Guest blogger Maureen Argon works with Ruth. She’s your electronic penpal, and looks after communications and administration.
Monforte has just passed the 300 mark with subscribers. We are a third of the way toward our goal of 1000 CSAs sold.
That’s pretty amazing.
People who work in the communications and marketing business often react with open-mouthed awe at the public’s response to Monforte’s Renaissance campaign. They say things like: “Do you know how hard it is to get people to open email from businesses?” “You mean you actually get people to email you back?” “How have you done all this?”
To tell the truth, I think Monforte’s success so far says more about “our flock” than it does about anything we’re doing.
I know this because a big part of my job with Monforte is shepherding the flock. I record the names and coordinates of every person who’s purchased a CSA subscription or asked to be kept in the loop about what’s going on as we work toward building Monforte’s new dairy. I see every email and all the subscription forms. I answer all kinds of questions about our products and our plans and I write the email that I hope keep everyone abreast of news and events without overkill.
I love how Monforte supporters have become a community. I know most of the almost 500 people who’ve contacted Monforte don’t know each other but they’ve all rallied around Monforte and they’ve shown a huge commitment to what we are trying to achieve. They tell us with notes of encouragement and support written on their subscription forms and through email; by asking what else they can do to help; and saying they’re spreading the word. Monforte has an incredible support system.
Sometimes I try to figure out what it is about Monforte or Ruth or cheese that’s made such a connection. Is it that Monforte’s small? Or that Ruth, the owner and lead cheesemaker is accessible (she’s at the St. Lawrence Market every Saturday for all to see)? Or is it just that the cheese is so good? Or maybe the timing is right and we’re all ready for a change and can feel that we’re on the cusp of something big?
Whatever it is, the good vibes are palpable and I can’t help but be uplifted by all the goodwill and just darned “niceness” I encounter every day. I’m certainly honoured to be a part of the difference Monforte is trying to make by supporting farmers who humanely treat their animals, using non-GMO ingredients, to creating more direct distribution and a workable micro-finance model. I know that being part of such a dedicated community, Monforte – all of us who now make up Monforte – can’t help but succeed.