Before supermarkets stocked organic ranges widely, specialist producers often sold directly to households. The archived Westcountry Organics site, a Devon-based supplier, gives a clear example of the model. This page describes the approach in general terms; it is a historical summary, not an offer to sell anything.
Fresh food, sent as needed
The supplier described itself as a fresh-food company dealing in organic produce by mail order, with packaging designed to keep items fresh in transit. It focused on meat and vegetarian food, together with cheese and wine. Because it did not keep large stocks of pre-packed goods, each order was assembled for the customer. A customer could ask for a particular preparation, such as a kilo of pork and apple sausages divided into packs of four.
Vegetable boxes
A weekly box of fruit and vegetables was a central part of the model. Boxes were assembled from seasonal produce and sent on a regular schedule, which suits households that want variety without choosing every item. The vegetable box page looks at how this works.
An early website
The archived pages show how basic web shops were in their day. A “no frames” version of the site existed for older browsers, alongside a frames-based version with a secure online shop. Visitors were advised to view the site at a screen size of 1024 by 768 pixels. A catalogue could also be requested, and orders could be placed by post or phone as well as online.
News and campaigning
The same page carried a short news section. One item reminded readers that organic food must be produced without genetically modified organisms, and another noted that meat could be cut to order and packed by size and weight, with some allowance for the natural size of the carcass.