A D.C. business owner created a new way to get fresh food to D.C. residents’ doors.
Sara Polon started Soupergirl a dozen years ago, using fresh foods for her soups marketed to major food chains.
Now she is partnered with Spring Valley Farm and Orchard in West Virginia to distribute farmers market boxes.
“It was completely reinventing, and we’ve had to continue to do that every week,” Spring Valley co-owner Eli Cook said about business during the pandemic.
“I saw these farmers, and they were scared,” Polon said. “You could see they just were scared to be there, and they were seeing a drastic, unexpected drop in their business like everyone else.”
The boxes are loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables straight off the farm and dropped at Polon’s Soupergirl location in D.C.
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Customers order online, and the boxes are delivered to their homes in the metro area every week.
“Our customers would appreciate access to this farm fresh food without having to leave their homes, and the farmers, it would provide a new source of revenue for them,” Polon said.
It’s creating a new way to make money and adding new customers who are looking to eat healthy, eat local and cook more meals while staying at home.
“People just love it,” Polon said. “They love seeing what’s in the box. It’s like Christmas every Friday.”
Polon said she’s reaching out to other farms in the area to see if they want to join the partnership.
She expects demand to stay high even as things open up because customers have gotten used to having food delivered to their doors.
