When I delivered my first veg box 32 years ago, there was no internet, credit cards were for the uber rich, and the dot-com boom was still a decade away. Our customers called or faxed in their orders, had no idea what time they would be delivered, and paid monthly via cheques or cash. We packed two types of veg boxes (small and large) in any used, wooden crates that we had to hand. It was all about the veg, and I, perhaps naively, believed that success depended only on my ability to grow good crops of spuds, swedes, cabbages, and courgettes.
From the beginning, we trailed behind customers’ expectations on service and flexibility. I arrogantly assumed that our customers were all like me, finding choice stressful and wasteful rather than empowering. And increasingly, success depended on communication, technology, and data management; not easy for an ageing, veg-obsessed farmer. My pig-headed, Luddite tendencies were holding us back, and the world was moving on around us, fast. Just in time, I employed a clever young man who introduced card payments, developed a website and then a database, and broadened our range. He talked the sometimes-dubious language of modern marketing, but he also got things done. Soon, reluctantly and with few skills, this farmer had become an internet entrepreneur.
These days, I have largely gone back to my fields; focusing on the veg once again, and trusting our brilliant IT co-owners (we now have a team of in-house experts) to improve your shopping experience. One such improvement is the Riverford app. In the latest version, the team has unveiled features that customers have been requesting for years, and that once seemed impossible for us. On your delivery day, we will now let you know a two-hour window when your box will arrive. If anything happens to delay your driver, you will receive live updates straight to your phone. Finally, we will notify you once your box has been safely delivered. The app is also the best way to quickly edit your order on the go, or pause your orders if you are going away for a week or two – and the night before each delivery, it will send you a gentle nudge to leave out any empty boxes.
If you aren’t already using our app, I hope you will give it a go. It is a huge improvement over the fax machine. To download it, search ‘Riverford’ on the App Store or Google Play, or scan the QR code, below.
Our News from the Farm posts come from Riverford. They are the digital versions of the printed letters which go out to customers, every week via Riverford’s veg boxes. Guy Singh-Watson’s weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical and business issues he feels strongly about.
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