In the last year, Fresh Truck has experienced overwhelming interest from our customers, partners, and supporters, calling for us to expand our programming and retail offerings. To grow our operations and better meet the needs of our community, we are rolling out the biggest renovations yet to one of our mobile markets.
Our goal is to be a full-service grocery store and one stop shop for our customers. This will have a huge impact on operating efficiency, product offering, and space allocation. We currently operate two mobile markets to execute all of our programs. The larger bus, Diane, named after one of our favorite customers and supporters, is used for our Pop-up Events at schools, health centers, and other community locations. The smaller bus, named 77, is used for our Weekly Market stops and will be the focus of the renovation project.
As you can imagine, a grocery store on wheels is no small project, so we have enlisted the help of a brilliant project team to help us get it done:
- Kipp Bradford an engineer in the MIT Media Lab is developing custom refrigeration compressors to keep our food cool. They need to be space efficient, durable and energy efficient.
- TriMark is supporting general contracting and equipment selection for the renovation. They are a national leader in foodservice equipment and design.
- Food+Future is a collection of multidisciplinary food innovators focusing on increasing understanding, trust, and access within our food system. They have brought us on as a ‘Friend of Food + Future,’ and they keep us on the cutting edge of food research, retail design, and technology.
- TBA – Our retail layout and in-store experience design partner will be announced soon! But we can tell you now, it’s gonna be sweet.
This week we began Phase 1 of our renovation by installing a refrigerator on 77. This unit will allow us to begin testing the demand for milk, eggs, meat and prepared foods. In addition to refrigerated products, we will also be testing demand for a variety of shelf-stable items through the spring. The results of these tests, along with a comprehensive market analysis will inform how we allocate space in the full-scale renovation.
To follow our renovation progress as it happens, follow us on Instagram @thefreshtruck!