Behind The Scenes: Rootstock Weekly Ops

Texts, Quick Calls, and Visits

We communicate with our growers weekly—over text and quick phone calls, because farmers are always in motion. We reach out, and they reply when they find a moment. That’s how we know what’s ripening, in short supply, and what’s headed our way. We also make visits to try samples!

Monday, After Midnight

Monday afternoon we send the order reminder, which triggers a flurry of orders. Midnight is the cutoff—but if you order before we wake up Tuesday, you’re good.

On Tuesday mornings, we wake up excited to see what sold and how much demand we generated for the farms.

From there, we get to work wrangling spreadsheets to generate three things: purchase orders for farmers, pack lists for pickups and deliveries, and delivery routes.

We round up farm orders to the nearest full case to make things easier for the farmers, and then we text the numbers their way and wait for confirmation.

Occasional Hiccups

Cooler weather has slowed some crops this summer, and on Wednesday, Julia got a call from Jason at Birdsong Orchards:

          “They’re just not quite ready yet.”

If you ordered Shiro plums and got a refund, that’s why. We appreciate Jason’s transparency—we’re committed to offering only the most flavorful, high-quality fruit. Pray for warm sun!

Thursday: The Big Day

We start the farm pick-up run bright and early. By 2 PM, the van returns. Meanwhile, we have prepped the packing station.

We pack community pickups first, then home deliveries, which go into cold storage overnight. And of course, we tuck a Gazette into every bag.

Friday Morning

We sort the bags by route and start the delivery runs early. By 9 AM, another week is in the books.

Looking Ahead

Rootstock is a lot of work—and a lot of joy. As fall approaches, we’re finding ways to simplify, automate, and grow—so we can reach more conscious eaters who care about flavor, health, fairness, and where their food comes from.