From Local Farm To Office Door
Bella Bean Organics offers delivery of produce to offices of faculty, staff
Lisa Laws lifted the
lid and dug through the box containing leafy vegetables and honey-flavored
yogurt.
"Yum," she said. "This all smells so
fresh."
Ashley Kelly pulled
purple sweet potatoes from her box. "Oh, you'll love those," Laws told her. "I
got them last week, cooked them up with butter and even my teenager loved
them."
Laws and Kelly are
among nearly two dozen Duke Clinical Research Institute employees who
participate in an office delivery service of produce and other fresh foods
through Bella Bean Organics. The company, which participates in Duke's Mobile
Farmers Market, purchases local and organic vegetables, baked goods, meats and
dairy products from local farmers and vendors and delivers them to homes or
Duke offices each Tuesday.
Bella Bean customers
sign up for the service online and can select from two options: the standard
box of seasonal items ($25.49 plus delivery fee), or a box customized to fit
tastes and preferences. Bella Bean offers a sweet deal to groups that
coordinate delivery. If four or more boxes are delivered to one location, each
person in the group pays 99 cents instead of the $3.99 delivery fee.
The DCRI Clinical
Operations group members signed-up after Gina Streaty, Human Resources manager
for the DCRI, sent an email to employees at the North Pavilion location letting
them know administrators designated a delivery location at the building,
enabling employees to easily take advantage of the deal.
Laws, who helps
launch clinical research studies around the world, was attracted to the program
because she likes supporting local business and eating organic and
chemical-free food. "But the ability to save $3 a week on the delivery really
sealed the deal," she said.
For Kelly, who also
launches clinical research studies, the delivery at work was key.
"Last summer I really
wanted to eat healthy, but I simply didn't have a single moment to go to the
farmers market," she said. "Now, it just takes a few moments to order, and I
can get something different each week. It is fantastic."