Mother and Entrepreneur Delivers Milk to Your Door
by Theresa Carpine3/19/2008 6:42:24 PM
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Imagine trying to raise a family, finishing a Master's degree in Public and Community Health, and starting up not just one but two businesses in the same year. Most people would be intimidated to undertake just one of those endeavors, let alone all of them at once. But that’s just what Amanda Werchan did.
When Amanda sees something that's missing in our community, she doesn't just sigh and say "Too bad." If her family's needs aren't being met, she takes it upon herself to make things happen, usually for the benefit of the larger community as well. Her concern about sending her daughters to a public middle school prompted her organization of Fairhaven Girls' School for girls in grades 5-8, which is currently accepting enrollment for Fall 2008. And as if she wasn't busy enough already, she recently launched another entrepreneurial effort, a grocery delivery service called Eco Milk Delivery.
Clara and Hannah help out with Eco Milk Delivery.
“The idea for Eco Milk started last the summer when my family tried out a local, organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and we loved it! We were saving money and eating better. And my kids actually liked the vegetables because they were fresh and tasted like vegetables should taste,” she explained. “But then fall arrived and the CSA ended and we were all very sad, for about a month.” In October, Amanda started ordering fruits and vegetables from Dandelion Organic Delivery. “We don't know exactly what we're going to get each week, so it’s a fun surprise and the kids are excited to try new things.”
The convenience of having fruits and vegetables brought right to her door only whetted Amanda’s appetite. “I wanted a milkman,” she resolved. “When we run out of milk at our house, we have to drop everything and go to the grocery store.” Amanda likes to joke that she used to have perfect attendance at the grocery store and discovered that she spending a lot of money on things she didn’t really need during her daily trips.
Since the days of the milkman are long behind us, Amanda saw that milk delivery was an untapped market in Bellingham. By providing this service to others in our community, she could help other busy families save time and money, and reduce the pollution caused by those daily car trips to the store. She began contacting local farms and businesses about organizing personal home deliveries of their products, such as milk, eggs, fair trade coffee and bread.
The wheels in Amanda's brain started turning, and pretty soon the wheels of her bicycle were turning too when she decided that bicycle deliveries would be an eco-friendly way to transport the groceries. “I wanted to start riding my bike more often for exercise anyway, so everything just came together.” She initially began advertising in places like the Columbia neighborhood-- “the flat neighborhoods,” she clarified-- but they’ve quickly expanded to a number of neighborhoods across Bellingham, from Fairhaven to Cornwall Park. Her family started making deliveries in March and doubled their business in the first two weeks. “Eight happy customers!” Amanda declared with a smile. Their clientele ranges from other families with growing children to single people to older, housebound couples.
Deliveries occur on Wednesday afternoons. “My husband Ellis comes home from work and stays with our son (Leo, 2 years old) while the girls (Hannah, 11, and Clara, 7) and I make the deliveries,” Amanda said. They get the milk fresh off the truck, buy the other items offered on their menu from Terra Organica at the Public Market, fill their coolers, and set off on their bikes, towing their deliveries in a make-shift delivery wagon. “It’s an old child bike trailer,” she admitted. “My father is making another trailer for us and we’re hoping to get some more delivery people soon. I’d love to have some moms riding their bikes for us.”
One of the most important things about this business is that Amanda is able to include her family. “The girls help do the math when we get orders and they help come up with marketing ideas,” Amanda said. She also plans to use Eco Milk Delivery as an example for Fairhaven Girls' School. “We want to show our students that when you have idea, and it’s something that you’re really passionate about, you can make it happen,” she said.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Amanda and her businesses, you can visit Eco Milk Delivery to see their product menu and services. And check out Fairhaven Girls' School to learn more about the learning opportunities for middle school age girls in Bellingham, both over the summer and during the school year.