About Us
The multi-vendor marketplace streamlines the buying and selling process for both local food suppliers and food establishments.
Our Mission
Bringing local food suppliers and local food establishments together to help food establishments get ingredients as soon as possible from trusted suppliers with no long lead times and to establish community connections that last.
The Why
First and foremost, we want to combat food shortages that have been seen in the past and unknowingly will appear in the future. Typically, a food establishment will have 1 maybe 2 vendors who deliver 2 times per week or less depending on volume and order minimums. By connecting with local suppliers, we put an emphasis on speed! This means no more waiting for your weekly delivery, getting replacements or replenishments in-between orders from your main vendor just got easier. We want to help food establishments say goodbye to 86’ing items that they have run out of and rather partner with local suppliers to get what they need as soon as they need it. Stop running to the grocery store and paying retail prices which hurt your profit margin, discover the convenience of Harvyst. Start using our platform to contact suppliers near you and get a quick delivery or even pick up items that will be fairly priced. This allows you to keep the kitchen going and keep customers satisfied all without hurting your profit margin. Running to the grocery store is easier you say? We thought of that too! At Harvyst we partner with local grocery stores in your area to provide food establishments special discounts to decrease the hit these items may take to your profit margin by using this method. It is not intended to replace your weekly order, but we all forget things and accidents happen, so use Harvyst to connect with local grocery stores to get what you need at a discount when you're in a pinch!
Our Story
Like most stories, this was not the original idea. Funny enough, I spent the majority of 2020 and 2021 reaching out to community restaurants to ask about the importance of food allergies as the original idea was to increase knowledge and awareness around it. The restaurants I spoke with loved the idea, but it would be an uphill battle and there was not much data to suggest the solution would work. After months of being discouraged, I went back to the data and found a common pattern amongst every single restaurant owner I spoke with… Food shortages! It is hard to combat and most restaurant owners did not know where to start when searching for new suppliers, especially local suppliers. So, in the Summer of 2022, I had an Aha moment. "What if I created a platform for local food establishments to connect with local food suppliers?". It would solve several known problems and let's be honest, local loves local. And the big conglomerates, they don't want to help the local businesses anyway. Some of you reading this may be thinking "it sounds great, but once you get big enough, you'll be just like the other big conglomerates", and while it pains me to say this, your thought process isn't wrong. However, read my story below and understand that no matter how much growth Harvyst has, I will always put community first! I give my promise that I will make sure no corporate jargon is tossed around, that there are no hard-to-understand policies and no silly bureaucracy. Because after all, local loves local and Harvyst is here to offer solutions while making sure your community remains a community.
Core Customers
Local Food Establishments (Buyers)
Whether you are a restaurant, bakery, coffee shop, food truck, ice cream shop, caterer, private chef, cafeteria, or any business that is making food, we classify you as a Food Establishment. So, what is local? At Harvyst we define local as any food establishment with less than 10 locations. Why 10? We had to draw the line somewhere and the data shows that with more than 10 locations, a food establishment starts to become a regional business and loses the sense of community, however, we are working on solutions for you too! Classified as our Buyers on Harvyst, you'll be gaining access to a database of suppliers to form connections with and buy from. Join Harvyst today and take advantage of finding all the suppliers local to you, get discounts to local grocery stores, and all the discounts to different services/products needed to run your food establishment.
Local Suppliers (Sellers)
You are the glue to your community; without you this doesn’t work (so thank you!). We know just how expensive and difficult it can be to get your name out there, find new customers, and build relationships so we make it easier, and did we mention, it’s free!? It does not cost a thing to be part of our bronze membership. This allows you to be visible for all local food establishments to discover you and order from you. You are only shown to food establishments within 50-miles because to have a community impact you need to be close enough for same day advantages. Harvyst provides suppliers, our sellers, with the tools needed to understand the market, communicate with food establishments, and set up contracts. Whether it will be a single arrangement or a long-lasting partnership, find out all the ways Harvyst can help you get your business name out there and help with supporting your community.
Local Grocery Stores
Big grocery stores are everywhere, but local grocery stores are strategically placed with product offerings you just can't find at those big grocers. You fully understand community but there is this untapped profit opportunity that we want to help unlock. Working with Harvyst will give you access to what is in need in your community, allow you to offer discounts to local food establishments, gain new customers, and did we mention we are looking for local grocery store owners interested in trialing our newest idea? Contact Harvyst today to get your discounts set up, find out all the great ways we can help you help your community, and stay in the know about additional advantages to your business.
Meet our team
CEO and Founder
From a small town in rural Vermont, community is something he knows and loves. He studied at Bryant University, a small business school in Smithfield Rhode Island, where he obtained a degree in Supply Chain Management and Psychology. Our Founder has worked at multiple different corporations such as CVS Health HQ, Amazon HQ, and more before stepping away and using his skillset to help small businesses scale with his very own consulting business. He has first-hand experience with corporate America and all of the antiquated policies they employ. He's been passed over for promotion, ticked a box because of his skin color, and he understands now that every day he was just a number. Giving back and helping his community is something that he strives to do more of, and founding Harvyst allows him to impact more than just his local community. The values of Harvyst are his through and through, Respecting each and every customer we have, Transparency in everything that we do, and Innovating day in and day out to provide our customers with the best experience to elevate and impact their communities. He promises that no matter how large we grow, community will be at the center of our intentions, so join us, keep us honest, and let us help your community for years to come.
Project Manager
Currently all from around New England our Project Managers love experiencing all the aspects food establishments have to offer. Our current Project Managers have assisted in the foundation of Harvyst before the official launch and they work to assist the founder on all the important aspects of starting, running, and growing a business while making sure community is our biggest focus. Need help getting your local business up and running on Harvyst? Have a customer issue and need someone to talk to? Want to inquire about ways you can increase your profit margin, design a new menu, start up a food truck? The Project Managers at Harvyst are full of professional and general life experience, they are real people in the community helping you and your business.
Marketing / Social Media Interns & Apprentices
What better way to stay relevant with all the constant new trends and strategies than to utilize college students and recent grads? At Harvyst that's what we do, shaped by students in some of the finest institutions, our Interns and Apprentices bring the most relevant and recent information to Harvyst to help us help you. We allow our Interns and Apprentices to work very flexible hours, in the food industry there is no such thing as a 9-5 so you can get assistance anytime you need it. If you ever need technical assistance, especially with your social media presence we can connect you with one of our very savvy and young interns or apprentices today!
