Distribution

One of our PFFA partners is Farmacy Co-op. Together we aim to eradicate distribution issues and support all producers across the UK in reaching markets easily. Farmacy Co-op Simply put - Farmacy Co-op is a middleman. Not all middlemen are bad…those are for-profit and extractive businesses - leaving very little for the farmer & pushing the customer price as high as possible.

Farmacy who partner with PFFA describe themselves as:

  • A not-for-profit middleman – an organisation whose purpose is to facilitate positive change that will benefit the People (farmers, consumers & workers) & Nature
  • Helping to create local economic systems that provide food security, improve our health & wellbeing, regenerate our ecosystems and allow communities to thrive.
  • Focused on localisation, decentralisation, co-operative ownership & building strong communities that are resilient to any crisis. Logistical Operation We are moving locally made goods – currently food & essential items – from the producer to the end user. We’re creating a people-owned & not-for-profit logistical operation that brings people together & connects local communities (economies) all over the UK. We currently distribute organic food & essential items from our only “Fulfilment Centre” in Bakewell, Derbyshire that distributes nationally. We currently order from farms all over the country that are certified organic – bringing the produce to our Fulfilment Centre and then delivering all over:
    • Derbyshire
    • Nottinghamshire
    • Cheshire
    • Staffordshire
    • Greater Manchester
    • South Yorkshire
    • Birmingham

We are about to expand our infrastructure throughout the UK with the following:

  • We are about to expand our infrastructure throughout the UK with the following:
    • Launching more Fulfilment Centres all over the country. Each centre will have its own warehousing, picking, packaging and distribution hub. Firstly – we’ll launch Regional Fulfilment Centres that are all connected. We’ll then start launching Local Fulfilment Centres – that serve each
      community – again all connected.
    • Build on our existing network of regional & local drivers. These drivers are volunteers – with cars or vans. We pay for their fuel and give them a large box of organic fruit & veg for free as a thank you for helping.
    • Local Drivers deliver boxes of goods to members & customers within their community.
    • Regional Drivers:
      • Collect goods from local farms & producers and move to Fulfillment Centres
      • Collect packed boxes (customer orders) from a Fulfillment Centre & deliver in bulk to the homes of Local Drivers or Local Collection Points
      • Launch Local Collection Points all over the country. Depending on demand, each collection point can expand to operate from its own venue – converting into a Community Hub & Fulfillment Centres
      • Collaborate with haulage & courier businesses to focus on national driver routes. Larger vans & trucks moving goods between Fulfillment Centres all over the country Local, Regional & National Market Farmacy Co-op will also offer farmers & producers a local, regional & national market.

We are focused on

  • Certified organic farms
  • Farms & growers that do not use chemicals and who are focused on regenerating the soil
    • Horticultural (fruit, veg, salad)
    • Arable (grains & legumes)
  • We have nearly 1000 members – which is growing daily. The demand for this type of produce & business (people-owned & not-for-profit organisation) is growing very quickly.
  • We want to guarantee a market for your produce – always paying a fair price. Collecting & distributing your produce locally, regionally & nationally.
  • There will be opportunities for us to invest in your farm – pre-ordering the produce we’re going to be ordering from you IT Infrastructure
  • Solid IT infrastructure is needed to facilitate this type of operation.
  • We have the previous IT Director of DHL on our advisory board and will be recruiting senior & experienced people from the logistics sector and other Distribution Centres (think Amazon!).
  • We are collaborating with existing platforms to create what we need to operate Funding
  • We are waiting for decisions on grant applications worth £500K – this money will allow us to create this infrastructure. As a not-for-profit there is a lot of grant funding available.
  • We will be launching crowdfunding campaigns to fund the expansion of the logistical operation & build the IT infrastructure
  • We will be going through an investment campaign early next year – using the platform Ethex – to raise circa £1M. Ethex helps everyday people make ethical investments that fund extraordinary organisations. Make their money a powerful tool for change and get a fair return.

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