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Accessing Local Food Has Never Been Easier With Food Hub’s New Texting Feature for Pickup

Food Hub contact-less pickup.

The High Country Food Hub is excited to announce that customers can now text-for-pickup.

No longer do local food customers need to wait in long lines in the rain, wind, and snow. Food Hub customers can now wait comfortably in their car and text Food Hub staff when they arrive.

Food Hub customer looks over their order.

“I like the Food Hub’s new texting service. Now that the cold weather has arrived, I appreciate that I can arrive at the Food Hub, send a text, and arrange to pick up my order — all without leaving my car. And instead of spending time waiting in line, I can answer some emails or get other work done. Every week I thank the Food Hub staff for their ingenuity,” stated Joseph Gonzalez, a long-time Food Hub Customer.

“The Food Hub is a really great way for consumers to stay socially-distanced while shopping for fresh, healthy, and local food. Over the last year, the Food Hub has taken significant steps to ensure that we keep Boone Healthy,” stated Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s Operations Director Liz Whiteman.

Shopping local has shown to be an important strategy — for farmers and consumers — as our community continues to respond to COVID-19.

“I shop at the Food Hub because it has what I want: a wide variety of high-quality, locally-sourced food. I do not know of another place in the High Country that has such a volume and variety of this kind of food the whole year round. I also value the service provided by the Food Hub staff. As everyone knows, they have had to cope with a dramatic increase in their business–and they have coped well, with efficiency, politeness, and a desire to experiment. Everything they do shows that they value their customers, “said Gonzalez.

How Does It Work?

Example Text from High Country Food Hub

When customers arrive at the Food Hub on Wednesday. They simply text the Food Hub’s telephone number with their name. Food Hub staff then bring their order to a table set up in the Watauga Agricultural Center’s parking lot.

“We’ve found that through the text-for-pickup option that customers are receiving their order in record wait times, typically 3-4 minutes long. This has saved customers the hassle of waiting in long lines and has streamlined how we operate within the Food Hub.” said Whiteman.

About the High Country Food Hub

Operated by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, the High Country Food Hub is an innovative online farmers’ market and shared storage facility located in Downtown Boone. Featuring 1,000+ products grown or made by 85 producers within 100 miles of Boone.

Customers place their order Thursday through Monday at midnight through www.highcountryfoodhub.org. Farmers then bring their products to the Food Hub on Tuesday, and customers pick up their box of fresh, local food on Wednesday afternoon.

The Food Hub has seen significant growth over the last year, serving over 1,300 new customers in 2020. This contributed $865,650.76 back into our agricultural economy in 2020, a 420% increase from all of 2019.

About Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

Formed in 2003, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) is a women-led organization that builds an equitable, sustainable High Country local food system by supporting producers and cultivating community connections that educate, inspire, and increase the demand for local food. To learn more about BRIWA, please visit www.brwia.org.

 

For additional information about the High Country Food Hub, please visit www.highcountryfoodhub.org, or contact Liz Whiteman, Operations Director for Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture at liz@brwia.org or 828-386-1537.

Food Hub volunteers bring customer order to a contact-less pickup table