Subscribing to organic produce

Aarstiderne delivers boxes of organic vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and bread directly to the doorstep of customers every week or fortnight. Thirty thousand Danish households subscribe to the system of receiving a mystery box of organic food products on a regular basis. Customers pick a type and size of box, prepay one month in advance, and the content of the box is composed by Aarstiderne based on what’s in season. Farmer Thomas Harttung, and local chef Soren Ejlersen, started Aarstiderne with the idea of partnering with local households to change the general perception on farming, food and sustainability. By sourcing organic products from local farmers and growers, Aarstiderne aims to raise awareness for sustainability and food quality. The boxes come with recipes and stories about growers, farms, the company, the food products and quality. The communication is honest and transparent – Aarstiderne lets the customers know how the farmers and Aarstiderne are doing whether the news is good or bad. Combining high quality organic produce with the sense of surprise that accompanies each box, and creating a sense of community by sharing recipes and stories, Aarstiderne has both created a niche and filled an existing need in the organic food market. Similar concepts exist in the US (Door to Door Organics), Sweden (Ekolådan), The Netherlands (Odin), and the UK (Riverford), to name just a few. Not an entirely new idea, but one whose time has come to be widely adopted!