The Latest From Alabama Farm Co-op

Dear Customers~

We hate to leave you in a lurch, and we know that your vendors would still love to continue their connection with you. 

We asked our vendors to help bridge the information gap for you during our break. For your ease we have all the info vendors sent to us to hand over to you so you can stay connected in the meantime. And we encourage you to use any of these other options they offer.

Dearest Customers~ 
 
THANK YOU ALL 

for your patience waiting for updates from Melissa and team, and for all who have stayed active in this community. We do have an immediate update for you, and as much illumination for the near-future as we ourselves have at this time.

 

 ANNOUNCEMENT

ALFC is going on hiatus starting today. We know it will be a minimum of two months, September and October. There are two reasons for this hiatus:

 

 

This will be a working hiatus on our end, but it will not be paid. Our capacity is limited and yet to be determined under these circumstances. We have enough passion and belief to fuel the exploration needed during this time, but we can't guarantee any outcome, and certainly can't see two months out yet.

 

 

If you are interested and invested in the sustainable rebuild of this food community, please reply! We will connect over the needs of this exploration and who can serve in which capacity. Member feedback will be highly valued. Community is more than welcome in the community building process! 

 

Regardless, we will keep everyone posted as the path forward takes shape. 

 

Much gratitude for hanging in there in such an experimental year of reclaiming independent network connections to local food. We are learning, refining, and looking forward with high hopes! 

 

~Emerieta, Howl, and Melissa

P.S.  *From Melissa*  I cannot express my gratitude to you all for your interest, excitement, and for joining this effort to support local farms!  It has been a joy to see this effort begin and grow, and I'm excited about what is to come!  Due to some immediate personal family needs, I will be stepping away to put my focus there for a time, though I will still be around in some capacity.  I will be, first, handing the reins to Howl and Emerieta, and then assisting them where I am still able to (behind the scenes).  I want you all to know that I am leaving all of this in VERY capable hands!  They have a TEAM surrounding them, and my EVERY confidence and support!  --M

Hello, everyone!

Today, I want to introduce you to two new team members at Alabama Farm Co-op!

Howl and Emerieta have moved to Alabama from Washington state, where they both served/worked for a local farm co-op there, among other things.  They initially reached out to me prior to their move, as they heard about ALFC and wanted to be able to source their food here.  Then they began to inquire about our needs for other helping hands, and you know that we DO have that need!  And when I found out that the platform that their previous co-op used is the same as ours, I knew they'd be bringing something to the table I just wouldn't find anywhere else.  

***

Here are their individual bios, for you to "meet" them now:

Emerieta comes to the south from the Coast Salish region of the Pacific Northwest (Washington State), where she was homesteading off grid, learning rotational grazing and husbandry with her own livestock and herds. She lived and worked within a cooperative farm village, growing organically and learning to be regenerative. When not on the farm, she worked at the regional online farmer's market system and began helping to manage it last year. She takes great joy in connecting people to and through food, and is looking forward to meeting all those on the same path here in Alabama.

 

Howl has returned to his southern roots after more than a decade of learning and living in the far corners of the US. After a background in high-octane careers, he found his true passion in the ability to meet his own needs autonomously, locally, independent of large-scale systems, and reciprocally with community and land needs. He feeds his soul by studying survival & ancestral skills, practicing herbalism, speaking folklore & myths, training self-defense, and rewilding community building. 

In Washington he worked in organic farming, the regional online farmer's market, food preparation, and exotic woodcraft. He also co-runs a small business focused on animal based herbal medicines. Only two months back in AL, he has joined Coosa Riverkeepers and the Woodworker's Guild. 

***

I am excited for Howl and Emerieta to have joined me and we are working together to brainstorm about how to grow and improve the system here at Alabama Farm Co-op.  Their experience and knowledge has been so helpful already!  You may get to meet one or both of them over the next few weeks as they learn the ropes of our current processes, and while we continue to dive into the details to make Alabama Farm Co-op even better for YOU going forward!  

Thanks for your continued support of local farms!  

~~Melissa

It isn't every day that we feel growing pains....just on days that end in "y".  Ha!

This co-op effort jumped out of the gates like the horses at the Kentucky Derby!  Everyone excited, everyone jumping in, and a buzz around town was circulating so fast, that I (Melissa) was getting calls from friends in other cities telling me, "Melissa, you HAVE to hear about this new farm co-op!"  Little did they know, it was ME creating it!  

My passion for farms--and helping them grow--stemmed from getting the chance to watch one grow, and seeing God bless that farmer's family in so many ways through their work.  In addition to providing for him and his family, I had a front row seat to the excitement and appreciation from their customers!  The fact that I'd drive to the farm (which was 2 hours from my home), pick up all of their orders, and bring it all back to them (so they didn't have to) gained me many friendships over many years!  I'm excited about the new friendships forming through the work of Alabama Farm Co-op!

But, at the same time, there are some areas that need some "figuring out" to keep us going (and growing).  This co-op started so fast that it quickly became more work than one person can do.  I'm not lacking in work ethic, and I'll sweat it out with the best of them, but it is, quite literally, impossible for one person to drive two vehicles in two different directions on the same day.  This has led to multiplied expenses for both pickup and delivery.  Unfortunately, after gaining some counsel from the experience of a widely known leader in the homesteading and "rogue food" world, there may be some upcoming changes required for us to serve more farms and more customers.  (Don't give up yet--we're working all of this out, and YOU might be able to be part of the problem-solving!  See below as you read.)

First, our customers WANT more farms and foods from which to choose!  We aren't limited to just a handful of farms--we want YOU customers to have your pick!  Specifically, we've had requests for more produce options (organic AND non-organic), local dairy products, health remedies and other products, and, yes, even more meat producers!  Not everyone is looking for 100% grassfed (though many are).  They just want to support local Alabama farms!  And that's exactly why we exist!

When we add more farms and vendors, we also add more customers.  Now, we already have over 300 paid members--this is amazing!  But not all are ordering, and we'd love to have more farms and vendors to provide what THEY are looking for!  (So if you are a farm or vendor, please fill out our Producer Info Form on our website, and we WILL get back to you.  If you have filled it out previously, you can expect a call in early July!)

Second, we are being advised to work toward having a "pickup only" service.  I'm not sure how I FEEL about it, because we've got a great delivery route going right now, but I'm open to this possibility.  Whatever will help us serve more farms and customers, while keeping expenses low enough to keep this going longterm--that's what we want to do! 

To make some of these big decisions, we'd like to consult with a "multitude of counselors".  If you are a fellow "ideas person" and you'd like to help us make our system even better by giving us your opinions and feedback within a group of purposed team members, we'd like to invite you to apply to be part of our new Advisory Team of volunteers!  This team will be made up of farmers, vendors, and customers, and we will have a few primary conversations, with, hopefully, a regular and ongoing discussion where you will get to have your voice heard regarding our processes.  (We've been getting feedback all of this time, but many things need a real "roundtable" discussion.)  If you'd like to apply to be part of our Advisory Team, please email us at info@alabamafarmcoop.com..  Simply put Advisory Team in the subject line, and we'll email you back a form or link to get more information from you.  

Third, we are going back to our foundation.  Many of you in areas that are rural or at least NEAR the rural areas are practically begging us to come to you.  And we KNOW that you want to get in on these great foods and products from our network of farms and vendors.  But our foundation is to come to the outskirts, get the foods and goodies, and bring them back to where the people are NOT near the farms.  The reason is simply this:  there are some GREAT farms right there IN your areas!  We do not want to compete with the farms in their own regions.  We want to see you support them, see them feed you, and to see those relationships blossom!  But for those in the cities and suburbs, we hope that we can fulfill our purpose of "bringing more customers to the farms...by bringing the farms' products to the customers!" 

And finally, I've got lots of heart to share about Alabama Farm Co-op!  I want to encourage more Alabamians to shop local, eat local, support local--especially the farms!  There is no doubt in MY mind that being connected with the farms will, one day, be a MUST.  There is also no doubt that the two statements I say frequently are true.  The first is, "It takes ALL the farms to feed ALL the people."  And the second, "No farms; no food."

This purpose is important.  It's why I created Alabama Farm Co-op.  So, even if we've been doing Paula Abdul's dance, thus far--we are looking ahead and what the future can hold, and working toward that!  

~~Melissa

We have an announcement!  

Our new shopping platform is here!  This means you can simply and easily shop your favorite farms and products, add to cart, and check out in a true one-stop shopping experience!

Those of you who are already paid members should have already received an email from us about how to sign up (without paying again).  Those who are not-yet-members may go ahead and register on the new platform, too.  You will have the opportunity to place ONE "trial" order" before being prompted to pay for your membership.  (Reminder: our Introductory Rate Membership offer ends June 30, 2024, and this membership expires 12/31/2024.) 

To sign up, head to https://shop.alabamafarmcoop.com (link is also on our main website under SHOP on our menu).  Read through the Membership options and select the one that applies to you.  (This will be verified in our system.)  We are excited to streamline the process for all of you, our customers, and for our farms and vendors, too!  

AND....to kick this off, we're doing a GIVEAWAY!  

We have a variety of products being offered by our farms and vendors, and we will do a random drawing for the winner.  No purchase is necessary to enter, but you earn extra entries for it!  

Here are the terms of the giveaway:

Available to both Members and non-members (excludes our producers). 

Register yourself on our new platform by 11:59pm on Monday, April 29th to be entered.

Earn 5 EXTRA entries by placing an order of at least $50 between Tuesday, April 30th and Thursday, May 2nd. 

Earn 5 MORE entries by sharing the link to our post on Facebook or Instagram about the giveaway on your Facebook or Insta page, and tag Alabama Farm Co-op!

*Coffee Mug from Indigo Ridge Farms

*Garlic Herb Bread from Whispering Homestead

*Shampoo Bar from Whispering Homestead

*Organic microgreens mix from HEYday Greens

*Tallow Cream from Diamond B Farms

*Pork broth from Earnest Roots Farm

*Maple Sausage from Earnest Roots Farm

Thank you for being part of Alabama Farm Co-op, and for continuing to support Alabama farms and producers!  

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE on our main website to keep informed of future happenings at Alabama Farm Co-op!