With everyone sent to work from home, sold out supermarket delivery slots and social distancing, lockdown was a little bit scary for us all initially. It was especially difficult for some of our vulnerable neighbours who struggled with the internet and the thought of online shopping was a new world to them. This prompted Pete and Alex to link in with local growers and deliver veg boxes to their communities on a Saturday from the back of Alex’s pick-up truck.
The boys went from delivering 35 boxes a week to over 100 in just a couple of months and it was time to upgrade from Alex’s truck to a van, our very own warehouse and finally, rope in the assistance of tech-wizard, Will, to design and launch our website, and thus… Cotswold Veg Box was born!
We strengthened our links with local farms, took on the role of ‘apple genius’ to some of our first customers and met some lovely pigs and donkeys that we fed our leftover veg to.
By 2021, we were fully up and running. Alex quit his day job, Ellie jumped on social media and customer service (and learned to cook in the process!) and we’d just delivered 600 boxes over our first Christmas - many, many lessons learned in that first year! We also hired our first employee, a very proud milestone for us all!
In October 2021, we launched our Pay It Forward scheme. The country had entered its 3rd lockdown, everyone was arguing over whether a scotch egg was a substantial meal and so many families were facing more and more uncertainty over employment and finances. We had so many lovely customers that wanted to help but didn’t know how. So we created our Pay It Forward (PIF) box, which was a £10 donation to our PIF scheme which we used to deliver veg boxes to local families and foodbanks that needed it.
Thanks to the huge success and generosity of our customers through the Pay It Forward Scheme, we were able to develop relationships with foodbanks throughout the Cotswolds. To date we have delivered over 3000 boxes as part of the scheme and it’s one of the things we’re most proud of here at Cotswold Veg Box.
Bringing the best of the Cotswolds and the country to you. After many months of trialling different couriers and packaging solutions, we finally landed on the perfect solution to get the freshest produce, direct from farms, from our little unit in Ebrington to the rest of the UK.
To support our rapidly growing little business, we enlisted the help of Saffron - our Chief Marketing Officer. As the owner of a Growth Marketing Partner, specialising in cultivating innovative strategies that drive business growth and foster impactful connections. Her approach goes beyond the traditional focus on impact and reach. Crafting solutions that not only tackle business challenges but also forge brand salience and pave the way for a brighter future.
