Today we are talking to Mason Arnold, “Cookie Monster” of Greenling Organic  Delivery.  Greenling is an Austin based company that delivers fresh organic  produce directly to your door.

AroundAustin: Mason what does Greenling Organic Delivery do?

Mason: We deliver Organic and/or Local food right to people’s door.  Everything  is done online.  You browse just like you would at a grocery store, pick and  choose what you want, then schedule it for delivery.

AroundAustin: I looked through your website, pretty neat.  Didn’t you win an  award from PC Magazine for the technology used in both the website and delivery?

Mason: Yes, we did.  Along with awards from Dell & NFIB, BigAustin, and a couple  of other organizations.

AroundAustin: I found it cool that you actually measure the temperature as the  product is being delivered

Mason: Yeah, we get asked all the time what happens if someone is not home for  the delivery.  We know that boxes are just fine out on the porch for several  hours, even in Texas’ scorching heat, but I wanted to be absolutely sure.  So we  continually track it.

AroundAustin: When did you start Greenling?

Mason: I got together with a college friend to talk about it around January of  2005 and we made our first delivery in May of that year.

AroundAustin: What motivated you to start a business in such a  competitive field?

Mason: Well, it really boiled down to what we saw in the market.  The food  distribution system for Organic food was developing slowly.  In many emerging  markets you see this.  Sometimes they are demand driven, or supply driven, but  figuring out how to get the product from point A to point B is often an  afterthought. Conventional food has a very sophisticated distribution network,  but Organics was not just piggy-backing on that system because of the extra  requirements for the food.  We looked at the whole supply chain and thought we  could do it better.

AroundAustin: From the customer’s perspective, better how?

Mason: Fresher!  The average piece of produce in America travels over 1500 miles and is  2.5 weeks old, ours travels less than 200 miles and is sometimes only 24 hours old.

AroundAustin: Wow!  I would imagine fresher implies tastier what other benefits  does fresher organic produce offer?

Mason: The biggest one is more nutritional content.  Since we know we will be  delivering the food that much faster, our farmers can leave the product in the  ground longer and let it ripen, which is when much of the nutrient content is  created.

AroundAustin: I’ve been reading a lot about the nutritional differences in  organic food and the effects it has on one’s health.  That’s exciting.

AroundAustin: Where do you source your product?

Mason: We get as much locally as we can.  If it’s growing locally, we get it.  But Texas agriculture is difficult and very seasonal.  For things that are out  of season that people still want to purchase, we get it from Colorado or  California.

AroundAustin: How do prices compare to going to a farmer’s market?

Mason: They are comparable to farmer’s markets and natural food stores.  We buy  in such quantities that we’re able to stay competitive.

AroundAustin: That is unexpected.  For the convenience of delivery I expected to  pay a bit more.

Mason: we sell over 5000 pounds of local produce each week. We are able to keep  costs down with our ordering system and inventory management.

Mason: we run a very tight ship and try to move everything out of the warehouse  by the end of the week.

AroundAustin:  How much of Austin do you cover now?

Mason: We now go from San Antonio up to a drop-point in Georgetown.  In Austin  we deliver from down near Manchaca up to Round Rock and Cedar Park.  West to  Lakeway.

AroundAustin: Any plans for growing the business to other cities soon?

Mason: Yes.  We are currently raising money to expand to Houston and Dallas.  We  think our innovative model can be successful in any city and we think everyone  should have easy access to fresh Local and Organic food.

AroundAustin: So how do I sign up?

Mason: You just go to www.Greenling.com.  On the home page there is a space to  enter your Zip Code.  This determines your delivery day.  Then you just browse  the site to see what’s available right now.  Anything that you see on the  website, you can order for delivery.  Selection does change rapidly, though, so  you may see some things one week and not the next.  Check out and schedule your  delivery.  If you like what you get, it will just keep coming every week.  Anytime you want to change what you are getting or skip a week or two, just sign  back on and make the changes.  It’s really easy!

AroundAustin: Ok one last question.  You say your favorite vegetable is Collard  Greens cooked right.  Really?  How do you cook it right?

Mason: There is apparently an art to cooking them.  I think the main thing is to  not over-cook them.  Good, Organic collard greens just need to be heated a  little bit.  It softens them up and releases more flavor.  Over-cooked greens  always seem to be sour, like when you order them in restaurants.  When cooked  right, they are smooth, velvety, and very tasteful!

AroundAustin: I’ll have to try it. Soon

Mason: definitely.  One of my favorite dishes is Black-eyed pea soup with  collard greens and sausage or bacon.

AroundAustin: Thanks Mason

Greenling Organic Delivery, www.greenling.com