PEDALLING PRODUCE – A fresh new way to get fresh local food to your plates!
What do you get when you mix an online farmers’ market and a bicycle delivery service? The greenest way to get local food onto local plates!
Cowichan Recyclists, who have been offering organics and recycling waste pick up by bicycle in the Valley since 2007, are now proudly pedaling produce, baked goods and more to local food lovers in Duncan. Building on the legacy of Heather and Brock McLeod’s Makaria farm bike delivery from several years ago, the Recyclists new owners Erin Ward and Patrick Devlin are excited to be able partner with food hub Cow-op.ca, the online farmers’ market, to offer a unique, convenient and green delivery service which connects consumers to over 30 local growers and processors.
“We are pleased to help build sustainable food systems in our region,” says The Recyclists’ Ward. “For us, it’s about the health of our community, our farmers, and promoting the use of bicycles to transport goods.”
For the Cow-op, it’s about trying to convince as many people as possible that supporting local farms is easy and convenient, and the quality and nutrition unparalleled. Customers can place orders online at http://www.cow-op.ca any time between Friday and Tuesday. Farmers harvest on Wednesdays and orders are picked up or delivered on Thursdays.
“Not everyone can get to the farmers’ markets on the weekend but still wish to buy local as much as possible because they recognize the value local agriculture has to our economy and environment” explains Cow-op manager Heather Kaye. “Cow-op makes it really easy. With the bike delivery option customers can now order online from their desk or home every week and have their Cowichan grown veggies, eggs, bread, meats and more delivered right to their door on Thursday afternoons.“
Bike delivery is currently offered to customers within a small radius of the City of Duncan (see map attached). As the co-operative grows, the goal is to offer home delivery to a wider area. The Cow-op also takes orders down to Olive the Senses in Victoria each week to a loyal and growing number of Victoria customers keen on the taste and quality of the Cowichan Valley.
The Cow-op is a non-profit social enterprise of the Cowichan Valley Co-operative Marketplace, a 65 member-strong food processor and farmer co-operative food hub which helps its members market, aggregate and distribute their home-grown products. The co-operative, whose mandate is to improve on-farm viability in the Cowichan Region, works in partnership with Cowichan Green Community to deliver programs and services to local growers and processors.
The co-operative also recently published its first cookbook, Cowichan Grown: Seasonal Recipes and Local Wisdom, which is a compilation of local-food recipes submitted by the local farming and foodie community.
For more info on the co-operative or to order fresh-harvested, fresh-baked local goods and more every week, visit www.cow-op.ca. For more info on the Recyclists and their services, visit www.cowichanrecylists.com.
Cowichan Recyclists 