The pandemic and our new economic climate has re-emphasised the importance of ‘local’ in Northern Ireland, and no one is keeping it as local as Emilia Klak and Marcin Piotrowski of Farm Next Door – NI’s freshest and most sustainable grocery delivery service. As food shortages have left many chain grocery shelves empty, Farm Next Door is filling the void by delivering fresh, local produce to your door safely and conveniently.
“To compound what is already a historically difficult period, we have a food shortage – or at least it would appear that way. At Farm Next Door, we are overrun with delicious and healthy, Northern Irish products, and we can deliver them to your doorstep without you ever having to leave the comfort and safety of your home.” – Emilia
What Farm Next Door offers is a service that keeps you healthier, happier and safer, while supporting small businesses and uplifting local communities. They employ strict social distancing, health, and safety protocols and their operation is largely plastic-free and environmentally friendly. In short, when we hear in the news the need to build up the local economy while also staying safe, Farm Next Door is doing exactly that.
Farm Next Door is proving that we have all that we need and more locally and that these ingredients ought to be embraced and prioritised. Not only are they addressing a current and worrying need, but they’re also developing a model that could be duplicated throughout the food and beverage sector and beyond
This difficult period has taught us three things:
1) ‘Local’ matters even more than ever before and, through services like Farm Next Door, we are learning that NI has the ability to sustainably feed itself – and feed itself well!
2) Resourcefulness, adaptation and being proactive rather than reactive is how we can address difficult socioeconomic circumstances through this uncertain time.
3) The expertise of those from abroad who have come to call this place home can never be underestimated.
What’s fantastic about purchasing your produce from Farm Next Door is you’re not only supporting one local business, but dozens.
“Our local providers are fresh and sustainable; they don’t use preservatives, pesticides or hormones. We love doing business with them and we’re happy to promote them whenever possible.” – Marcin
The skills and knowledge they’ve brought with them to NI are having other positive impacts. They’re now working with farmers to produce fruits and vegetables locally that they’ve missed dearly from their native Poland and further afar, expanding the already world-class ingredients NI offers.
In difficult times, health, and well-being, as well as uplifting each other, are amongst the most important things. Supporting Farm Next Door helps you achieve this and more.
“We have a saying, ‘Back to the roots’. That sums up all that we are about. Not only do we want people to enjoy local food, but we want them to better understand and cherish where their food is coming from and what goes into it.” – Marcin
“With us, you’re not supporting some big company, you’re supporting the community – a community that is actively and collaboratively addressing a need in society today, so that we won’t have to continue to worry about it tomorrow.” – Emilia
While supermarkets continue to haul in and give precedence to subpar products from abroad, this couple – along with other local food and drink pioneers – against all the obstacles afforded by Covid and Brexit, are proving that Northern Ireland’s food industry can sustain itself. With this sort of entrepreneurial spirit and grit, there’s no wonder why many await in anticipation what will be achieved in Northern Ireland’s culinary scene over the next decade, no matter the odds.
Get ‘back to your roots’ and order what you’ve been missing from your ‘Farm Next Door’!
You can place your next grocery order here and find them on social media at the links below.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmNextDoorUK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farm_next_door/
This article has been produced and promoted by The Underbelly, NI’s latest and greatest food, drink and travel publication.