Old-time veggie truck-a good idea again?

Mr. Okra was a singing vegetable seller in New Orleans

From challenge comes opportunity. And boy do we have challenges. So that means we have some pretty great opportunities. 

This blog has long been about seeing opportunities and making them happen. Working with you over these years I have seen a lot of opportunities and watched as many of you have taken ideas and run with them. And now here is another one. 
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Right now we’re all sitting at home. Some of you are able to do whatever you did from the same address as where your blender is. Some of you are completely out of work. Some of you are worried. And some of you are serial entrepreneurs. 

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Back when our parents and grandparents were young adults there were all kinds of home delivery services. Milk. Bread. Vegetables. You name it. The number of huge warehouse-sized markets selling everything under the sun was virtually non existent. Instead, these Americans bought what they needed from other Americans who happened to have a vehicle. 

And it might be time to bring that back. 

Right now so many of us are home bound, some of us teaching the future of America in todays lessons. Others are just sitting here, looking for a great opportunity. That opportunity might lurk in our past. 

Where I live is a small, rural farming community. We have not starved yet because we have so many local farmers but the shelter in place orders means that there are no farmer’s markets. While I have been out picking up eggs, vegetables and even meat (and terrific wine and beer) from farmers right in my community, many of you don’t have this opportunity. 

Did you know that the most popular vehicle in America is the pickup truck? Imagine if you partnered with local farmers and started delivering vegetables and produce to your neighborhood in that pickup that is presently just sitting in the garage. 

Here’s a chance to get a megaphone and become the singing grocer of your area. You’d be helping farmers, some of whom are literally plowing crops under because of delivery shortages, and helping your neighbors eat healthier. 

You can buy a cheap scale right on the Internet to weigh all these goodies and, with things like Square and Paypal, you wouldn’t even have to carry cash. 

Perhaps a flyer brought door-to-door announcing the veggie service and then, on a given day, load up your pickup and head out and sell, sell, sell. 

This would literally be helping everybody out. 

And, perhaps, even give your singing joy a chance for some exercise. 

Where I live we’ve had people suddenly become pop-up bakeries where I have had some incredible baked goods delivered right to my door. Eggs are available right from lots of friends who have chickens at fair prices and, if you haven’t seen real farm-fresh eggs, they’re incrementally better than anything you’ve ever seen at that grocery warehouse that’s still out of toilet paper all these weeks later. 

We also do have a local organic co-op that used to bring veggie boxes right to drop points but has since started bringing those same boxes right to people’s doors. I know, I built their website. 

But daily routes like the olden days milk man might be an opportunity that’s viable once again. 

The good thing is, by serving one customer at a time in the middle of the street, you’d be maintaining social distancing while also helping families and farmers. 

What killed these businesses in the past is that both adults in the household were no longer home on a regular basis. Men had traditionally gone “to work” and women were doing so in increasing numbers. So, really, nobody was home to buy the products of companies like Helms Bakery and such. 

Well, heck, we’re home now and companies may see that having people work from home saves them a lot of money while giving our environment a bit of a break as well. 
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So while there are probably local licensing and ordinances regarding some of this, perhaps it’s an opportunity. And an opportunity to bring back one fo the greatest aspects of America’s past.