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Riverford Organic Franchise

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Riverford Organic Farms Franchise
Vegetable Delivery Franchise

Riverford Organic Farms Franchise - Vegetable Delivery Franchise

Riverford grow the vegetables, you grow your business

Riverford is different – it’s not just about the money. It is all about people and food - especially their shared passion for growing and eating fresh, seasonal, organic food.

The Riverford Organic Farms Franchise is showing sustained year-on-year growth in delivery numbers, is a multi-award winning business, and a full member of the BFA. Their franchisees are brand ambassadors across the country; building relationships with, and delivering to, thousands of loyal customers each week.

You could become a Riverford Organic Farms Franchise owner for as little as £15-20k.

Good food, Good farming, Good business

More than 25 years ago, tired of the way the big supermarkets were treating their smaller suppliers, Riverford’s founder, Guy Watson, set out to sell his ethically grown organic food to as many people as possible.

Starting with just a handful of customers (actually friends he coerced, who then became customers) living close to the family-owned farm in Devon, Guy’s home delivery vegbox scheme quickly caught on. With the rapid success of his novel fledgling business came a challenge: how to expand beyond ‘one man and a wheelbarrow’, maintain a strong ethical focus, and not compromise on the quality of the produce. The answer was to offer like-minded people the chance to join the company as franchisees.

Fast forward 25 years from Riverford’s inception and, today, the Riverford Organic Farms Franchise company has a dedicated network of 70 Vegetable Delivery Franchise owners delivering tasty, seasonal organic produce to around 50,000 homes each week. Riverford is now the UK’s leading home delivery vegbox scheme, and grows most of its own produce.

It’s not all about veg…

Riverford Organic Farms Franchise - Vegetable Delivery Franchise As Riverford has grown so has their product range. Fresh, seasonal organic veg is still their mainstay, but they’re constantly sourcing new products from other artisan organic suppliers and have our own MeatBox Company, Farm Shops and Dairy.

Aside from the fruit & veg, they offer an extensive range of RSPCA award-winning organic meat; scrumptious organic cheese, pickles, chutneys and cooks’ ingredients; a cooked picnic range; quality dairy produce and much more.

The Riverford Organic Farms Franchise full product range offers a heady mix to the discerning and ethical eater, and of course gives a major boost to Riverford Organic Farms Franchise owners' turnover. And bottom line profit.

About you

The Riverford approach is simple: they grow (or source), harvest and pack the produce, and transport it to your hub; you collect and deliver it to your customers. With your marketing hat on (and lots of help from the Riverford Organic Farms Franchise), you will increase the number of new customers starting life with a vegbox each week. Then you’ll keep them loyal to you and Riverford by delivering exceptional, personal customer service, and engaging them fully with your Vegetable Delivery Franchise business – all the way from Riverford's fields to their plates.

Whilst you are using your local knowledge and expertise to become the Riverford brand ambassador within your Vegetable Delivery Franchise territory, the Riverford Organic Farms Franchise will look after the farming, hub logistics and brand marketing in the background. It’s this harmonious balance between the macro and the micro, and a genuine passion for real food, good farming and ethical business that has enabled Riverford to flourish for nearly three decades.

Your focus will be to build and maintain a strong, engaged customer base loyal to you and Riverford, and the dedicated Riverford Organic Farms Franchise head office teams will support you all the way.

Is it hard work?

Yes, but it’s fun! You will get out of it what you put in. It’s not rocket science but you really have to believe in what we do to grow your Vegetable Delivery Franchise business and reap the best rewards.

The most successful Riverford Organic Farms Franchise owners have built their Vegetable Delivery Franchise businesses from scratch to achieve a turnover of over £1million a year. Franchisees of these bigger businesses tend to take more of a managerial role, but they like to keep their hand in at the coalface (i.e. on delivery rounds) by covering for their drivers’ holidays. Some simply want to get out on the road occasionally to have a face-to-face chat with their customers and keep their finger on the pulse.

Riverford Organic Farms Franchise owners in smaller territories tend to work alone or as a couple - ‘owner-drivers’ - whilst they get their Vegetable Delivery Franchise business off the ground. As the number of deliveries per week increase over time, they take on drivers or admin staff to help.

What’s a normal day like?

Early starts are the norm when you are out delivering; the days are quite long and there’s plenty of fresh air and exercise, come rain, snow or shine. Riverford pride themselves in seeing their deliveries to the door no matter what! This sort of thing distinguishes Riverford from the competition. When you get back home or to your office, you’ll need to complete some admin such as order processing, end of day banking, marketing, account management and answering customer’s queries.

In the spring and summer, you’ll be out at shows and local events at weekends, finding new customers and strengthening relationships with your existing customers. In short, you’ll be wearing many different hats to grow your Riverford Organic Farms Franchise business.

Support

Starting anything new is daunting, especially your own business. But you’re never alone as a Riverford Organic Farms Franchise owner. All Riverford Organic Farms Franchise owners are handpicked via an intensive recruitment system to make sure you are well suited to your franchise territory. During this process, you will be encouraged to fully discover what life as a Riverford Organic Farms Franchise owner is like, and Riverford will help you compile comprehensive business plans to deliver your growth strategy.

The Riverford Organic Farms Franchise professional head office team will advise you how to research and set up the infrastructure to trade your Vegetable Delivery Franchise business, and steer you through the legal process of buying a business.

Before you launch, you will receive comprehensive training to help you maximise every opportunity in your new Vegetable Delivery Franchise venture. Riverford covers everything from proven strategies for growth, business & marketing planning, and analyzing your customer database, to how to use Riverford’s bespoke round management & order processing systems and face-to-face-sales techniques.

Once you are in place, the Riverford Organic Farms Franchise team will ensure you have the full support of their central teams for your first few critical weeks. After that, the Riverford Organic Farms Franchise regional sales development managers will work with you to help you deliver your business plan effectively, and to achieve your growth targets.

The money…

When you buy a Riverford Organic Farms Franchise territory, you are buying the exclusive rights to trade under the Riverford brand identity, and via the established Riverford Vegetable Delivery Franchise business model. To buy a new territory, with exclusive rights, is c.£18,500. The deposit required is 20%, which reserves your territory.

Riverford periodically has a number of resale territories available around the country. These are established territories with a certified trading history and active customer base. The investment level will therefore vary according to location, delivery numbers and turnover. A list of available Riverford territories can be found under the ‘resales’ tab.

Management service fee – what it includes...

Taking & processing customer orders for franchisees across the network
Managing relationships with external suppliers such as print suppliers, online payment gateways, lending banks, vehicle purchase or lease, vehicle livery etc.
Central customer acquisition programme: website platform; online advertising and promotions; national print advertising; lead generation and conversion; SEO optimization; social networking campaigns (& advice);
A prescribed new customer conversion and retention programme (partly funded)
In-box, weekly printed customer marketing and promotional materials
Branded customer acquisition/reactivation flyers
Access to Riverford print designers and brand/PR team
A fully staffed customer service center
Access to a competitively-priced, professional customer recruitment team
Ongoing training and development
Field and telephone business support from a dedicated sales development manager
Bespoke customer database analysis and advice
A professional franchise team to help you through renewing your franchise agreement, or selling your business