Danish company wants to shorten link between grower & consumer

Back in 1999, Aarstiderne A/S started off with the ambition of making the link between growers and customers a lot closer. Customers were offered a subscription to a particular garden and could come and collect whatever fresh vegetables were available at that particular time. The company grew the products themselves, and soon discovered that many people said they were having difficulties using all of the vegetables they would receive from the garden. In order to help their customers eliminate food waste, they started sharing tips and recipes to educate customers become better cooks.

"It wasn't really until 2007 when we fully started developing the meal boxes for our customers where we provided the exact portions of all of the ingredients and recipes for 2,3 or 4 days worth of meals for specific family sizes. We were the first in Denmark to offer this service and everything we send is 100% organic." shared Mette Andersen from Aarstiderne.

Since its inception, the customer has developed a range of around 10 different boxes, depending on what that particular customer requires. There are some focused around lifestyle, like the low-carb box, but they are also designed to fit different family types. We have boxes for families with young children, but also boxes to fit customers who would like more exotic meals.

"There are a lot of different opportunities for the boxes and the plan is very flexible, with virtually no commitment. You can choose to have it every week, every other week, switch to a new type of box from one week to the other, all of these changes can be made up to the night before." said Andersen.

Today the company delivers to around 55,000+ households in Denmark and 5,000 in Sweden. Everything is packed the day before and delivered the next day, to the door. In addition to the meal boxes, the company continues to offer their original fruit and vegetable boxes, as an addition to the meal plan.

On the back of the recent boost in popularity for veganism, a fully vegan box was launched this week. On the menu this week, for those trying the boxes for the first time, is:

Caponata with pasta , olives, eggplant , parsley and pumpkin seeds
Banh mi with toasted chickpea-" tofu" sweet chili and vegetables
Black hummus with olives and tabouleh
Potato and celeriac purée with roasted peas and onion with salsa

"It is important in this industry to make sure to keep an eye out for the current trends, as they are constantly changing. We are doing our best to stay on top of our customer's demands." concludes Andersen.

For more information:
Mette Andersen
Aarstiderne
Tel: +45 7026 0066
Email: mea@aarstiderne.com
www.aarstiderne.com