Daily Harvest Express is a family-owned company with a mission to increase local food consumption, save local farms and promote healthy living. From delivering fruit to the office, to the mobile farm stand and healthy cooking demos, Daily Harvest Express helps San Diego County residents recognize the many benefits of and overcome obstacles to eating locally grown fruits and veggies.

There are several reasons why eating locally-grown, healthy food has become more difficult. Local family farms in San Diego are disappearing. Last year there were more than 6,000 farms less than 10 acres; this year there are only 5,000. Small farms are shutting down at an alarming rate due to requirements that are unsustainable for most small farms. Small farms also don’t always have the capability to grow a variety of produce or customize produce boxes for members’ preferences.  All of this translates into a less healthy workforce, a less vibrant agricultural sector and a huge economic drain on the local economy.

Daily Harvest Express sought to solve some of these issues by first contacting farms and building a base of suppliers. Their first farm stand was an open-air stand at a local nursery with short hours and customers had a tough time getting to it before it closed. Sales were slow and too much food was wasted.  The owners decided to change from the farm stand to a delivery service with a big focus on wellness coordinators and human resource managers at corporations throughout San Diego County.

Through outreach efforts at health fairs and direct mail, companies got more and more excited about offering Daily Harvest Express to their employees. People enjoyed the experience of selecting their own produce and talking with each other about healthier eating. After several months, Daily Harvest Express expanded to other locations and after a lot of research and creative planning, they became the first mobile farm stand in San Diego County!

Daily Harvest Express provides a beneficial service to both farmers and consumers. “We are able to receive a fair market price for our produce, but with a more manageable volume and delivery system for us,” says Maria Huang of Immanuel Farms.

“The convenience of having locally grown, organic produce at their [employees] fingertips without running an ‘errand’ is worth its weight in gold," said a client Senior Wellness Administrator.

To learn more about Daily Harvest Express, please visit www.dailyharvestexpress.com.