By Jeff Tribe

Bailey’s Local Foods is an online farmers’ market offering consumers coordinated virtual access to the equivalent of 150 local farmgate stands, combined with the convenience of one-stop shopping and delivery.
“We’re basically food brokers,” said Maryrose Ivanco, who has been along through its 15-year history. “We bring it in and send it out.”
Bailey’s was started in 2008 as a buying club for healthy, local, organic food out of the family carport by Nina Bailey-Dick, on maternity leave at the time, and her father Wendell Bailey. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating had been published the previous spring. An enhanced appreciation for fresh, local food and the economic boost from Blackberry’s surging success helped drive Kitchener-Waterloo consumers toward area producers, believes Ivanco. 
Zoning by-laws encouraged Bailey’s migration to its current location, First United Church at 16 William Street, Waterloo. Ivanco was involved with the first pick-up at the church, and having lost her job, came on board to help with the books before buying into an ownership share with Rachel Ward.
Bailey’s subsequent evolution has been very “organic” says Ivanco. They embraced technological advancements making ordering and inventory control exponentially easier, while adjusting to consumer preferences through changing economic times.
“Even when we’ve tried to steer it, it does what it wants and needs to do.”
Currently, consumers in a 2,000-member mailing list network and those attracted via social media browse a wide variety of available food and produce options through Bailey's website. The site has a seasonally-dependent active list of between 125 and 150 farmers.
Orders are forwarded to producers who coordinate harvest with scheduled market days. They are held weekly in the summer, every two weeks from fall to Christmas, every two to four weeks from January to June around holidays, with an “every couple of days” window during strawberry season.
Farmers can bring their produce into the church hub or have it picked up, making participation more convenient for the area’s old-order Mennonite community farmers. The Bailey’s market-day-model used to feature more of a farmer’s market approach, a festive atmosphere complete with musicians. However, during and post-pandemic, orders are filled by paid market assistants, prepared either for pickup or delivery, as per consumer preference.
Many of the farmers are within 100 miles and a significant majority employ either organic or natural growth methods. 
There is no specific demographic to Bailey’s customers, says Ivanco, admitting with a laugh she’s never been able to figure that part of the business out. Clients range from students to young, growing families and on up through seniors. If there is a common denominator, it’s an appreciation for quality, local food and a willingness to pay a modest premium to acquire it.
“Our people get that piece of it.”
That premium has been reduced through the pandemic’s rising food prices however, believes Ivanco, citing a cost analysis from a year ago indicating the gap may have closed.
“We were $20 cheaper on a basket of food.”
There are many other plusses to the coordinated, local approach, says Ivanco, beginning with farmers setting their own price. Bailey’s takes a fixed percentage commission for its services, leaving costing control with the producer. 
“They know what they need to be paid.”
Farmers are also able to harvest to order rather than on speculation. They can comfortably leave additional products in the field or on the vine for later, reducing waste and potentially enhancing earning power, versus trying to guess how much they might need on a given market day.
Beyond lowering waste and the carbon footprint of kilometres travelled, Bailey’s local “pick to order” approach also provides the opportunity for peak freshness.
“It literally comes from the farm and hours later it’s at people’s homes,” said Ivanco.
A quick scan of the shop option on the website reveals a wide range of vegetables, fruit, baked goods, grains, meat, nuts, dairy products and preserves. Items include Wellington County garlic or year-round greenhouse greens, red onions from Perth County, organic beets from near Wellesley, and Snyder Heritage Farms turkey sausage and maple syrup.
Anne and Kevin Snyder are lifetime farmers: syrup — they’re expanding from 3,600 taps to 4,000 this year – and firewood, a constant through transition from beef and pork production into turkeys, for which they grow their own organic feed. Their son Addison and daughters Michaella and Bronwyn as well as Kevin’s parents Carl and Kathleen contribute to a two-property, three-generation operation.
“It’s what we’ve dreamed of,” Anne smiled.
They offer on-farm retail sales and also wholesale to other retailers. The Snyders participate in marketing initiatives including their own Maple Weekend and the Taste of Woolwich program, through which they heard of Bailey’s.
“You are looking for places to put your product to get the word out,” Anne explained.
She described Bailey’s as “lovely people to work with”, the process simply filling and delivering their list of orders on market days. “They’re friendly,” Anne continued, and always open to a call or an email if she has questions.
Communication is also vital between producer and consumer she added, given the lack of generational connection to farming the vast majority of urbanites have.
“People have questions, they want to know where their food comes from.”
The Bailey’s website includes an FAQ section along with a producer map and links to individual farms. Bailey’s Open Food Network member’s approach aligns with the Snyder family, providing consumers attuned to their methodology and values an alternative to big box grocery stores combined with wider variety than single producers can offer. The relationship provides corresponding benefits to producers, says Kevin.
“It’s just basically a bigger customer with a bigger volume.”
After 15 years, Ivanco and Ward are passing the ownership torch to Rob Puschelberg, whose company has been responsible for deliveries the past three-and-a-half years.
“I kind of had an idea what I was getting into,” said Puschelberg, who was “pretty stoked” about the opportunity to step into a long-standing operation, rather than starting from scratch. He is bringing Marcie Dornhoefer onboard to administer ordering and packing, and while still in “absorption mode”, is excited to continue a tradition of helping provide people with access to quality, local food.
“It doesn’t get any more local than local farms. This gives people an opportunity to get a good choice of what they need without having to go to 20 roadside stands,” Puschelberg added. “Let us do that instead.”
Ivanco is pleased to see an operation which is important to both consumer and producer continue, having thoroughly enjoyed her experience, in particular the logistical challenges of efficient connection through one coordinated hub.
“It’s like a big puzzle.”
She has learned so much about food through interactions with both farmers and their customers, while enjoying the opportunity to not only raise her children at home, but feed them “really good quality food.”
And finally, Ivanco has also found lasting satisfaction in being part of a circular financial equation in which money produced in a community stays and benefitted that community.
“I worked for local and supported local. Not a lot of people can say that.” ◊