GetSwift > Case Studies > Tara Firma Farms Doubles Home Delivery Membership with New eCommerce Store

Tara Firma Farms Doubles Home Delivery Membership with New eCommerce Store

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Agriculture
Transportation

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Farm Monitoring & Precision Farming
Last Mile Delivery

About The Customer

Tara Firma Farms is a pasture-raised farm and CSA based in the Bay Area. Known for their home delivery service, the farm practices regenerative agriculture by rotating their cows, pigs, and turkeys to different pastures. All of the beef is grass-fed, leading to a leaner cut. The farm is also committed to education and transparency, offering free farm tours to their customers prior to the pandemic. After the pandemic struck, their membership doubled in just three weeks due to a higher demand for local, reliable, and sustainable food that could be delivered directly to people’s doorsteps.

The Challenge

Tara Firma Farms, a Bay Area farm and CSA known for their pasture-raised meats, experienced a sudden doubling of their home delivery membership due to the pandemic. This surge in demand presented a significant challenge for the farm, which was using outdated CSA management software with limited functionality. The software was better suited for smaller, produce-only CSAs and required manual intervention for tasks such as offering discounts or analyzing sales data. The farm was also in the process of replacing their CSA management software, adding to the stress of managing the increased demand. Additionally, the farm discovered that they were undercharging for delivery and some delivery routes were not profitable.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Tara Firma Farms replaced their old CSA management software with GetSwift’s SaaS eCommerce + Delivery software. This new platform provided valuable business insights, such as the realization that the farm was undercharging for delivery. As a result, the farm raised their delivery fee and required all new members to get at least one meat share, making the driver routes profitable. The new software also allowed for the creation of a beautifully designed eCommerce store, which became a one-stop-shop for high-end local products. The new routing functionality of the software enabled the farm to easily move a route from one night to another or add stops, optimizing routes automatically. The drivers could also update invoices or mark items returned from the road, all synced in real time.

Operational Impact

The implementation of GetSwift’s SaaS eCommerce + Delivery software has transformed the operations of Tara Firma Farms. The farm now has unprecedented visibility and control over their operations, from sales data analysis to route optimization. The new eCommerce store has not only improved the customer experience but also expanded the farm's product offering to include high-end local products. The new software has also provided a more efficient and profitable delivery service. Furthermore, the flat fee structure of GetSwift, based on the number of customers rather than revenue, provides excellent value for the farm. With this new system, Tara Firma Farms is well-positioned for growth, capable of comfortably delivering to at least 1,000 members and seeing up to 100 new sign-ups every month.

Quantitative Benefit