Dear Members,
Over the past year we have been working on a new distribution center space for Harvie to support the growth of our local food economy.
We finally found the right space, just one block from our original space in Lawrenceville, and we started to move in over the last few weeks.
We thought we had the correct permitting in place to operate out of the new space, but we learned today from the Allegheny County Health Department that we did not have the proper permitting to operate out of the new distribution center and they have decided to close our facility.
This was my mistake and I take full responsibility for the oversight.
We operated the new distribution center in the same way that we operated our original facility with no problems for over three years so we do not believe that we put any of you, our members, at risk. We are working with the health department on a plan of action that will get us back up and running at the new facility as quickly as possible, and in the meantime we are able to operate out of our existing facility.
As of tomorrow morning, we will be back to operating out of our original distribution center which continues to be fully licensed. If you are getting a delivery this Friday, plan for possible delays in getting your delivery as we are currently working overnight to move our pack line back into place.
This is a huge setback for us as a business and to be completely honest this is the kind of issue that could be the end of a small business like Harvie.
For a brief moment after the health inspectors left today, Kyle (our COO) and I walked down to a pier on the Allegheny River near the distribution center and considered whether this should be the end of the road for Harvie. It would be easier in some ways to quit today. There are easier ways than this to make a living. Maybe it’s just too hard to build a local food economy, maybe it’s not possible, maybe we should just let big food and big ag feed our region. They have the deep pockets to deal with this type of setback.
However, we started talking about the 100s of farms and food businesses that rely on Harvie to sell their food and get the money that runs their business and feeds their families. There are farms and producers that sell a majority, and in some cases all, of their products through Harvie. These businesses are likely to fail if Harvie fails.
There’s the 50 employees at Harvie that depend on this business for their income, healthcare, and retirement – these amazing people who have stuck with Harvie through all the hardships that have come before in building this local food economy. This has been an extremely rewarding journey but I would be lying if I did not acknowledge that it has been very difficult for those of us working at Harvie, simply due to the enormity of the problem of building a local food economy that works. There’s a reason this hasn’t been done before successfully!
It’s no longer about me and my dream for this business. We’re not in this for the money.
This is a local food economy that is actually operating now. We’ve gone too far to turn back and we won’t let even a major setback like this get in the way of building this food community.
Maybe it’s easy to think of Harvie as just another food box or just another grocery store.
Harvie is different.
You have access through your phone to a completely different food economy that, as it grows, completely changes the way we produce and eat food in this region. This is a food economy that supports paying farmers and suppliers a fair rate for their food so they can support their businesses and their families. This is a more delicious food economy. This is a food economy that will work no matter what happens to our larger food distribution system, so it is resilient and has and will feed us in times of need. This is a food economy that is better for our land. This is a food economy that is better for our bodies.
Each week your purchases on Harvie are changing the lives around you, for your family, for our community, for the incredible producers and growers who enrich our lives with delicious food, and for our team here at this small business.
Maybe this is a moment to look behind the curtain of what makes Harvie work and show you that there is something completely different going on here that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
I hope you will continue to support us and our producers through this time.
We are committed to providing a safe, delicious box of food to you each week.
At this moment, I feel even more committed to this vision, our members, and our team because I know this work goes far beyond me and it’s a whole food community that we are working for now and we won’t let this setback be the end of this work. It’s too unique and too important to our region to stop now.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me back.
Thank you,
-Simon Huntley
CEO, Harvie