<h2>A Letter from the Founders of The Organic Box</h2> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Berkshire+Swash" /> <p class="titleText">Four Year Anniversary</p> <p>This May we celebrate four years since our first week of deliveries at The Organic Box. We feel very blessed and fortunate to have had your support, some of you since that very first week of deliveries.</p> <table style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: black 1px solid; WIDTH: 650px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP: black 1px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-RIGHT: black 1px solid"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; PADDING-LEFT: 15px; PADDING-RIGHT: 15px; PADDING-TOP: 15px"><p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Berkshire Swash", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 20px">Story of Our Origins</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">It is funny how you remember moments of great consequence. Danny sat down at our kitchen counter one day and drew The Organic Box logo and designed the box. It felt momentous even then. Our boys were just toddlers at the time. It seems odd to me that we never felt any fear about taking our savings and beginning this new adventure. It just felt right.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">Danny rented a small and somewhat rundown warehouse. We found a rusty old van. We created a website. We sat down at kitchen tables and found our farmers. We found a local box company to make our Danny-designed boxes. We purchased a small 100 square foot cooler. I pulled the kids behind me in a red wagon and delivered hand-made flyers door-to-door to find our members. I remember the name of our very first registration, now a long-time member from McKernan.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">Week one of deliveries: 35 boxes, packed by Danny, myself, my mother and grandmother. It took us so many hours to deliver them that we were out until 10:00 pm on our first delivery day! And the sign-ups continued to pour in.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">The first year feels special because of so many firsts both positive and negative, from the first hired employee, to the first warehouse burglary. We expanded beyond organic fruits and vegetables to include bread then milk. We received our first initial press in the Edmonton Journal. We had a farm day with our members out at Sundog Organic Farm. We developed our delivery routes and learned from our mistakes. Who can forget the special trip to deliver a forgotten loaf of bread and the sheer gratitude at the door?</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">On our first year anniversary, I wrote hand-written thank you cards to all of our members who had been with us since the first week. My hand was cramped from all the writing, but they had believed in us and were our ambassadors. We could not afford to advertise and our business grew solely due to word-of-mouth. If we have succeeded it is because of our members, and their loyalty, gratitude and enthusiasm.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">Our staff grew and grew. We could no longer handle the load with just family volunteers and long hours. We needed box packers and drivers and managers. Wonderful employees came and went. Some of them are still with us today, some of them moved on to new adventures, but all of them made the company what it is today, truly a community of people.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">In year two of operations, we decided it was time to become farmers ourselves. We had learned so much from our local organic farmers and were so inspired by their examples, that we needed to experience their joys and pain as they did. We found a 14-acre cherry and apple orchard perfect for transitioning to organic operations and Just-A-Mere Organic Farm was born. The orchard is located near Creston, BC, where Danny spent his childhood summers with his grandparents. We hired the daughter of the original farming family to be our farm manager. We revived the farm’s original name chosen by the farmer when his wife, coming as she did from the vast wheat fields of Saskatchewan, said, ‘why, it’s a just a mere farm.’ The cherries continue to be our summer showcase, the most magnificent Rainier and Skeena cherries in the world,  available only from The Organic Box. Every summer, Danny can be found driving the big refrigerated truck slowly and carefully over the mountain passes to bring them to your door.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">Early in year three, it was time to move to a bigger warehouse. We were bursting at the seams in our little space and needed a  larger cooler and a freezer. All the staff pitched in to get us moved to our vast new warehouse and 800 square foot cooler. We were now offering hundreds of products, everything from macaroons to macaroni. It seemed like we would never run out of space but here we are early in year five and we are already looking for an even bigger warehouse and cooler.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">You may think that food is what drives our business because of course we bring local organic goodness to your door. But what has truly kept us going, and the true driver behind this story and The Organic Box is people.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">We need a bigger warehouse because of your overwhelming support. We have over 50 amazing employees because of your overwhelming support. The rusty old van has retired to the farm and we have 10 colourful delivery vans because of your overwhelming support. Our farm manager lives and works on her old family farm because of your overwhelming support. The fruit truck goes round to schools and children because of your overwhelming support. Danny travels around Alberta speaking to colleges, universities and garden clubs about organic farming because of your overwhelming support. Local organic farmers are farming bigger plots and have better storage and refrigeration facilities because of your overwhelming support.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">It is about people. Not just Danny and I and our children, but employees, farmers, producers and members, and all their families, all part of a food community.</p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">Since The Organic Box has started, millions of dollars have been injected into the local organic food economy. That is you. You did that. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for four amazing years.<strong> We are growing better together.</strong></p> <p style="FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT", cambria, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">With Gratitude,<br />Miranda<br />Co-founder</p> <p><img style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; PADDING-TOP: 10px" title="team2014" alt="team2014" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/2014YESSPic.jpg" /></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <a name="featured"><h2>Featured Products and Producers:</h2> </a><table cellspacing="15" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#edf0e9"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><img title="localgreenonions" alt="localgreenonions" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/localgreenonions.jpg" /></td> <td><h2> Alberta Grown Produce! </h2> <p>It's that beautiful time of year again when the local goods start rolling in. This upcoming week we'll have <strong>'fresh from the farm' green onions and spinach </strong>from<strong> Peas on Earth</strong>. Of course we have the delicious cucumbers and tomatoes that are grown in Coaldale, AB by Mans Organics. Plus lots of other goodies are on their way! It shouldn't be long before we see local radish and lettuces. <br /><br />Dive into the local produce and taste that <strong>superior quality</strong>. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><img title="multigrain" alt="multigrain" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/multigrain.jpg" /></td> <td><h2> Bon Ton - Local and Organic Breads</h2> <p>Are you still stopping by the store for you weekly loaf of bread? <br /><br />Why don't you give the breads from Bon Ton a try this week? They are amazing, <strong>hearty loaves of bread </strong>made with fantastic local organic flour and crafted by dedicated, hardworking bakers... right here in Edmonton. <br /><br />Try the <strong>Heritage Stone Ground Multigrain</strong>, the <strong>Dark Rye</strong>, or the <strong>Stone Ground Whole Wheat </strong>bread! Perfect for morning toast, and versatile for a quick sandwich lunch as well. So if you haven't already, it's time to try out a new bakery. <strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Buy local, buy organic, and live well</strong>. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><img title="HBproducts" alt="HBproducts" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/HBproducts.jpg" /></td> <td><h2> Honey Bunny Sweetness</h2> <p>It's getting really close to BBQ season!! We're super excited to be visiting with friends, grilling some veggies and burgers, and sipping on summery sodas. It's time to get ready and stock up on some summer favourites. Check out our catalogue for Honey Bunny products and enjoy some amazing locally produced organic <strong>Ketchup</strong>, <strong>BBQ Sauces</strong>, and <strong>raw/liquid/clover honey</strong>... perfect for making your own sauces. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
