A Columbia-based company that arranges and distributes food deliveries made up of locally-sourced goods has set up a new Bethesda pick-up location.
Friends & Farms, which has mostly concentrated its food basket delivery service in the Baltimore area, will now start hosting weekly pick-ups on Wednesdays at the Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center (7801 Democracy Blvd.)
The company is pitching the service as a way to keep getting farm-fresh produce, meats and dairy products after area farmer’s markets shut down for the winter. (Bethesda Central Farm Market starts its winter season on Jan. 4 at Bethesda Elementary School.)
“We know that people return to the supermarket when the farmer’s market close down. It doesn’t have to be that way,” Friends & Farms co-founder Phillip Gottwals said. “With the expansion, residents of Montgomery County can avoid returning to the grocery store and continue to shop locally throughout the winter. This, combined with our ability to deliver at a value pricing level, sets us apart from all others in the business.”
Like other similar services, the company purchases and organizes grocery baskets made up of quick-frozen vegetables, shelf-stable items like pickles, jams and broths and the occasional fermented item, such as sauerkraut or kim chi.
The baskets are also made up of a rotation of cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and peppers, plus a number of meat and seafood options that remain largely the same throughout the year.
Customers can pick and choose items in their basket individually, or subscribe to packages ranging from $41 to $104 per week.
The Bethesda pick-up location will be open from 11 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Photo via Friends & Farms
