Being a vendor during the pandemic: the home delivery service

Small and medium-sized businesses from the community of Really Local Harvest vendors had to show resilience to deal with the wave of challenges caused by COVID-19. They had to create new services, adapt to new consumption habits and respect the health measures. We start this publication series with home delivery services.

Nicole Leblanc, co-founder of Gâteries JR’s Treats, adopted contactless payment and began offering home delivery: "We certainly appreciate greatly the support from the people. Not everybody feels comfortable to go to the Market and for those who still try to come, it’s not always easy."

Armadale Farm Dairy joined forces with other local Sussex businesses for a collective delivery service. Ian Smyth: "We brought the bread, the lettuce, the meats into our facility, then we’d pack the orders, inbox them, ship them and deliver them to the customers’ front doors. I wouldn’t say no to anybody. If somebody lived 15 kilometres away and couldn’t get out, I’d deliver to their door."

Boudreau Meat Market saw significant growth thanks to delivery. Jocelyn Boudreau: "I think that this event was an eye-opener for the public. Many understood that we — local producers — will never be out of meat because we do not rely on big companies from Toronto or Montreal to supply us."

Will the service stay? "One way or another, we will keep our delivery service as long as there is a demand for it," concluded Nicole Leblanc.