A few years ago, home delivery of farm produce was a booming business in Lithuania. Today, it appears to have lost some of its shine. While there are still customers, farmers interviewed by LRT.lt say people are now less inclined to stock up on food, ordering smaller quantities – and delivering just a few cucumbers or a box of eggs is rarely worth the trip.
Deliveries only for regulars
Rolandas Ruibys, who has been farming and growing vegetables in Plungė district, northwestern Lithuania, for over two decades, told LRT.lt that he sells most of his produce at markets, delivering directly to homes only for regular customers by prior arrangement.
He said orders are largely dependent on the season – in autumn, customers tend to want more potatoes or cabbage, while in summer, as Ruibys joked, it seems nothing is needed other than cucumbers.
He added that direct-to-door sales are rarely profitable.
“We don’t deliver because there just aren’t enough orders to make it worthwhile. Plungė is a small market – not a big city – so there aren’t many buyers,” Ruibys explained.
Some customers, he noted, are also drawn away by the growing number of retail stores.
“Before supermarkets came along, the farmers' markets were big and busy. Then the shops started opening, and the markets shrank,” he said.
Mantas Mikilkevičius, who set up his farm in Šilutė district in western Lithuania ten years ago and sells vegetables in the port of Klaipėda, has had a similar experience.
“We sell at the market, and sometimes supply bars and canteens under contract. We have long-term customers who order home deliveries if they want larger quantities – a few bags at a time. But that demand is falling. People no longer stockpile food; they shop perhaps for the week. It’s more convenient for them to just buy what they need, when they need it,” he said.
A wider range keeps customers interested
Daiva Jankauskaitė, co-owner of the ‘Namai be dūmų’ farm in Anykščiai district, northeastern Lithuania, says home delivery still appeals to her customers.
While they raise sheep, keep laying hens, and grow vegetables and grains, she says eggs remain the most popular product.
“Every Thursday, we deliver to around 15–20 drop-off points in Vilnius, its surrounding district, Anykščiai and Ukmergė,” she said.
Orders vary – some clients want five or six boxes of eggs every fortnight, while larger families take 10–12 boxes a week. In some cases, friends or neighbours place one large order and divide it among themselves.
“Our goal is to deliver larger quantities. Taking two boxes to a single home isn’t worth it, except for our first customers who have been with us since the beginning,” Jankauskaitė said with a smile.
To meet customer needs, she has expanded the farm’s range.
“We used to focus mainly on eggs, but this year we started growing vegetables because people kept asking for them. Still, this summer’s weather has been tough for crops,” she noted.
The interviewee added that if a farmer wants it to be worthwhile to deliver vegetables to someone, they need to take something else along as well.
“We run a mixed farm: we have meat sheep, eggs, vegetables, and a mill which we will be bringing into operation in the near future. If you only grow cucumbers, it is clear that delivery will not be cost-effective, as people simply will not buy large quantities – why would they? After all, it is a perishable food product,” the farmer observed.
Winning trust in the market first
Edita Tuomienė, owner of the ‘Tuomų ūkis’ farm in Ukmergė district, eastern Lithuania, says lamb is becoming more popular in Lithuanian diets – but without farmers' market sales, growth would be slow.
“When we started selling lamb, people were hesitant. Many believed it had a strong smell or taste and were afraid to try it,” she said.
The situation began to change after they started selling in the market – farmers not only offered their own home-grown meat but also grilled lamb sausages on the spot. This tactic paid off, as after tasting them, people were more willing to buy other products as well.
She added that some customers, having once purchased produce at the market, would next time ask for it to be delivered to their homes.
“It has worked for us to first win a customer at the market. Later, once people are convinced that we sell a good product, they then place home delivery orders. Slaughtering takes place every Thursday, and we do it in the quantities we sell – only in exceptional cases do we slaughter on other days,” Tuomienė explained.
According to her, most customers are concentrated in the country’s major cities – Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Palanga and Šiauliai.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
