Door to Door Organics Expands Chicago Ops
Natural and organic online grocer Door to Door Organics is expanding service from a new warehouse in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. The company, which began serving the Chicago area in 2010, now employs 31 people out of its new 25,000-square-foot warehouse and offices at 815 W. Pershing Road, which houses more than 3,500 local, organic and natural grocery products.
“We have been proud to serve Chicagoland residents local, organic and natural food for the last four years and are excited to strengthen our market position with the new Bridgeport warehouse and offer current and prospective customers even more products and services in the coming weeks,” said Chad Arnold, CEO of Door to Door Organics. “Our aggressive and strategic investments in Door to Door Organics’ local operations further our commitment to remaining a trusted business in the community and allows us to better meet the unique needs of both downtown and suburban customers.”
Planning for Continued Growth
With its new warehouse, Door to Door Organics has expanded its local delivery van fleet and software to better serve Chicago-area residents. The online grocer focuses on a highly scalable operating model, and this expansion allows the company to plan for continued Chicagoland growth and efficiently respond to changing customer demands. Scalability levers include forced-market density to maximize delivery route profitability, a sophisticated inventory management system, modern equipment and machinery and the addition of a VP of systems engineering to the Door to Door Organics team. More than 1,000 new grocery items have also been added for Chicago customers, including frozen foods, pantry staples, ethnic foods, vegan options, gluten-free items, non-GMO snacks, local products and more local and organic produce.
Door to Door Organics offers shoppers a powerful online shopping experience called The Shop. The personalized, contextual shopping platform is designed to support the busy yet health-conscious lifestyle of Door to Door Organics customers, who place a priority on simple meal planning and discovering Good Food that is local, organic and natural. Convenience and ease-of-use is built into every feature of the Shop with tools such as Restock, offering simple, intuitive, repeatable solutions for regular customers to consolidate the planning and shopping process; My Frequent Purchases; Shop by Recipe and Shopping List functionalities. Additional features include local farmer profiles and an “Inspiration” section with seasonal tips and recipes from Chef Chris of Door to Door Organics’ in-house culinary expert.
Door to Door Organics is working closely with the City of Chicago and World Business Chicago to strengthen its relationship with the local business community and nonprofit partners such as Benton House, Pilsen Wellness Center and Greater Chicago Food Depository. Furthermore, Door to Door Organics has partnered with nearly two dozen trusted Midwest family farms and local artisans such as Red Hen Bread and Deer Creek Organics to deliver fresh, local, organic produce, meat and dairy to Chicago consumers year round.
“Creating economic opportunities within Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods and fostering innovation are key components of Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel’s Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs, which World Business Chicago is currently implementing,” said World Business Chicago President and CEO Jeff Malehorn. “Door to Door Organics’ expanding operations increases access to fresh, quality food for Chicagoans, and brings e-commerce jobs to Chicago’s thriving tech ecosystem.”
Founded in 2005, Door to Door Organics operates in 11 markets and 30 cities with aggressive expansion plans in 2014 and 2015. The company, which delivers directly to homes, offices and schools throughout the West, Midwest and East Coast, has made more than 1.7 million deliveries to date and projects acquiring more than 35,000 active customers by the end of 2014.