Ridgewood Woman Looks to Expand ‘Online Farmers Market’

Ridgewood resident Caren Sinclair-Kay is a big fan of farmers markets, but finds they can be few and far between if you want consistently fresh food.

The e-commerce entrepreneur’s answer is Fresh From the Farm 365, an online company she started that delivers directly from farms and farmers markets around the area.

After a pilot run since the summer delivering food from regional farms to homes around Bergen County and Hoboken, Sinclair-Kay hopes a successful crowd-funding campaign will help bring her vision to the tri-state area and beyond.

“I’m very interested in eating locally,” she said. “I just saw a complete void in the ability to do so.”

“I was frustrated by the lack of access that exists when you move out of an urban center.”

When customers place an order with the company, “personal pickers” go out to the farms and farmers markets they work with, and their selections – anything from produce and dairy to breads and specialty chocolate – are shipped either to their door or to a local pick-up location.

Customers can shop either a la carte or subscribe to a regular package. The main benefit, Sinclair-Kay says, is connecting the farm and consumer more directly, with taste and nutritional benefits of fresh food that surpass the local supermarket.

“Our goal is not to eliminate the supermarket, but you can easily get all your fresh needs with us,” she said.

Sinclair-Kay has a background in Internet businesses, last starting Doodle Deals, a service for families to find discounted entertainment options. She wants to expand Fresh From the Farm region by region, bringing groups of food producers to the same online marketplace.

But while she already works with nearby farmers who can supply the first step of her expansion, the company is fundraising through indiegogo.com to establish the delivery infrastructure necessary to bring their food to customers’ doors.