What started as a humble side hustle in Melbourne, Victoria, during the early months of the pandemic has grown into one of Australia’s most inspiring food waste solutions. Farmer's Pick, founded by former university friends Joshua Ball and Joshua Brooks-Duncan in mid-2020, set out to answer a simple question: Can we buy this? – referring to the perfectly good produce often discarded for not being “supermarket pretty”.
Fast forward 5 years to today, and the business rescues over 150 tonnes of fruit and vegetables each week from going to landfill, working with more than 60 farms across the country. Farmer's Pick works directly with Aussie farmers understanding their crops and their challenges and making sure they get paid fairly for food that would otherwise be dumped.
As Farmer's Pick scaled, its founders knew that building customer trust at checkout was essential. “I think a fair few potential customers had questions over security and safety without being able to see the PayPal logo on our payment page”, Josh says. “Once we integrated PayPal into our site, it was a game changer – customers had confidence, and we saw 200% growth in one year alone”.
For a fast-moving logistics operation powered by a growing team of over 130 staff, efficiency is everything. “As we get bigger, it’s important we stay efficient, and PayPal helps with that. Features like easy invoicing mean there’s one less thing on our minds”.
Farmer's Pick is now exploring PayPal Working Capital to help support its next phase of growth; “with it we can take the next step, expanding the pantry and helping more Aussies do their whole shop the sustainable way”, Josh says.
Recipe cards are also included with every box to help customers use what they’ve got – recipes that the founders also use at home. “Running a business like this is hard. It’s messy. But it’s meaningful”, Josh reflects. “And when I’ve got time to cook dinner, that’s how I know we’re in a good place”.
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