The Cooperative Path from Farm to Store

Blake Johnson’s education and professional background is in Information Systems, but his passion became agriculture.

“I was introduced to a local beef farmer to fix a fence, and through that connection, I started driving part-time for FLX Farm Fresh, helping to get their produce from the Finger Lakes to Rochester,” Blake said.

FLX Farm Fresh formed from the great idea of one Amish farmer who reached out to other farmers in his community and invited them to a meeting. They discussed how individual farm families could work together to bring their products to a broader market. The Co-op was formed in 2022 with one farmer who had access to technology leading the charge. They started with a box program for direct-to-home delivery sales, but soon the truck was full and operations were growing – they needed a bigger truck and a driver.

“About three months later I accepted a full-time position. My business card can’t list all my titles now, ” Blake laughs. “My purpose really is to be a bridge for the plain communities that don’t use technology and facilitate them bringing their food to market.”

Blake is in touch with every one of the twenty Mennonite and Amish farms on a 135-mile loop around Seneca Lake through Ontario, Seneca, and Yates Counties that comprise FLX Farm Fresh. He manages ordering and deliveries through a tool of communication almost forgotten – landline phones.

“Mennonites have landline phones in their homes, but many don’t have voicemail. The Amish keep phones in shanties by the road and can access voicemail. It’s a system of making phone calls, leaving messages, and the driver picking up according to a schedule,” Blake summarizes. “And the Co-op is a huge benefit for our customers. Rather than trying to communicate with twenty farms who may specialize in tomatoes or potatoes or Brussels sprouts – I’m one contact that can provide them with a long list of produce we can source from among twenty farms and schedule delivery of the produce they need.”

Storage crops like carrots, onions, potatoes, beets, and winter squash are stored in their packing facility, in winter, but most of FLX Farm Fresh’s produce is harvested-to-order.

“When I get an order for 1,200 pounds of rhubarb, for example, it’s still growing in the ground,” Blake explained. “I am sourcing it from a bunch of different farms, making calls, and getting it picked up fresh and delivered the next day.”

Blake ensures their Cooperative is purchasing the produce from the family farms at a fair price and reselling to retailers and restaurants. He estimates that GreenStar Food Co+op comprises over 10% of FLX Farm Fresh local business, but they reach as far as New York City and Ohio.

“Some of these family farms wouldn’t be growing produce without FLX Farm Fresh,” Blake said. “They could be growing for produce auctions, but the selling price is variable and they could lose money. The Co-op provides consistency and stable markets, and there is a guaranteed fair price for their produce.”

Farmers are also able to make better plans for their farming seasons based on consistent orders from customers. FLX Farm Fresh has about 60,000 square feet of greenhouses among the twenty farms to grow and sell greens and other crops in the winter months, providing a year-long income for many farmers.

“Farming is a declining profession. The mission and vision for FLX Farm Fresh is to help small family farmers live on their farm, do the work they love, and ensure the next generation of farmers in this community can make a living,” said Blake, who has found professional purpose and joy in his unique position of supporting Amish and Mennonite family farms.

“I can’t see myself working with any other group of people. It’s my purpose to support and help them.”