Field to Fork California is a multi-farm CSA based in Red Bluff, CA. The owners of Crescent Meat Co., Rachelle and Jake Gould, created this collaboration with other farms in the Shasta, Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties to offer a farmer’s market worth of items in one subscription service.
In addition to staple produce and meats like beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and salmon, Field to Fork’s shop includes raw milk, eggs, cheese, oils, nuts, and baked goods.
“For us, it’s not just about selling an actual tangible product, but about creating a connection between the urban consumer and the farms themselves,” Rachelle emphasized.
Now, thanks to Airmart, Field to Fork will expand that connection and its CSA delivery service to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Collaboration > Competition
The Goulds formed the Field to Fork CSA by approaching other farms and ranches at farmer’s markets. As it turned out, everyone was looking for a new outlet to sell through, and a multi-farm CSA was just what they needed. After the initial farms joined, the collective quickly grew via word of mouth.
For the last five years, the Field to Fork community has been an incredible resource for farms in the area.
“We’ve been able to connect all the different farms around here so they can all work together and use each other as sounding boards,” Rachelle shared.
Additionally, the Goulds’ market expertise has been essential for new farms looking for advice on what to grow and sell.
“We have a really good idea of what’s out there and what’s missing, what’s popular or what’s kind of dying out, so we can tell farmers which items would do really well.”
The Field to Fork business motto is “collaboration over competition,” and it’s proven to be a successful strategy: Every farm involved has been able to flourish.
Finding CSA Customers
Many customers join Field to Fork at the recommendation of friends or farms in the collective. Others see their co-workers’ CSA boxes arrive at their workplace and decide to try the service. The Goulds also use email and social media marketing and work with local businesses on cross-promotions.
The single-purchase box offering has been a great way for Field to Fork to acquire new customers who don’t want to commit to a CSA subscription right off the bat.
Barn2Door vs. Airmart
Field to Fork uses the Barn2Door platform for its farm website and online store (services Airmart also offers), and the Goulds personally deliver all the orders in their local area. For the last few years, the Goulds have been looking to offer their CSA subscriptions in the Bay Area. They were set to deliver through Barn2Door through a pilot program, but things fell through for reasons that are still unknown to Rachelle.
“Airmart was the first viable option for making Bay Area deliveries, so we jumped at the chance to use it.”
Airmart’s Bay Area delivery service will enable Field to Fork to reach customers as far south as San Jose and as north as Santa Rosa.
