How our team customizes their weekly basket.
Are you the kind of person who plans meals days ahead of time, or more of a live-on-the-edge cook that works their magic with the random ingredients left in the fridge? Everyone’s grocery list is different, so naturally everyone has a different way of customizing their basket. To help you make the most of your weekly orders, we gathered some tips and tricks from a few of our team members.
Meet Sophie. She’s the mastermind behind our bakery and pastry products, and has been working with us for a year sampling all the fluffy, buttery, and sugary goods along the way - talk about peeeerrrrrks. Her day to day is always different: managing inventory, developing new products with our partners, and of course - purchasing loads of morning-made pastries and breads for Lufavores. Since she became a Lufavore two years ago, she’s tried her fair share of products (she is a purchaser after all) and has crowned her Marketplace fave to be Carbs Bakery crackers…because who doesn’t love a cracker? Here’s how she adds them to her basket every week:
- Sophie’s a planner and before she gets to customizing, she makes sure to list out all her meals for the week. Not only does this first step really help her buy exactly what she needs, it also limits food waste along the way;
- Once she hits the Marketplace, she first picks out her basics: milk, flour, rice (you know, essentials);
- Then she checks out the new sections, scouting the exciting items she made note of from reading the weekly email;
- And to finish it off, she gathers the ingredients she needs for the dishes she has planned.
Pro tip: Sophie recommends prioritizing what's in season for the freshest and ripest options. You should see how excited she is when garlic scapes, squashes or apples are in season - her fridge gets pretty colourful.
Meet Martin. Having just joined the team three weeks ago as our IT manager and software architect, his skills of reorganizing, managing, planning, and developing are already starting to shape so much of what we do. He’s also been a dedicated Lufavore for three years and has really gotten to know the Marketplace. His favourite product is the classic baguette from La Fabrique Arhoma, With no neighbourhood boulangerie near his home, it’s a perfect way to get fresh, Montreal bakery vibes without leaving the house. Here’s how he customizes his basket:
- Martin knows what he wants and gets a similar basket every week. He first picks out his staples: a baguette (or two…or four), milk, and yogourt;
- Then, he goes through each of the categories top to bottom;
- And since he just switched from pick-up point to home delivery, he can now add beer and wine to his basket.
- Lately, he’s been checking out the category to see if there’s anything he wants to give a try.
Pro tip: Martin reads our partner descriptions before choosing his products. He loves to learn about where his food comes, and the story behind each farmer and foodmaker.
Meet Lassaad. He knows Lufa Farms like the back of his hand. Since 2013, he’s worked everywhere from greenhouse to distribution centre to the main office. He spent many years in customer service - listening to every question, compliment, complaint, concern, and query there ever was. He’s now the supervisor for our learning team, and has been an incredible mentor and leader to new team members. We honestly wouldn’t be where we are today without incredible people like Lassaad. Like many other Lufavores, he adores our rooftop cherry tomatoes, and this is his take on how to customize:
- Lassaad never misses a beat. Right when he gets the email letting him know his Marketplace is open, he jumps on and starts customizing with no time to waste (and no sold outs in sight);
- Then he goes through his favourites (tip! you can add a product to your faves by clicking the heart icon) - making sure to add the cherry tomatoes, of course;
- Lassaad is a curious and adventurous eater. He always looks at the new category, adding anything he’s never seen before and wants to try;
- When he’s all set, he reviews his order and removes anything from the base basket he doesn’t need.
Pro tip: Lassaad checks the Marketplace often while it’s open, because sometimes sold out items come back in stock. He also always reads the product descriptions - because we give loads of important info to make sure you’re ordering exactly what you want.
And now, time to get customizing!
