“Most of us love greens and herbs, and often, they are the simplest and easiest sources of essential nutrients. But lack of time to shop for fresh produce deters us from cooking them on a regular basis,” says Preeta Suresh, director, Freshlings. In February, the company launched a subscription-based box of greens, herbs, and salad leaves, sourced from a network of hydroponic farms in and around Chennai, to be home delivered.
“The idea is to supply plant-based nutrition to people. Our produce is pesticide-free and grown in sterile environment, and we make sure that from the farm, it is sent directly to consumers. We send out our boxes once a week,” says Preeta.
Freshlings collects the harvest from farms and despatches them to its customers every Friday. This eliminates middlemen or storage for a long period. “The subscription system also has the advantage of giving us a clear idea of the demand, and we tweak our supply accordingly. We tell our partner farmers to cultivate produce as per demand, in specific quantities, thereby eliminating any wastage. We will also be rotating the varieties so that consumers get different types of greens every week,” she says.
Volunteers at Freshlings
The greens box, which can be subscribed to be delivered either weekly or fortnightly, has four different types of greens, such as salad leaves (arugula/rocket, red and green lettuce, romaine), leafy greens (bok choy, kale, spinach, watercress or amaranth), herbs (Thai basil, Italian basil, mint) and a ‘surprise’ addition of special items such as candy pepper, baby carrots or cherry tomatoes.
The boxes are packed as fixed portions, sufficient for a family of four. “We also give tips and suggestions on how to cook certain greens. For example, Italian basil need not only be used to make pesto, but can be added to dosa batter or made into a chutney as well. Thai basil is best suited for any type of curry or can be added to a stir-fry. We also share our customers’ recipes on our Instagram handle,” says Preeta. She adds that they have secured permission from the authorities to deliver their products during the lockdown period.
To subscribe, call 9176854422. Email: fresh@futurefarms.in
