To our customers...

We have recently begun outsourcing various aspects of our farm admin work. With my hands being full with a babbling, crawling busybody baby, I struggle to get much admin done, especially time-sensitive things like orders and invoices. Andre is busy with production, animals, deliveries, logistics, and projects, so doesn’t have time to sit at the computer for hours on end either.

Having someone else involved in our business has been hugely helpful but it has made us realise just how much we are our business.

When you buy from a small business, you buy into their life. There are so many tiny details that make up the experience of buying directly from a farmer, from a small business, where we have our fingers on every pulse.

We know that this person who orders bacon without specifying whether it should be back or streaky usually likes streaky bacon. We know that this person has adopted a hen so these eggs aren’t charged every week, but they usually like to add a loaf and chicken breasts to their order. We know who often orders late. We know who orders a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread every week. We know who has a standing order. We know that a particular person needs a credit after overpaying last week. We know another needs a discount after having submitted feedback. We know this person likes to order the largest chickens we have. We know this person likes to order chicken backs even though they are not on our list. We know who is often late to the collection, and who is often early. 

We understand the habits of our customers and can tailor our business to them. There is way more to the business experience than just eggs and chicken pieces. 

At the same time, the downside of this “being our business” is that it is hard to not take things personally either. We are extremely accountable. When we make mistakes, we feel it deeply. Late nights spent trying to correct mistakes, make sure customers are happy, racking our brains to come up with better systems and solutions. A business that is very personal, run by people, will make mistakes. But we are grateful for having the opportunity to build relationships with our customers where we can explain and make efforts to improve their experience.

It has been a humbling experience to realise this. And we wanted to write this to thank you, our precious customers, who make this all possible for us, but more than that, you are part of our lives, and have given us the opportunity to become part of yours.

Far too true!