Looking to help local, small-scale food producers make ends meet during the Covid-19 crisis, UCook has launched the UCook Market Box. Developed in partnership with the Oranjezicht City Farm Market in Cape Town, the UCook Market Box delivers fresh, seasonal ingredients and artisanal food products directly to consumers.
UCook CEO David Torr says that the company feels a responsibility to assist in providing a lifeline for small farms and businesses to ensure their survival. “The Market Box has created a way for many of these small businesses and farmers to sell produce that would ultimately have gone to waste. We have purposefully maintained a very low margin on the box which allows UCook to pay the smaller suppliers what they are due. In addition, we’re sourcing products from many small outlets, meaning that the box has the capacity to support multiple suppliers of the same product.”
The contents of the UCook Market Box changes weekly to embrace seasonality and reduce wastage, but always includes a curated selection of organically grown fruits and vegetables, pasture-reared meats, line-caught fish, GMO-free pastured eggs, fresh dairy, artisanal bread and other local ingredients. It includes the option of adding on a curated selection of artisanal food products to the boxes.
Adds Market Box procurement manager Ryan Ausker, “This project aims to showcase the incredible work farmers and food producers do in our communities. By supporting regenerative farming practices, we can revolutionise our local food system and have a meaningful impact on people’s livelihoods.”
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