Born in Finland: Amid added desire for ‘farm to table’ consumer confidence, a new food delivery model begins

Customers and an herb/flower vendor at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

There are many models for consumers to “buy local and eat local” — home and community gardens, farmer’s markets, CSAs, farm stands — but a group of small, local producers are giving the European-bred REKO model a try, and doing so for many reasons.

Yes, the direct producer-to-consumer financial model is good for sustainable agriculture businesses. And, yes, there is something about being able to see the fields and greenhouses where your root vegetables, or micro-greens, were grown.

But in the age COVID-19 and other concerns of food safety, of wondering how many hands have touched your food before yours, the Facebook-based sales model developed in Finland and mostly unheard of in the U.S. — pronounced “RA-ko” — also holds a certain attraction.

Karin Uebbing, of Byron Center’s Woodbridge Dairy Farm. (WKTV)

The model’s direct producer-to-consumer ordering and delivery system “shortens the (number of) hands that touch food, there is less of a line to get to your food,” Karin Uebbing, of Byron Center’s Woodbridge Dairy Farm, said to WKTV last week, at the opening day of a weekly delivery location in Ada. (The REKO also has a delivery location in Holland.)

Currently local vendors can be found at rekomarket.com, and the list includes bakeries and a local ice cream producer in addition to farms producing vegetables, meats, eggs, tea, herbs, honey, maple syrup, cornmeal, and even wool and locally-made compost — Jenison’s Wormies Vermicompost is a member.

“We are a pasture-based protein farm … meat and eggs, (our) milk is a heard-share. That’s a little bid different,” Uebbing said of her farm’s offerings.

Rebecca Henderson, farm manager at Ada’s Green Wagon Farms. (WKTV)

The driving force behind the new market concept, Rebecca Henderson, farm manager at Ada’s Green Wagon Farms, explained the system: Each week, small-scale, sustainable farmers and producers post available products to a public Facebook group, managing their own sales from their online stores. Then bags of food are brought to the drop-off locations for pickup.

And unlike many Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups, a membership is not required, and consumers can order one week and not the next, depending on what’s available.

“Right now we have a whole lot of leafy greens,” Henderson said to WKTV. “But we are about to get into the summer season, so pretty soon we’ll have summer crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers. But right now we have everything from kale to lettuce (and root crops from) beets to carrots to parsnips.”

History of REKO, in Europe and in Michigan

“Reko is a trade model that started in Finland about seven years ago, it is spread pretty widely across Europe,” Henderson said. “We first heard of REKO at the Northern Michigan Farm Conference in 2019 from Swedish farmer Richard Perkins.

A customers picks up a delivery from Green Wagon Farms at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)

“There are so many great things about REKO for the consumer, but for us, the presale market is efficient, eliminates wasted product we might have at the end of a slow day at the farmers market, and requires virtually no setup or tear-down.”

And, echoing Uebbing, there is a “producers’ hands to consumer’s hands” advantage.

“It produces a quick and easy transition between producers and consumers,” Henderson said to WKTV. “We have always enjoyed (a personal relationship between producers and consumers). We go to the farmers market year around. We see weekly, dedicated customers coming to us. We get to build relationships with those people.

“It is great for consumers to build that relationship with their producers. But, also, in light of everything that is going on, people care more and more where their food is coming from. There is a huge surge in local food right now. Consumers want to know their food is being handled safely. We have had this idea, to bring this Reko model to the local market, and there is no better time to do it.”

How the local REKO works

As explained by the local REKO’s promotional material: “For the consumer, (the model) brings market-shopping into the digital age, allows for planning and shopping to be done in the comfort of your own home — and accelerates the actual pickup time to a short weekly errand, instead of a half-day event. In the days of COVID-19, avoiding congested grocery stores, supporting local businesses, and finding a one-stop pickup for a variety of staple goods is particularly meaningful.”

Customers and vendors at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)

As witnessed at the Ada drop-off location last week, until further notice, REKO is et up for no-contact pickup, requiring social distancing and masks for all shoppers and producers. Pre-payment options are available, and desired, for most vendors.

Availability from producers will be posted weekly on the Facebook group for each drop-off location (Holland and Ada) as producers may not attend every week and require different order deadlines. Market shoppers must place their orders prior to the deadline and pick up their pre-packed orders within the short pickup window.

The two current REKO markets are Thursdays from 3-3:30 p.m. in Ada, at The Community Church, and from 12-1 p.m. in Holland, at the Holland Town Center and the hope is to continue the markets year-round.

“For us, I’m not trying to feed the world, I’m just trying to feed the community,” Woodbridge Dairy Farm’s Uebbing said. “It’s what allows us, as a farm, to stay in business. We are direct to the end-consumer. If I didn’t have them, we would not be here.”