How This Girls-Led Enterprise Makes High quality Meals Inexpensive

In the “Success Tales” part of the Ecwid weblog, we get to publish the real-life tales of enterprise house owners who run their on-line shops with Ecwid by Lightspeed. You may meet fellow entrepreneurs and discover ways to use Ecwid to make a thriving enterprise.

At present we’d prefer to introduce you to Liz Abunaw. Liz based Forty Acres Fresh Market on Chicago’s westside in 2018 as a result of she noticed how the lack of contemporary meals choices in the space impeded her neighborhood. Liz needed to do her half to assist.

5 years later, her enterprise gives entry to high-quality produce to everybody in the neighborhood. She hosts month-to-month pop-ups, supply, and subscription companies. Learn on to learn how she does it all!

Meet Liz and Forty Acres Contemporary Market

Forty Acres Fresh Market is a Black and woman-owned grocery retailer that combats well being and financial inequity by rising entry to reasonably priced contemporary meals in underserved communities.

Forty Acres Contemporary Market was based by Liz Abunaw, who desires to enhance entry to contemporary meals choices on Chicago’s westside.

 Our motto is, “Contemporary meals for all, as a result of each hood ought to be wholesome.” Liz Abunaw

In 2018, Liz hosted Forty Acres Contemporary Market’s first popup market. Only a 12 months later, she expanded her enterprise by launching a supply subscription service of contemporary produce.

In 2020, Forty Acres Contemporary Market continued to develop by leveraging on-line promoting. They even have discovered property to maintain the first Forty Acres Contemporary Market brick-and-mortar retailer.

Presently, Forty Acres Contemporary Market operates as a cell produce vendor, promoting contemporary fruit and greens by seasonal pop-up markets and produce stands. Their markets are held in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on the metropolis’s westside. Additionally they supply every day supply service for preselected produce containers all through the metropolis.

The Mission of Forty Acres Contemporary Market

The Forty Acres Contemporary Market group believes in the energy of communities to develop, construct, and maintain their very own assets. Their predominant mission is to enhance entry to reasonably priced, high-quality, and contemporary meals in underserved areas.

Since 2020, Forty Acres Contemporary Market has additionally served hundreds of Chicago households as a provider for meals distribution applications in collaboration with non-profit organizations.

 Our service is open to all, and we settle for SNAP EBT* as a result of high-quality contemporary produce at a nice value ought to be accessible for all. Liz Abunaw

*Digital Advantages Switch (EBT) is an digital system that helps folks entry more healthy meals and different advantages by the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program (SNAP).

Forty Acres Contemporary Market and the hardworking group behind it have grow to be a important a part of the financial revitalization of Chicago’s westside. The awards they obtain are proof that they carry their mission to life:

• 2021 – Folks’s Alternative Award at the Chicago Innovation Awards
• 2022 – Winner of Well-known Amos: Components for Success.

Liz and Forty Acres Contemporary Market have large plans for the future, even past the unbelievable influence they’ve already had.

 We sit up for opening our first brick-and-mortar retailer, which is able to permit us to broaden past contemporary produce to service all of our buyer’s grocery wants. Liz Abunaw

Leveraging On-line Promoting

In 2019, Forty Acres Contemporary Market launched a subscription possibility for their supply service. Initially, they used one other platform to seize orders and course of funds. Nevertheless, it was not user-friendly, particularly as a result of fee assortment was not automated.

Whereas trying to find platforms that comparable companies use, they discovered Ecwid by Lightspeed. Ecwid helped them automate the subscription payment process and broaden their on-line presence.

 Ecwid allowed us to arrange a skilled promoting web page and join it to a fee processor to arrange automated funds for our subscription clients. Better of all, the price was extraordinarily reasonably priced. Liz Abunaw

Forty Acres Contemporary Market additionally makes use of Ecwid to arrange tiered delivery fees by zip code, capture customer emails, and embed their on-line retailer inside their social media platforms and website.

Liz’s Recommendation to Enterprise Homeowners

We requested Liz to share a phrase of knowledge for fellow and aspiring entrepreneurs. She strongly advises enterprise house owners to create a construction for their enterprise as quickly as attainable.

 Creating firm insurance policies, greatest practices, and operational plans offers you a sturdy basis from which to develop your corporation. Liz Abunaw

Liz emphasizes that having a construction permits a enterprise proprietor to broaden and develop their enterprise as a substitute of executing day-to-day duties.

 Growing processes for every part you do is the key to shifting from working in your corporation on a every day foundation to having the freedom to work ON the enterprise.  Liz Abunaw

Ensure to try Forty Acres Fresh Market’s website to see how they assist their neighborhood—we’re certain you’ll be impressed to construct a enterprise that serves a objective.

Share Your Story on the Weblog

In the “Success Tales” part of the Ecwid by Lightspeed weblog, you will get to know fellow retailers and study from first-hand expertise.

If you’d prefer to share your expertise operating an Ecwid retailer or give recommendation to fellow entrepreneurs on the way to use Ecwid instruments to the fullest, we’d like to hear from you. Attain out to [email protected], and we’ll take it from there!