates.
• Quinciple: I love this weekly box. Delivered by bike, it’s a little like a CSA in that its contents are a surprise each time. But rather than going monogamous with one farm and receiving their produce each week (be it pristine mesclun or sandy basil) each delivery holds special gems hand selected from the most interesting producers across the country. Picture Jersey snap peas, Hudson Valley sheep’s cheese, heirloom Carolina rice and wild-caught Alaskan sockeye. Killer recipes included.
• Farm to People: This site offers the spectacular handmade ingredients we’re used to stocking up on at shops like BKLYN Larder and Stinky Bklyn, with the convenience of Amazon. No fresh produce or raw meat, but I’ve happily stocked my pantry more than once with their tightly curated selections like Kings County Jerky, Tonjes Farm Ricotta, Squash Seed Drizzling Oil, Caraway Kraut from Crock & Jar, Einkorn Flour from the Vermont Sail Project, McClure Relish, We Rub You Korean BBQ Marinade and Liddabit beer-pretzel carmels. Not to mention beer shampoo. In fact it’s hard to finish this post now; I just want to go on a shopping spree.
• Blue Apron: Aiming for an audience beyond the traceability-obsessed, this site lets customers click to order specific meals — like harissa-spiced lamb burgers, maple-glazed salmon with watercress and seared pork with rhubarb chutney and freekeh — then they deliver all ingredients to make each dish, complete with recipes. For your brother who read Michael Pollan’s Cooked but doesn’t know how.
• Farmigo: Another Bay Area biz that’s expanded to the BK, Farmigo is the only one on this list that forgoes delivery. Shoppers click through weekly options including local produce, dairy, seafood and meat. But rather than get that Ithaca yogurt, Long Island scallops, Jersey strawberries and Hudson Valley honey dropped to your door, you pick it up once a week at a host’s home. Which, depending on how you look at it, can be a pretty cool bonus. Because the great conversations you have at farmers market are pretty hard to fit into a box.
Inspired to launch your own startup? Join the club. But first check out our resource guide for Edible-minded entrepreneurs.
