Employer Sponsored Farm Shares
Our Employer Sponsored Farm Share program provides a weekly share of Siena Farms' vegetables, fruit, flowers, or mushrooms, delivered to your coworker's homes or workplace as a healthy and delicious wellness benefit.
Simply connect us with your HR team to set this up, and earn yourself a FREE year-round Farm Share of your choosing – as our thank you!
PARTICIPATING EMPLOYERS
Q: What seasons and Farm Share options are available for my coworkers?
A: We operate our CSA year-round, and divide the year into four, 12-week seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. All of our CSA Farm Share options are available at a discount for your team, and you can choose from our menu of Vegetable, Fruit, Flower, and Mushroom Shares, as well as our Monthly CSA Subscriptions. That said, our Employer Sponsored Farm Share plans are highly flexible, and can be customized around your organization's specific goals and budget. We can even set up a one-time delivery of produce or flowers to your office for a special occasion.
Q: Does the employer cover the whole cost of the Farm Share for its employees, or are there cost sharing options?
A: We can accommodate either approach depending on your budget and goals.
Q: Aside from the fresh produce, what are the perks of an Employer Sponsored Farm Share program?
A: Great question! In addition to supporting the nutritional health of your coworkers by making it affordable and convenient for them to eat lots of fresh produce, our goal is to build a long-term relationship between Siena Farms and your team. This is done through our weekly e-newsletter with recipes, updates and photos from the fields, plus annual farm events including optional private farm tours with Farmer Chris and Chef Ana. The perks for the farm include of course the unique resilience, efficiency, and intimacy provided by the CSA business model, where our customers share in the inherent risks, and delicious rewards, of vegetable farming in New England.
Q: Sounds like a no-brainer! But I'm curious, are there a lot of other farms serving local employers in this way?
A: Not yet, but we're hoping to help change that. It's one of Farmer Chris' long term goals to see the CSA model of sourcing food directly from farms become mainstream across the Northeast region. We believe that if Employer Sponsored Farm Share programs become as common as, say, employer sponsored health insurance plans, the benefits for public health would be meaningful, and the benefits to the region's agricultural economy and landscape would be stunning.
Q: OK, I'm in! But tell me more about the delivery options and geography, please.
A: We can set up deliveries directly to your workplace for convenient office pickup for employees. We also work with a local distribution company called What Cheer Fruit & Produce to provide home delivery to your coworkers living anywhere in Eastern MA from Worcester eastward, including all of Greater Boston, Metro West, Cape Cod, and the North Shore; and in NYC to any address in Brooklyn and Manhattan. You can view our current delivery range for MA here, and our range for NYC here. Please let us know if you are interested in a location not currently designated in our maps in case there is additional flexibility. Bulk delivery to your workplace is complimentary, while home delivery costs an additional $12/share/week.
Q: When do you deliver?
A: Together, we’ll match a day of the week that works well for you and for our drivers.
Q: If we arrange for delivery to the office building, how does that work?
A: Our driver delivers the Farm Shares by an agreed-upon time in the day. Most sites use a self-serve model with Farm Share boxes stacked in a designated spot for employees to pick up. We provide a weekly checklist for each employee to check off their name when they pick up their share. Employees communicate directly with our office staff at the farm to coordinate their individualized pickup schedule to work around travel and vacation dates, etc.
Q: How many of my employees could participate?
A: We can currently accommodate a wide range of scales, from as low as 10 boxes per week, up to several hundred.
Q: Got it. But wait! Does it take a lot of time and paperwork to set this up?
A: Nope! We're a small farm business, with no hoops to jump through. If you have requirements for us such as liability insurance certificates, W-9's, etc., we're happy to provide whatever paperwork you need, but on our end a simple phone call to answer questions, talk delivery logistics, establish a marketing plan and payment plan, and pick a start date, is pretty much it. Like all of our CSA Farm Shares, payment is normally made up-front ahead of the season, but custom payment schedules can also be accommodated.
Q: How do I let my employees know about Employer Sponsored Farm Shares?
A: We’re happy to provide physical and electronic marketing materials, including photos, flyers, logos, and more — just let us know what would be helpful.
Q: Are there additional ways my organization can engage with the Siena Farms' community?
A: Of course! We offer opportunities to support hunger relief and expand access to fresh, healthy vegetables across Greater Boston and NYC through our Food Security Farm Share program. We would also welcome a conversation around private events out at the farm for your team, including volunteer days, mini-retreats, etc.
Q: And last but not least, can you tell me more about the FREE year-round Farm Share offer you mentioned above?
A: Yes! As a gesture of thanks for connecting us with your HR team to set this up, we will treat you to a complimentary year-round Farm Share of your choosing, from our full menu of options (Four-Season Vegetable Farm Share; Year-Round Fruit Share; Four-Season Flower Share; or Year-Round Mushroom Share). Your pick, upon successful setup of an Employer Sponsored Farm Share relationship with your employer. And if you've already purchased your Farm Shares for this season, we'll credit your complimentary year-round share for next season.
Thank you for your interest in Siena Farms. Please call Ruby, Jennie, Maxine, Becca, or Farmer Chris at 978-261-5365, or email us at office@sienafarms.com, to learn more about customizing an Employer Sponsored Farm Share plan for your team.