Innovation

The Sustainable Market began as a small buying club facilitated by Raine Okum. Okum and her group of friends would gather in her garage to divvy up locally purchased goods. By collaborating together, the group could purchase items (such as a whole cow or pig) from local farmers and share them among many members. This eliminated unnecessary food waste, supported local farmers who practiced sustainable farming, and allowed members to have access to high quality, organic, chemical-free foods at an affordable price. Word got out about this club and quickly grew from a group of seven friends to a whopping twenty-six members. The demand was so high that Okum had to put people on a waiting list--both to join the club as well as to purchase specific goods.

Okum’s unique business plan optimizes the benefit for both the consumer and the producer. The Sustainable Market vows to only provide customers food from producers, most of them local farmers, who use sustainable farming practices and encourages zero food waste. Using her innovative online farmers market business plan, Okum begins by determining what products her local partners will have harvested and ready for the coming week and in what quantity. She puts that information online where customers pre-order exact quantities during specific weekly/biweekly ordering periods. Once an item is sold out, that’s it: it is no longer available.

When the ordering period is closed, Okum and her team purchase the pre-determined quantities ordered by their customers. Customers have two pick-up location options, one in Guelph and one in Kitchener. If a customer is in a hurry and doesn’t have time to gather their order at the market, they can pay a small fee and The Sustainable Market team will get it ready ahead of time. This entire process from start to finish takes one week. After the goods are picked up by customers, the process begins again.

Through this inventive business model, the orders Okum places to her farming partners are guaranteed sales for them; she already has buyers for the products she is purchasing, thus eliminating food waste.

In an interview, Okum highlights the importance of transparency in her business, stating, “Everything is pre-ordered and there is little risk to the farmer this way. The thing about sustainable markets is transparency and knowing where the food is coming from; here’s the ingredients and here’s where the ingredients are sourced from."

Okum and her team have a true passion for sustainability. Okum’s mission started out small, between her and some like-minded friends who wanted to make informed decisions about the food they were feeding their families and where it came from. Okum realized that the more people became educated and aware of sustainable food practices, the more people were interested in purchasing sustainable products. Okum and her team have a clear purpose: to educate people on sustainable food practices and offer customers these types of products at a reasonable and affordable price.

The zero hunger sustainable development goal emphasizes the belief in ending hunger, achieving food security, improving overall nutrition, and the overall awareness of sustainable agricultural practices. Sustainable agricultural practices are paramount to the core mission and values of The Sustainable Market and can be seen in the company’s day-to-day operations. This goal is further exemplified through Okum and her team in their dedication to buy sustainable food locally and ensure the food is affordable. “A delivery company out of the Toronto area, [is] getting a good portion of their food from us out here locally. They’re bringing the food back to Toronto, [they] package it up and then put a 300% markup on it." The Sustainable Market aids in improving overall nutrition through its dedication to only provide goods that are free of harmful sprays, chemicals and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The sustainable cities and communities goal stresses the importance of making societies inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The Sustainable Market reaches this goal through partnering with local farmers and providing the farmers with a more consistent and reliable source of revenue. Okum’s company also touches on making society sustainable because they only sell products in the quantities they readily have access to; they never order more than they need, guaranteeing a 100 percent rate of consumption. “The farmers tell me what they are going to have, if they say they will only have 16 kale bunches, that’s all I’ll list. Once they’re sold out, it’s great to see because it shows [the farmers] that there is a demand and that they need to grow more."

This goal focuses on ensuring that communities consume products at a sustainable level and encourages responsible production patterns. This goal was seen in the early stages of this business, as Okum explained in an interview, “We would call farmers and buy a whole pig and share [it]." The Sustainable Market will order quantities required by customers and their farmers will harvest only what is required. The company values responsible consumption: it is the backbone of The Sustainable Market's entire operating philosophy. Okum takes things one step further by also facilitating partnerships between her farmers and other companies (example: a juicing company) that can utilize a crop of "seconds" that the farmer needs to sell as soon as possible.

Inspiration

Okum was inspired through three distinct factors that led to the creation of The Sustainable Market.

Initially, in an effort to provide for her family, she began developing partnerships with many local, sustainable farmers, from whom she would purchase sustainably produced items and share among her buying club friends. The rapid success of her small buying club indicated that she was not alone in wanting local, quality goods that were produced in a sustainable way.

Okum was also inspired to pursue her innovative idea because of her memories of being raised in a farming community. According to Okum, she has always felt a deep, personal connection to the farming community, having many fond memories of preserving and beekeeping as a child. In developing partnerships with sustainable farmers, she noticed an immense disconnection between farmers and consumers and wanted to find a sustainable way to bring the two together.

Another source of inspiration came from when Okum worked in retail and witnessed first-hand the sheer volume of wasted food that occurred on a daily basis. This experience affected her significantly because she knew this amount of food waste was unacceptable.

When combining Okum’s childhood experiences with her experiences in retail, it is easy to understand her motivation for partnering with local farmers. As her idea became popular among her friends and then beyond, Okum’s purpose became crystal clear and The Sustainable Market began.

Overall impact

The Sustainable Market was created with a specific vision in mind: zero waste, zero genetically modified crops, no chemical laden produce. This mission has allowed the business to grow rapidly into a profitable e-commerce venture. It provides an accessible and affordable option for clients to purchase products from farmers who operate in a sustainable manner.

The Sustainable Market has also had a tremendously positive impact on local farmers. A large portion of the business’s contracted farmers are part of local Mennonite and Amish communities. A partnership with Okum allows them to participate in the local economy while creating a sustainable livelihood. This is because The Sustainable Market's business model allows for a guaranteed sale.

Contracting with farmers who commit to growing organically and sustainably has led to greater transparency, understanding, and appreciation between the local society and the farmers. This has also led to consumers having a better understanding of where their food is coming from and how it was produced and results in their desire to purchase quality, clean, local products. This company has also positively impacted the local environment. Farmers involved with Okum's business must comply with a high standard for sustainable production practices across all aspects of their operation. This helps reduce harmful chemicals from being sprayed on crops and spread into the soil.

The short-term impact of this innovation has allowed Okum and her team to provide a steady income for their families as well as for the contracted farmers she partners with. She was also able to catch the attention of CBC News where she was featured in an article highlighting her innovation and the positive impact it is having on the community, further spreading awareness of her business and business model.

The long-term impacts of The Sustainable Market includes encouraging people within the community to eat locally, spreading awareness about a need for transparency in food production, reducing unnecessary food wastage, and encouraging the education and awareness of sustainable business practices. This promotes healthier lifestyles, supports local enterprises, and reduces harmful chemicals used in agriculture. Okum and her team frequently sell out of items they list on the website each week. This indicates that their message about sustainable practices and purchasing food locally is in fact reaching many people in the community.

Business benefit

The Sustainable Market’s innovative business model has enabled Okum to start and continue a successful business venture while also featuring elements such as transparency that are intrinsically important to her and the company’s values. The Sustainable Market has also benefited the local communities of Guelph and Kitchener and the surrounding local farming community. The organization provides farmers with the opportunity to produce and sell their products in a more consistent, viable way. Large corporations will sell the same products as The Sustainable Market but at a significant markup. Large operations are also not always transparent about the way their products are produced. As education and awareness of sustainable farming practices continues to increase and become more popular, The Sustainable Market and its unique business model is experiencing substantial benefits in terms of overall operational success.

Social and environmental benefit

The largest environmental impact seen from the innovation is the reduction of food wastage. Farmers all adhere to similar, strict contract agreements that aim to reduce unnecessary waste by selling their "seconds" to companies who are able to utilize these products for their own operations. The largest societal impact is that this innovative business model can easily be duplicated by other entrepreneurs in their respective communities. The Sustainable Market has positively impacted their local communities as the business continues to grow and become more popular. As this popularity grows, other communities will potentially start to see similar business models operate in their communities, experiencing similar benefits currently seen in the Guelph and Kitchener communities.

References:

Okum, R. (2016). The Sustainable Market. Retrieved February 9, 2018, from
https://sustainablemarket.ca/

Okum, R. (2018). Interview with Raine Okum, founder of The Sustainable Market [Personal Interview].

Sharkey, J. (2015). New online farmers’ market launches in Waterloo and Guelph. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/new-online-farmers-
market-launches-in-waterloo-and-guelph-1.3096979

Interview

Raine Okum, Founder