A new online fruit and vegetable delivery service that pledges to support local farmers, use next-to-no plastic and slash food miles has launched in Plymouth.
Veg Box Fresh offers sustainably sourced, fresh and affordable fruit and veg boxes delivered for free around the greater Plymouth area.
Its HQ is in Saltash, Cornwall, where a network of close-knit relationships with growers across Devon and Cornwall means they can keep prices affordable, pledging to always use local suppliers whenever possible and the produce is in season.
Buying in bulk from farmers also means less packaging and Veg Box Fresh has the aim of never delivering the customer any plastic.
The company has been named a Plastic Free Champion by campaign group Plastic Free Saltash for its extensive efforts to reduce waste.
So far, the website has taken more than 1,000 orders since its inception in March, 2019. There are no expensively produced branded boxes. Instead – the team use crates and boxes that the veg itself is delivered in, so even less waste is produced.
It might not seem the cleverest marketing move, but Veg Box Fresh is committed to reducing packaging wherever possible – including in its own supply line.
The savings are passed onto the customer. The punnet trays the berries are delivered in are compostable – made from plant-based materials – so even the packaging is vegan.
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The source of the majority of products can be seen on the website, and the Veg Box Fresh team is always transparent about where the food comes from.
The potatoes are grown down the A38 at Hoskin’s Farm in Downderry, Cornwall, where they are popped into paper bags ready for Veg Box Fresh to deliver.
The spuds are never washed with chemicals to make them look cleaner, often a tactic intensive growers use that can have a negative effect on their shelf life. A big paper bag of non-treated spuds will most likely last longer.
Lee Maher, founder of Veg Box Fresh, said: “Not everything is in season all of the time, but we do our best to make sure we always stock our most popular items.
“That will mean that we have to use non-local suppliers from time to time - especially for the more exotic fruit and veg. But we’ll always use local suppliers where possible.
“We believe that for the good of everyone, it’s better to eat local and in season. It means tastier food and fewer food miles. The strawberries came into season in the Tamar Valley and the Summer Boxes we designed for them were really popular.
“Now the autumn produce is coming in we’ve got some beautiful veg for our Autumn Box – some of it is huge.
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“It also means money back into the local economy. Our business is built on employing passionate local people who believe in what they do.”
The website’s concept is simple: Pick what fresh fruit and veg you want and it will be delivered for free in the greater Plymouth area.
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There are suggested boxes or you can create your own bespoke box, and the choice of one-off purchases or subscriptions.
Feedback from customers has always been that plastic seems so unnecessary in food packaging – so the boxes will mainly contain brown paper bags to keep all produce together in the box, reusing these wherever possible.
Veg Box Fresh is part of the Tamar Fresh group – a family food supply business based in Saltash that has been working with local farmers for more than 30 years.
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Lee said: “The key to cutting back on waste for us is to buy in bulk. We’re part of a company which supplies many schools and businesses with fruit and veg. So, we try to buy in bulk from local farmers to cut down on the amount of packaging.
“Your box might not always be the same. It probably won’t be branded. We realise that might not seem like great marketing but it’s about reusing the packaging that comes into us, so we cut down on waste and pass on the savings to our customers.”
You can find Veg Box Fresh at vegboxfresh.co.uk or call 01752 845559 to find out more.