Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Parrish.
Anna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2017 I went to the Grapevine Farmer’s Market and met some of the farmers there. I had always been interested in starting some kind of co-op in my neighborhood where we could get pastured eggs, grass-fed meats and organic veggies. I wanted to support small, local farms instead of the national brands of these “types” of items. When I got home that day, I emailed Bob Copeland of Sunflower Farm (grass-fed/finished beef) because he was the most enthusiastic about my idea of starting the co-op. I could tell this was his life’s passion. We met shortly after that and then it all started to happen. He got me in touch with several other “farms,” and I created my Facebook page and started inviting all the friends and neighbors I could to join the group. The plan was to talk to the farms every other week and see what they had available. I would post that info on the FB page on Fridays at 9 am and give everyone through the weekend to comment with their order. I would then enter all that into a spreadsheet, give them their total owed and they would have to drop cash off at my house.
Then, after the order “closed” I would tell the farms what everyone ordered and I would drive to pick up the products at 5 am on Wednesday (I’d head east to pick up chicken and pork) and then on Thursday at 5 am I’d head west to pick up (at that time) eggs, beef and baked goods. Lots of work, yes. And a really cumbersome process. But I was getting the food I wanted to eat, I was able to support hard-working local family farms, and my neighbors were enjoying my little project as well. Our first order opened on FB on Sept 29th, 2017. I had 70 “members” on the FB page and 20 people ordered $999 worth of goods. At that time. I had Swiss breads & desserts, freshly roasted coffee, chicken, eggs, beef, and pork.
Fast forward to 2020 and I have over 800 members in the group, about 100 people order each time and I have a website so I don’t have to manually enter orders and I take credit card instead of cash now. My sales from 2017 to 2019 were about $1000 – $2000 every two weeks. When I launched the website, for some reason, my sales went down to $1600. Then, the pandemic hit and wow! My 1st order after Richardson went on lock-down was almost $8000 and today sales are holding around $7000 every other week. I have three refrigerators and one stand up freezer in my garage. And that’s still not enough. I need another freezer and probably another fridge – not sure where I’ll put them, though.
Today our product and farmer/purveyor list is (in order of how long they’ve been with me):
Sunflower Farm – Slidell, TX and Wichita Fallas, TX – Grass-fed/finished beef
Little Foot Farm – Sanger, TX – Pastured chicken and duck eggs
L’Cajn Farm Stand – Justin, TX – Local fruit and veggies, pickles and sometimes he makes us gumbo and tamales
Top Shelf Soup – Dallas, TX – Organic chicken tortilla soup and freshly made tortilla chips
Good Book Coffee – Richardson, TX – Freshly roasted to order coffee
Circle N Dairy – Gainsville, TX – Grass-fed dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc.)
God-Given Health – McKinney, TX – Elderberry Syrup
Soul Vision Healing – Denton, TX – Fire and Cider Elixer, non-toxic sunscreen
Killer Chefs – Richardson, TX – Chef-made “Green Crack Sauce”, chow chow and kimchi
Two Brooks Farm – Mississippi Deltalands – The most amazing rice you’ll ever have
Country Hill Honey – Sherman, TX – Local honey
Amanida Spanish Imports – North TX – Spanish olives, pickles, olive oil, vinegars, and more
Land of Honey – Plano, TX – Organic, homemade jams
The Lemon Tree – Houston, TX – Fresh, organic Meyer lemon juice and rinds
Sullifarm – Hooks, TX – Pastured pork
Prairie Oasis Farm – Milsap, TX – Pastured chicken, lamb and turkey
Paris Bakery – Paris, TX – Fresh baked breads and pastries and commissary items like chicken salad, pimiento cheese, granola and more
Most of my farms deliver to me now because I have a full-time regular job, a 9th grader, a husband and four dogs!!! And I just can’t make it to them all every other week and work my full-time job. I still drive to Sanger, Slidell and Justin every other Thursday, though.
In 2019 a UT film student filmed a documentary about the co-op. It’s called “Straight to Plate,” and it was in final editing and shooting when COVID hit… but there’s a trailer that is amazing and I have a rough cut of the film to make me smile. Maybe one day we’ll all be able to get back together to get those final shots and interviews. People think I’m crazy for doing all this but I just love it. Of course, there are things that are tedious or hard… but overall, it brings me so much joy.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been pretty smooth. The operations of the whole thing when I started was not sustainable. It was the one thing I hated about the co-op. I had to keep up with all the FB posts and I had to manually enter each person’s order, add it up and comment back to them on FB to tell them how much they owed me. I had to hound people to bring cash to my house. It was just silly. But as I grew, I made the changes to make that part of the venture easier on me. I started taking PayPal and Venmo instead of cash. I asked more of the farms to deliver so I didn’t have to drive so much. I got a website where I can update inventory and accept credit cards for payment. When COVID hit, I started doing a no-contact pick-up. I just open my garage on Thursday morning and then close it at 7 pm that night. Members come all day and they pick up their own orders. It is NOT a perfect system by any stretch of the imagination but it’s getting better and better as we grow.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Richardson Farm Co-Op – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Richardson Farm Co-Op is the North Texas home for grass-fed and finished meat and poultry, pastured eggs, organic veggies, organic fresh roasted coffee, homemade tortilla soup, local dairy, local honey, chef-made dips & sauces, Mississippi Deltalands Rice, locally made Elderberry Syrup & Cider and Fire elixir, fresh-made tortilla chips, organic fruit jams, organic lemon juice & rinds and Spanish olives, pickles, olive oils & Balsamic vinegars, fresh-baked breads and pastries and lastly, commissary items that as gourmet and special as they come. We’re adding more farms and purveyors all the time.
I’m most proud of being able to buy products from farms (and people) who are doing things the RIGHT way. Raising animals the right way, processing their products the right way. I want to support local farms and business owners. I want to bring this kind of food and these kinds of products to my neighbors. And I love that my own family has access to all this as well. I’ve met so many wonderful people. It really has been a gift to me.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We adore living in Richardson. We consider it to be they best place to live in the Metroplex. We are super close to the city, yet we are in a wonderful and small suburb. Richardson has wonderful restaurants and most of our favorites are family-owned. The schools are fantastic and we’ve met lifelong friends here that actually feel more like family most of the time.
Pricing:
- There is a one-time $20 co-op fund fee when you place your first order
Contact Info:
- Address: 1244 Seminole Dr
Richardson, TX 75080 - Website: https://richardson-farm-co-op.myshopify.com/
- Phone: 972-671-6698
- Email: annafaie@hotmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RichardsonFarmCoOp/
- Other: https://youtu.be/g97RCEqiV8k
Image Credit:
Carson Malone
Paul Go Images
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