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Chipotle Helps Farmers with Virtual Farmers’ Market
A new program that will improve each farm’s e-commerce website allows Chipotle Mexican Grill to help farmers.
According to a press release, Chipotle Virtual Farmers' Market, which is powered by Shopify, “will allow farmers in the Chipotle supply chain to launch improved versions of their own eCommerce websites.”
“As a digital innovator known for seeking long-term solutions, Chipotle is assisting in the development of each supplier's site,” the press release said. It also helped in “covering hosting fees on Shopify ” which will last for two years. It supports “the design and development of the direct-to-consumer storefronts.”
Program Advantages
🌯 -> 🛍 .@Chipotle, @Shopify team up to help farmers sell direct to consumers | @FoxBusiness https://t.co/7IoPFowne9 @CortneyMoore716
— Raj Nijjer (@RajNijjer) July 1, 2020
According to Shopify’s current pricing, the range of the hosting fees is between $29 and $299 per month.
Farmers who take part in the program will be able to sell meat, dairy, and grain products to U.S. consumers.
“It can be intimidating for many family farms to change the way they do business,” Chipotle Chief Marketing Officer Chris Brandt wrote. “So we're giving our suppliers the right tools and resources to successfully launch improved eCommerce platforms,” he then said.
“Our Food with Integrity values start with our farmers,” he also added. “Helping them adapt to new technologies and ways of reaching the consumer is crucial for both the future of the farming industry and Chipotle.”
According to Fox Business, four Chipotle suppliers kickstart the program with custom e-commerce websites. These include Niman Ranch, Petaluma Creamery, McKaskle Family Farm, and also Meister Cheese. They are featured on the homepage of Chipotle’s dedicated Virtual Farmers Market website.
Kirsten Eckerman of Niman Ranch also shared her opinion about this new Virtual Farmers' Market. She also thinks it “gives an opportunity for my farm, and hundreds of other small, sustainable farmers like me in the Niman Ranch network raising livestock humanely and without antibiotics, to remain sustainable and resilient through hard times.”
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