It’s moving time!
Pre-Warehouse Move.
We have an update. Our Ahuntsic distribution centre - where last week we sent out a record 17,300 baskets to Lufavores - is officially moving. It’s where our first ever basket and every order since has been packed. A place where we have some great, and some pretty tough, memories from over the years. The move, happening this month, is the first of its kind for us. And that means no matter how much prep work has gone down or how many meetings we’ve organized, there’s always the potential for chaos to ensue. And we’ve come to terms with that, mainly because we’ve been waiting for this moment longer than you’d expect.
It’s high time. It took eight years to outgrow our current Ahuntsic distribution centre. And it wasn’t as if one day, we realized we lacked basket space and decided to move right there and then. Far from it. Part of being a Lufavore is making the most of what we have - whether that’s giving misfit veggies a second life or setting up basket shelving in every nook and cranny. We knocked down walls. For years, the warehouse stretched to meet our needs. From 200 baskets a week in 2011 to over 17,000 today, you could say this distribution centre served its purpose and did it well. And now we couldn’t be more grateful to have the opportunity to grow into a new space, this one in Ville Saint-Laurent and three times the size of our first.
It’s a big move. The kind that requires a mega spreadsheet to keep track of all the moving parts and people. For the last few months, we’ve been testing logistics - from forklifts, to pallet placement, to conveyor systems - in preparation. So: bear with us. We have a killer team behind the whole operation, but it would be silly to expect everything to go perfectly. One thing’s for sure, we’ll keep you posted from A to Z.
Cheers to a huge milestone, Lufavores, and thank you!
The Lufa Farms Team
Scroll down to see the evolution of our Ahuntsic distribution centre.
We started off sending 200 baskets a week. And yep, they used to be cardboard.
Our pick-and-pack system in action. In 2013, we moved to the first floor of our building for more space and a better racking system.
With our third greenhouse in Anjou, we were able to start sending out over 10,000 baskets a week, all still packed and shipped from our Ahuntsic site. As we grew, we took over more and more of the first floor. Now we’re headed for VSL!
Post-Warehouse Move.
Three weeks later, we’re excited to declare the long-anticipated move DONE. Here’s how it went down.
It was an epic (though imperfect) success. We managed to move warehouses “live” over Easter weekend without halting our normal delivery schedule. It was our first-ever move, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. To get the job done, we had a powerhouse team behind the whole operation that worked around the clock (literally, 24-hour, non-stop action). And it all came together just in time for Monday baskets.
We moved, but now we’re settling in. As pumped as we are to be in a bigger and better space, the move has been a huge adjustment for everyone involved. To avoid late deliveries as much as possible, we gave ourselves a cut-off time for packing. This meant we had to send out baskets with some items missing. We’re still not perfect, but our team has made huge strides in the last three weeks and we’re getting the hang of the new site. So thank you - it’s been a transition and we pulled it off because of the amazing support (and patience!) of you Lufavores.
Onwards!
The Lufa Farms Team
We hit the ground running.
Three words: super. wide. aisles.
A pretty Genovese basil plant peeking out of a basket.
