Relationships on the Farm and Beyond
The heart and soul of Vintage Meadows are the relationships that form its foundation.
How many of you would call yourselves introverts? Extroverts? Introverts typically prefer less stimulation, finding peace and fulfillment in quiet and often solitary spaces, while extroverts feel energized by being in social settings. An Internet search will reveal a pretty even split of introverts versus extroverts - approximately 50% of the U.S. population considers themselves introverts, and 50% considers themselves extroverts, but many people are somewhere in the middle. However, whether you’re introverted or extroverted, relationships are one of the most valuable parts of our lives.
On our farm, we cultivate relationships with many different people, connecting and mutually benefitting with each one.
Hosts
We LOVE our hosts! In fact, we could not do what we do without them. Our Chicago delivery routes consist of 20 different pickup locations. Each pickup location represents an individual or a family who feels passionate enough about healthy living, their community, and Vintage Meadows’s mission to dedicate time each week to serve us and our customers.
“As a Chicago customer, you visit someone’s personal home or business when you pick up your orders each week.”
As a Chicago customer, you visit someone’s personal home or business when you pick up your orders each week. Our hosts make sure their spaces are clean, organized, and easy-to-navigate. Additionally, they provide personal support during pickup hours, by being available to help with lost product, order confusion, and any other issues that may arise. After the day’s orders are picked up, the host tidies the space in preparation for the next delivery.
To show our appreciation for our hosts, they receive a few host benefits, but the responsibility they take on for the sake of their community far outweighs it. If you haven’t lately, take some time to thank your pickup location hosts for what they do. They are the crucial puzzle pieces to making our system work for us and for you.
Partner Farms
Vintage Meadows offers a wide variety of products, but our partner farms are what make that possible. By partnering with local, likeminded farmers, we can provide our customers with things like unpasteurized, unhomogenized dairy (Thanks, Farmer Steve)! Our partner farmers care as much as we do about producing REAL food with real nutrients. Our customers can enjoy all natural bread and cookies thanks to Lamar and Fannie at Golden Grain Bakery, organic fruits and vegetables thanks to Nathan and Emily Hooley at Ridge Lane Farm, organic coffee thanks to Regina at the Refinery Coffee Company, fermented krauts and drinks thanks to Joe Gady and the team at Farming For Life, and more.
Employees
Each of our employees has a specific job description, but understands that their tasks may end up looking a little different depending on the day. Packing manager Beth and packing assistants Amy, Jean, Courtney, and Alondra pack each customer’s order every week. John Willis provides valuable administrative support in many areas, while Aimee Willis’s marketing reach significantly impacts our customers. Bailey, Brad, John, and Ryan deliver your food to Chicago each week, and Ryan and Katrina Schrock are there each Saturday morning to greet our local customers, along with Olivia and Kalli. Amber takes care of the bills and makes sure we get all get paid. Naomi, Carly, and Colin keep the wheels of our business greased and running by providing support, while Cuco helps John and Ryan with allllll of the chores and related responsibilities such as hauling livestock.
Our employees are characterized by their positivity, work ethic, flexibility, and commitment to Vintage Meadows. We are grateful for each one.
Our Employees…
are characterized by their positivity, work ethic, flexibility, and commitment to Vintage Meadows.
Customers
To our customers, thank you for your support. We love meeting you, building relationships with you, and becoming a part of your lives. Getting to know you all is one of the greatest joys of Vintage Meadows and something we’ll never take for granted.
The heart and soul of Vintage Meadows are the relationships that form its foundation. We are grateful for the ones we have and we look forward to the ones to come!
