Farmers Pick co-founders Josh Ball (left) and Josh Brooks-Duncan (right). Source: Supplied
Australian sustainable grocery subscription service Farmers Pick is expanding its direct-to-consumer sustainable marketplace by launching a series of pantry essentials to further combat food waste and help Australians tackle cost of living pressures by saving around 30% a week on their grocery bills.
The Farmers Pick Pantry will feature coffee, eggs, alternative milk and preserves as part of Farmers Pick’s mission to reduce food waste and build a sustainable food system for all.
The Melbourne-based startup was founded in 2020 by friends and co-founders Josh Brooks-Duncan and Josh Ball after a trip to their local market saw them embark on a mission to understand the industry and learn more about why some of the vegetables at the market were marked, bendy and not quite so strangely ‘perfect’ looking.
Left deeply disturbed by the underreported national food waste issue affecting the livelihoods of farmers and Australian pockets too, as well as the unrealistic cosmetic standards created by the major supermarkets that means 30% of perfectly imperfect produce never leaves the farm, the co-founders launched Farmers Pick with the goal of rescuing this produce and supplying it directly to Australians at a fraction of the cost.
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Currently available in Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, and New South Wales, Farmers Pick has plans for national expansion.
The Farmers Pick box with pantry essentials. Source: Supplied
Since its establishment, Farmers Pick says it has successfully rescued more than 1,300,000 kilograms of perfectly good produce, preventing it from unnecessarily going to waste.
Farmers Pick co-founder Josh Ball says that the startup’s expansion represents a significant stride towards enhancing the business’ commitment to providing a sustainable shopping experience.
The offering will help customers reduce their trips to the supermarket and “save some cash along the way”, he says.
“Further to the food waste issue here in Australia, we see another challenge in the supply chain. Products with six months of shelf life under their belt are often knocked back from supermarkets if they fail to meet a specific criteria, and subsequently go to waste,” Ball said in a statement.
“For Farmers Pick, this speaks to the exact issue we are trying to eradicate, and it’s these illogical rules that affect the rising cost of groceries. By launching Farmers Pick Pantry, we aim to reduce costs and put an end to food waste beyond fruit and vegetables.”
In regard to its main offering of imperfect fruit and vegetables, Farmers Pick has also expanded its core offering to include an option to include either only fruits or only vegetables in its weekly box.
With 7.6 million tonnes of food waste annually in Australia, co-founder Josh Brooks-Duncan says Australians deserve convenient and simple solutions to make a difference.
“Farmers Pick was born out of a desire to see all imperfect fruit and vegetables reach Australian households. Each year, $36.6 billion worth of food is wasted, equating to 312kg per person, or roughly $2,250 per household each year. The amount of wastage created due to unrealistic cosmetic standards is disturbing, and we are determined to create solutions to this ongoing problem,” he said.
The full Farmers Pick Pantry range will include products from Market Lane, Josh’s Rainbow Eggs, Ugly Duck, Minor Figures, Happy Happy, Mayvers and Cobs.
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