Ridgewood ‘Online Farmers Market’ Raises $5K for Expansion

A Ridgewood woman’s online business is in the process of expanding after bringing in more than $5,000 from a grassroots fundraising campaign in the last month.

Caren Sinclair-Kay matched her online entrepreneurial experience and enthusiasm for fresh, healthy food last year by starting Fresh from the Farm 365, a Web-based delivery system bringing products from regional farms directly to customers’ doorsteps.

After a trial run in Bergen County, she launched a fundraising campaign last month to pay for new delivery methods and expand the business across the tri-state area. By the Jan. 18 deadline, 46 donors had kicked in $5,190 for the cause.

Though the total fell short of the $20,000 goal, Sinclair-Kay said it’s enough to start spreading out. Word of mouth, rather than paid advertising, will make up the difference, she said.

The regional producers Fresh from the Farm currently works with are close enough to serve customers in Connecticut and New York, she previously told Patch. The company just didn’t have the means to get the food there without compromising its business model – providing a convenient but fresher alternative to the local supermarket.

“We are beginning the technology work to enable shipping locations throughout the tri-state are that we don’t currently service,” she wrote in an email. “We are also finalizing new packaging to support this transition.”

Fresh from the Farm offers a la carte and subscription based orders on everything from produce, bread and specialty desserts.

Read more about the company here.