Beta Test orders are always due Sundays at midnight for pickup the following week!

About the Beta Program

The vision of the Miami River Foods Project is a sustainable future.

Our mission is to create a local market for local foods. We aim to inspire local efforts that support people making choices that are healthy for our families, our community, and are part of a sustainable future.

Our first project is organizing a cooperative grocery store called Stone’s Throw Foods, which specializes in “close food” and socially responsible goods. Stone’s Throw will be a catalyst to create local markets for foods that are not currently produced locally (like organic milk!)

Since we hosted our first community meeting in October 2009, the Miami River Foods Project has already created a local foods map, hosted educational events, and launched the cooperative organizing process with over 40 members of our Organizing Team! The first step of that process is creating a successful online market program.

What is the Beta Test?

We are now inviting members of the community to invest in the start-up phase of the cooperative grocery by participating in an online market program. Families may place orders for local and socially responsible staples (e.g. pastured, organic, fair trade, non-GMO) and artisan foods through the Stone’s Throw Foods online catalog, then pick up their orders at the Troy Meat Shop.

The online market program is currently in “beta test” mode (in the software world, “beta” is a pre-release version ready for testing). 38 families tested and shared their feedback about the first Beta Box in January, and we've now welcomed over 107 families to the program.

We’d like to invite you to join our Beta program to help us work out the kinks in the system and create a program that will build the foundation for a successful cooperative grocery.

How does it work?

The Troy Meat Shop (map) – one of the area’s last independent groceries – is hosting our Beta Program. Chad Liette, the owner, is an experienced butcher who shares our vision and is eager to explore opportunities to partner with the future co-op.

Over 107 families currently participate in the Beta Test program. Every week, they can go to our online catalog, peruse our local and organic offerings, place an order, and pick it up the following week at the Troy Meat Shop. Some Beta Testers order every week and others order less frequently, depending on their needs.

Many Beta Testers order our "Beta Box," a collection of staples we highly recommend. It includes things like local bread, farm eggs, Amish cheeses and butter, and organic milk. The price of the Beta Box varies by size, and ranges from $20 to $50.

In addition to the staples Box, there's also a menu of foods and goods that can ordered a la carte. These include natural and organic meats (beef, pork, chicken, bison, turkey), local artisan cheeses, breads, and crackers, locally roasted organic coffee, and environmentally responsible household goods, like recycled paper towels, toilet paper, and biodegradable plastic bags.

The Spirit of Beta Testing

Let's be clear about this the Beta Test program: You will find mistakes. Or, as Bob Ross used to say, "there are no mistakes, just happy little accidents." But if we thought we had a flawless product, ready to woo the masses and send shivers down the spine of Big Box's Board of Directors, we'd offer it straight to the public and skip the test. We're testing this precisely to find the kinks in the system, so we can then work them out.

We ask you to be patient. If we had fifty brothers and sisters, we'd test this thing on them first, because they'd still have to love us no matter how it went. For the Beta Test, we hope you'll be our brothers and sisters.

What if I just want to buy food?

We're not quite ready to be in the business of "selling food". Rather, what our group of brave and hardy souls is doing is "starting a cooperative grocery". If this is something you'd like to be part of, then we welcome you to the adventure!

If that's not you, we understand. If you just want to be a customer, and purchase high-quality local foods, there's nothing wrong with that. We just ask that you let us know, and wait to take part until we think the quality of the program is good enough to offer to the public. It's much better for us to understand each other's needs and desires now, then wait til after money has changed hands and expectations on either part are left unfulfilled. We promise to save a seat for you later.

Still with us? Great!

Sign up!

If you'd like to help us establish a cooperative grocery and our program seems like a good fit for you, then please let us know by emailing your name, address, and phone number to info@miamiriverfoods.org. We'll add you to our list and contact you with more information about how to get started. Of course we welcome your questions about the program, too!

Welcome aboard!
- The Miami River Foods Project team