Locavorious is moving up in the world. By "up" I mean north, and by "moving" I mean to the
Washtenaw Food Hub, a hub for triple-bottom-line local farm and food producers, on 4175 Whitmore Lake Road, just north of the Ann Arbor city limits.
"We needed more space," says Rena Basch, owner of
Locavorious. "It was a perfect fit for us."
The 7-year-old business freezes produce harvested at local farms to preserve it. That food is then sold on a subscription basis so customers can capture local food at its peak freshness. More money stays in the local economy and less food is trucked in from the other side of the continent.
Locavorious has stayed steady at just under 300 subscriptions (up slightly from last year) and selling 14,000 pounds of food. Basch and her team of six hope to cross the 300 subscription and 15,000 pounds of food barriers this year.
Locavorious has refined its products over the last year. Now customers can buy a vegetable-only subscription or a fruit-only subscription of a couple of other similar custom subscriptions. It has also upped its sales at Whole Foods, now providing food for both of Ann Arbor's stores. It also added some lightly prepared foods, such as soups and jam, to its offerings.
"We're going to look at adding some more this year," Basch says.
Locavorious primarily serves the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area. It started to expand into Plymouth last year. Basch hopes to further expand into Plymouth this summer and continue to strengthen its market share in Ypsilanti.
"We have always had a loyal following in Ypsilanti," Basch says. "I would like to grow that."
Source: Rena Basch, owner of Locavorious
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.