, one of many meat-subscription-box companies to start delivering in Canada in recent years to feed consumer cravings for local, ethically raised meat without logistical hassles. They also solve problems for the farmers who no longer have to worry about finding customers and stand to make more money.
Lafleur attributes the rapid growth to customers' desire to understand where their meat comes from. When the company surveyed customers about what matters to them when purchasing meat, their No. 1 demand was transparency. But increasingly, Canadians expect to be able to order their food -- and most anything else they need -- online. Canada's major grocers spent the past few years implementing and quickly expanding their e-commerce offerings, and subscription box companies offer that same benefit to time-strapped home cooks.
For several years, he attempted to sell his meat online to customers in the Lower Mainland. But he stopped travelling to Vancouver last year for deliveries because of complicated logistics and the cost of the ferry. Farmers who sell meat through conventional methods tend to earn about 16 cents on every $1 at retail, said Luke Armstrong, who co-founded Niku Farms, a Toronto-based meat-subscription-box company.