Mike’s Organic Delivery Brings Local, Organic Food to Your Door

Mike Geller likes that he can tell his customers stories about how the food he delivers is grown and about the farmers who grow it.  Conversely, he states, “There are no stories to tell with big agricultural suppliers. No one wants to know about thousands of chickens crowded in a small space with no room to move and no access to the outdoors.” 

Mike started Mike’s Organic Delivery in 2009 with a mission to reconnect people in Fairfield and Westchester Counties to where, how, and when their food is grown. After careful research, he selected 12 farms from the Hudson River Valley, Westchester County and Western Connecticut to become the suppliers for his nascent farm to home delivery service - a number that has since grown to the hundreds.  The farms all use practices many of us look for when supermarket label gazing: organic, sustainable, free range, pesticide-free, no added hormones, no steroids, and no antibiotics.  

What Mike does is deliver, educate, and advocate all in support of locally grown and raised food. Recounting the benefits, he jumps from apples to tomatoes to make his point. “We grow 200 varieties of apples in the US, but when you go to the grocery store, you see the same 5 varieties.”  “Did you know that local farmers have over 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes?” he inquires. I did not. From Mike’s perspective, we are forfeiting diversity in our food supply, along with fresher, healthier and tastier food by routinely purchasing meat and produce at our local supermarkets rather than our local farms. 

Mike makes a compelling case, supported by the inspiring photos and brief introductions on his website to the local farmers he calls “partners”.  Customers can order items from these farmers a la carte, select the weekly mixed fruit and vegetable basket, or enroll in one of multiple  Winter CSA plans.  Weekly orders must be placed by Sunday at 10pm. Mike’s Organic Delivery CSA Plan differs from traditional CSAs in that he sources from more than one farm to provide variety and usable quantities. Mike selects items based on what is available and offers both full shares, which will allow you to feed a family of four, average eaters for one week, as well as half shares which will feed a family of two. These CSAs range from Omnivore to Pescatarian and everything in between. If you’re interested in having just eggs, dairy, pastured meat or granola delivered weekly, you can do that as well. Another added value is that Mike emails 6-8 recipes each week to help utilize all of the basket ingredients and simplify meal planning for busy families.

Longtime CSA customers rave about what Mike offers, pointing to benefits like convenience, better taste, cost and time savings. The food’s superior quality keeps it fresher for longer and therefore helps to combat food waste as well.  

“Convenience for our customers can’t be overstated,” says Mike.  Having learned over the past ten years what his customers want, he works with farmers the year prior to develop a planting list for the winter months. Knowing there would be demand, the farmers are able to plant cold crops in hoop houses, 20’ x 100’ long tunnels covered in plastic.  

As Mike marks his 10th year in business he has expanded Mike’s Organic Delivery to now include a retail market just over the border of Westchester in Stamford.The first of its kind in Fairfield County, the brick-and-mortar space is a hub for food and wellness education, offering a series of events, classes and pop-up experiences, in addition to the finest grocery products. Tucked away in an industrial warehouse, the space previously functioned as the grocery delivery service headquarters and has now been renovated to offer a different take on the typical grocery store. The marketplace features a curated selection of items, from organic produce and pastured meats to grass-fed dairy and cold-pressed juices. Mike’s Organic partners only with small farmers, fishermen, artisans and producers and each item has been vetted and hand picked by the team to be sold in the market, ensuring the highest quality offerings. More than a market, Mike’s is a center for the community to learn about wellness. A robust and diverse calendar of events and classes have been slated for the fall, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a variety of food-forward and healthy living programming.

The premise of Mike’s business is simple and direct, but its impact is far reaching.  Thanks to consumer awareness and increased demand, the number of small farms has been on the rise since 2007, after a steady decline since 1980.  Businesses like Mike’s Organic connect us to these small producers, and to the health, taste and environmental benefits we derive from eating fresh food and supporting local farms.  It seems we are also encouraging future farmers, which will only increase the variety and improve the quality of the fresh, local food available to us. 

“We’ve spent the last 10 years building relationships with the finest small farmers and artisans and now we’re thrilled to invite folks into our home to experience the most unique food experience in Fairfield County: Mike’s Organic Market,” says Mike. “We’re more than a market to shop the best locally sourced products - this is a gathering place for the community to learn about living and eating well. The two words we use daily are connection and transparency - if we can’t tell you what’s on it, what’s in it, or when it was picked, we won’t sell it. Whether it’s to pick up the sweetest local corn, meet a farmer, take a cooking class or witness a live sheep shearing, we promise you a fun and educational experience that’s worth the trip from Westchester.”

Mike’s Organic: Sign up @ www.mikesorganicdelivery.com