A newly formed collective of more than a dozen regional farmers is redefining the phrase “farm to table” by delivering the freshest local produce and homemade goods straight to your home.

Now in its fourth week of operation, The Farmer Co-op is a group of 13 farms located across North Alabama that have teamed up to make shopping locally just a little bit easier. Kali Gilbert, who owns and operates Blue Ridge Cattle Company with her husband, Dylan, said she is familiar with the convenience of online grocery shopping/delivery services have brought to busy, working families and wanted to find a way to level the playing field for local farmers.

“We [the farmers] noticed that we all hopped between different farmers markets and vendor markets and there wasn’t a really great, consistent way for customers to have access to our food,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert said she met Kristin Stebbins, one of the owners of Stebbins Family Farm in Athens, Alabama, two years ago through the statewide agricultural advocacy organization Sweet Grown Alabama and began brainstorming ways to fulfill their shared vision.

“I work a full time job, we have the farm and I have a two-year-old and a four-year-old. It’s very difficult for me to find the time to drive to the farmers market, get some items and plan my meals for the whole week. You know, I use Walmart delivery like it’s a rented mule,” Gilbert said. “I think this will be a big convenience for a lot of families, especially young families who are working, or for the elderly people who are homebound or have mobility issues. This just gives greater accessibility to local products. If the big box stores are going to be easy to get then why shouldn’t our local farm products be easy to get as well?”

The result has become what is now 13 regional farms selling their products on a shared website. With products ranging from a large box of mixed produce from Grown by Grace Farms, to whole roasted coffee beans from Rural Roots Coffee Company, the site is akin to an online grocery store.

More niche products such as edible wildflowers, microgreens and lavender infused chocolate are also available.

“There really is a wide array of offerings. It kind of started out as just Stebbins Family Farm, Grown by Grace and then us, but we’ve just been pulling in different people,” Gilbert said. “There’s also still spots open for other farmers. We want to add as many people as possible and be as fluid and flexible as possible.”

Each week, Stebbins personally visits each of the member farms to fulfill orders which were placed before Tuesday and then delivers them straight to the homes of customers across the group’s growing coverage area throughout North Alabama. Any homes outside of the delivery range shouldn’t worry though, farmerco-op.com indicates additional areas are opening up based on the number of requests made.

“Well, obviously we want to grow,” Gilbert said. “We would love to diversify what we are offering and build consistency for those people who want to consistently have those orders. So, any farmers out there looking to join, we are all here for it. Not that we’re trying to compete with big box stores because they’re on a different level. We just want to meet each individual where they’re at to get them the products that they want and let them spend their dollars locally.”