We will update this post as we continue to follow developments.
The following note was sent to our members April 2021.
What a week it’s been.
We understand how overwhelming these times can be, and at Goodfood, we want you to know we’re here for you.
Although spring looks a little different this year, we’ll help make sure one of the most important things in times like these — eating well and spending time together at the table (even virtually) — is covered.
Committed to the Well-being of Our Members
It can be a challenge having both students and parents working from home, but you can count on us to bring you fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, packed with care for the family to enjoy and get involved in throughout the lockdown (and beyond).
With hundreds of new grocery items added, and dozens of new recipes available every week for every palate in your household, we’re committed to making your online grocery shopping safer and more convenient.
To make meal planning even easier, we’re now also offering same-day delivery in the GTA, with increased staffing and an improved supply chain across the country to make sure you’re getting the highest quality ingredients and products delivered safely to your door on time, every time.
Safety Is Our Highest Priority
We will be continuing to maintain all additional health and safety measures both inside and outside of our facilities, with extra precaution in light of new COVID-19 variants, from additional masks, eyewear protection, and safety barriers for our essential service employees, to nurses and security.
Now more than ever, the safety, happiness and well-being of our employees, our partners, and our members remains our number one priority.
For any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Member Happiness team for more information.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to our members March 2021.
It seems almost impossible that it’s been an entire year since things changed for us all — it feels like it’s been ages and a blink all at once.
Today, I’m feeling hopeful as numbers start to dip and vaccinations get into full swing across the country.
As we look forward to a brighter future, at Goodfood, we want you to know that the safety and happiness of our employees, our partners, and our members remain our number one priority.
Continued Health & Safety Measures
Many of our employees continue to work from home. At our facilities, all additional health and safety measures will be maintained, including masks, eyewear protection, safety barriers, social distancing guidelines, and health screenings.
We’re continuing to work closely with our partners to ensure the same level of precaution is taken inside their facilities as well.
Carrying on & Coping
Mental health struggles and burnout are a very real side effect of this pandemic, and many of us are feeling like we’re up against a “pandemic wall” right now.
Here are some tips to help deal with these feelings as we cope with the one-year mark:
- Know that you’re not alone; we’re all going through this together.
- Cut yourself some slack (and close Slack, when you need to). A little kindness to yourself goes a long way.
- Give yourself permission to take a break and open up a good book or enjoy a comforting meal.
- Take some time to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.
- Reach out to mental health specialists for support.
Building a Better Experience for Our Members
With sunnier days ahead, we’re here to help you keep things fresh, stay connected to the ones you love, and eat better every day with:
-
- Even more meal kit options like slow cooker, sheet pan, and pizza kits for family dinners at home or around the virtual table
- 200+ grocery products added to your selection page* for fewer trips to the store
- All-new restaurant-quality prepared meal options* for faster, easier meals
- Same-day delivery in Montreal and Toronto (more cities coming soon!) to get everything you need delivered to your door today
- 4 new fulfilment centers across the country and increased automation, including an investment of $200M in additional technology over the coming years, to provide even better value and a more consistent member experience
- Hundreds of new permanent positions to keep growing (and we’re still hiring, check out our Careers page!)
*selection may vary by region
We hope you will continue to take care of yourself and your community by following public health guidelines and supporting local businesses whenever you can. We look forward to continuing to serve you with delicious meal kits, groceries, and more.
The following note was sent to our members December 2020.
Here we are, on the eve of 2021, ready to look ahead to a new year filled with promise and possibilities. As we prepare to officially ring in the new year, I wanted to send a special note out to our employees, our partners, and our members to thank you for your support after a year unlike any other.
To Our Employees & Partners
From quickly and successfully implementing additional health and safety measures in our facilities to navigating a precarious supply chain, you met everything this year had to offer head-on and without hesitation. You all worked so incredibly hard to make sure our members had what they needed to stay safe at home and I want to thank you for your tireless work and dedication to make it happen. I encourage you all to take some time to rest, relax, and recharge over the holidays.
To Our Members
This year, we’re celebrating our 6th anniversary and we couldn’t have done it without you, our amazing members. You have helped make Goodfood everything that it is today. It was an honour and a privilege to serve you this year, through the good times and the more challenging times.
We also want to thank you for your generosity in 2020. During a time of unprecedented need, you stepped up to raise $58,000 for Breakfast Club of Canada’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund to fight food insecurity in our communities, as well as helping us feed frontline workers at the CHUM Foundation, Michael Garron Hospital, the Women’s College Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Center, and the Montreal Jewish General Hospital.
To Those on the Frontline
I want to share one more special thank you to all of the incredible healthcare professionals, educators, cashiers, warehouse employees, and other frontline workers who have worked tirelessly to keep us safe and ensure our essential services were functioning during the pandemic. From all of us at Goodfood, thank you for everything.
As we wrap up the year, we’re also proud to offer our services to Calgary Dry Ice, who reached out to see if we could provide boxes and liners to help securely ship dry ice across the country to store the COVID-19 vaccine. We are proud to be a part of this important project to help frontline workers and all Canadians across the country.
Thank you for your continued support and I can’t wait to see what we cook up together in 2021. Happy New Year!
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to our members October 2020.
As measures tighten across the country and local governments request we remain indoors as much as possible to help limit the spread of COVID-19, rest assured that you can continue to count on us to get your meal kits and groceries safely delivered to your home every week.
At Goodfood, the safety and happiness of our employees, our partners, and our members remain our number one priority. We will be maintaining all additional health and safety measures in our facilities as we continue to focus on safely stocking your baskets with delicious, farm-fresh ingredients every week.
We wanted to share some of our most frequently asked questions (and answers!) with you below. If you have any other questions, you can always reach out to our Member Happiness team for more information.
What precautionary measures are you taking inside your facility regarding COVID-19?
We’ve successfully secured additional masks, eyewear protection, and safety barriers for the essential service employees in our facilities. Additionally, we’ve hired nurses and a security team to ensure the best possible health screening for our employees and to respect social distancing guidelines inside and outside of our facilities. In the event that an employee exhibits symptoms, they are advised to self-isolate as per Health Canada guidelines. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the same level of precaution is taken inside their facilities.
Will there be disruptions in the supply chain over the coming months?
When the pandemic hit, the supply chain faced unprecedented challenges that resulted in disruptions and shortages across the country. This time around, businesses are significantly more prepared to face any potential challenges that may arise.
At Goodfood, we have increased staffing and improved our supply chain across the country in order to continue serving you the highest quality produce and local ingredients delivered directly to your door safely and on time. We’ve also added over 200 new Goodfood grocery products this year, including essentials like milk and butter, new ready-to-cook options like Brunch and Appetizers, and new classic smoothie flavours. Keep an eye out for even more delicious options coming soon to your selection page.
How can I support local businesses during this challenging time?
Now, more than ever, local businesses need our support. From everyday purchases to gift-giving to take-out night, make local choices whenever you can. Consider buying gift cards and participating in crowdfunding initiatives held by local community groups.
When you order a basket from Goodfood, you are directly supporting over 80 Canadian farms and local businesses bringing you top-quality ingredients and products from across the country. We are a proudly Canadian company that has made supporting local farmers and suppliers and giving back to our community a core part of our business.
Don’t forget to share your local finds on social media to help spread the word and encourage others to shop local.
We hope you will continue to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbours by washing your hands, wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following public health guidelines. We look forward to continuing to serve you with delicious meal kits, grocery essentials, and more.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
P.S. We’re growing the Goodfood team! Check out our Careers page for more information.
The following note was sent to members May 28, 2020.
June is officially only a few days away! As the sun peeks out from the clouds and businesses slowly begin to reopen, it’s still important for us to continue washing our hands, maintaining social distancing, and following public health recommendations. At Goodfood, we will be maintaining all additional health and safety measures in our facilities as we continue to focus on offering safe grocery delivery for our members.
Note: Moving forward, this weekly email will turn into a bi-weekly email. It’s been an honour and a privilege keeping in touch with you during these times and sharing what’s been going on at Goodfood. You can always find up to date information by following us on social media or reaching out to our Member Happiness team if you have any questions.
Here are the updates for this week:
Supply Chain (Produce & Protein)
- Securing stock from our beef, pork, and chicken suppliers remains a challenge, but our supply chain team is working around the clock to make sure your baskets are filled with delicious protein every week.
- Securing produce from our international produce partners via cargo flight also remains a challenge. Luckily, the sunny weather means our Canadian suppliers are confident they’ll be able to start harvesting beautiful local produce very soon after colder weather caused an initial setback with their harvests.
- On a brighter (and more delicious) note, our produce team has successfully secured 4000 lbs of our upcoming spotlight ingredient baby zucchini. We can’t wait to share these adorable little veggies with you — they’re one of my favourites!
New Facilities (GTA)
- In order to continuously improve service for our members across the country, we have just secured the location of our second fulfillment center in Toronto! This state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to open summer 2021 and will create 2000 jobs in the GTA. Keep your eyes peeled for new career opportunities in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver.
Member Happiness
- This has been a challenging time for us all and I want to give a special shout out to our amazing members who have been an integral part of this journey. Your support and kind words have meant the world to our team and we wanted to share a few inspiring messages we’ve received:
— Kat
— Karen
— Colleen
Thank you to Kat, Karen, Colleen and all of our members coast to coast. It’s been an honour to be a part of your mealtimes and we look forward to continuing to serve you in the future with meal kits, grocery essentials, and more. Have a wonderful, safe, and healthy weekend!
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members May 21, 2020.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful and safe week! As parts of the country slowly reopen and the number of new cases begins to stabilize, we hope you will continue to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbours by washing your hands, practicing social distancing, and following public health guidelines. We are proud to continue serving you and all of our loyal members across the country for all your grocery delivery needs during these times.
Here are the latest updates at Goodfood, what’s going on with the supply chain, and some curated tips from our teammates to help you have the best experience while you work from home:
Delivery Schedule & Member Happiness
Supply Chain (Chicken, Beef & Produce)
- As many international cargo flights have been cancelled, flying in fresh produce from Central and South America is becoming increasingly difficult. Not one to back down from a challenge, our produce team is working with farmers all over the world to find alternate ways, like ground transportation, to get fresh produce to our facilities until the Canadian growing season is in full swing. After successfully securing purple asparagus a few weeks ago, our team faced an asparagus shortage when colder temperatures in Canada delayed the local harvest. Working closely with a farm in California, our team was able to successfully deliver beautiful sprigs of green asparagus to our facilities across the country. Thank you to our hardworking produce team!
- The reduced quotas put in place by the Chicken Farmers of Canada means farmers are now raising 15% fewer chickens on their farms. Alongside labour shortages and shutdowns caused by COVID-19, this added strain on the supply chain will likely result in shortages of boneless chicken thighs as suppliers focus their resources on deboning chicken breasts. We’re working closely with our poultry supplier in the Prairies to secure a backup supply, but you may see a few substitutions in your baskets over the coming weeks. We will keep you updated with clear preparation and cooking instructions for any affected recipes.
- Beef suppliers in both Canada and the US continue to face pandemic-related challenges, including labour shortages and facility closures as they slowly ramp up additional measures to keep their workforces safe and healthy. This means that the available quantity of fresh beef is low and difficult to access. We are in communication with our vendors on a daily basis and we will keep you updated on the situation as it develops. No matter the outcome, your baskets will continue to be filled with fresh, delicious, top-quality ingredients hand-selected by our culinary team.
Tips for Staying Healthy & Happy While Working from Home
- From the beginning of the pandemic, we implemented a work from home policy for all of our office employees in order to decrease the number of people in our facilities and reduce the risk of transmission. The health and safety of our team remains our top priority and this week we extended our work from home policy until at least July 6th. In light of this extension, we asked our teammates for their best work from home tips:
— Jon, Co-founder & CEO
— Mark, Loyalty Manager
— Alanna, Social Media Specialist
— Daniel, IT Infrastructure Lead
— Lucille, Graphic Designer
— Mani, Manager of Product Development Marketing, Meal Solutions
How do you stay healthy and happy while working from home? Let us know on social media @goodfoodca!
We want to send out a special thank you to our hardworking teammates who are helping feed Canadians across the country. We also want to thank our amazing members for your support and patience as we work through these challenges together. Wishing you a safe and wonderful week ahead!
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members May 14, 2020.
The long weekend is coming up and warmer weather is on the horizon! Although things will be a little different this year, I hope you find special new ways to spend quality time with your loved ones while staying inside and practicing social distancing.
Meanwhile, our team is working hard to make sure your baskets are safely stocked with all your spring favourites. Here are this week’s updates on our products, services, and procedures:
Delivery Schedule
- If you normally receive your box on Monday*, please note that for this coming Monday (Victoria Day), your delivery will arrive on Tuesday, May 19th due to holiday delivery schedules. Not to worry, these changes won’t have any impact on the freshness of your basket! Your ingredients won’t spend a minute more in the box than usual, as we’re adjusting our production timing too.
*A small number of Tuesday deliveries will also receive their order on the following day. If your order is affected, we will contact you in a separate email. Otherwise, your basket will be delivered as usual.
- Apart from the long weekend delivery adjustments, we don’t anticipate any COVID-related delivery delays for our members and you should expect to see your basket arrive on time this week, filled with all your favourite ingredients and grocery essentials!
Member Happiness Response Time
- If you’d like to get in touch with our Member Happiness team, you can now do so via chat, phone, or email and our team will get back to you in under 24 hours. Our teammates are ready to help with any inquiries you may have!
Supply Chain (Poultry & Beef)
- Across the country, a new quota has been implemented by the Chicken Farmers of Canada board which will reduce the number of chickens being raised for consumption. This may destabilize the chicken supply over the next few weeks, as poultry processors work to understand the effect it will have on their supply. Our main poultry supplier in the Prairies is stepping up to provide additional chicken breasts that will cover any shortages we may see in Quebec and Ontario in the coming weeks. Thank you to our supply chain team and our partners for all of their hard work making sure our loyal members’ baskets are fully stocked with delicious, farm-fresh ingredients!
- Due to disruptions in the poultry supply chain, there may be shortages of boneless thighs which will affect some of our upcoming recipes. If so, equally delicious boneless chicken breasts will be swapped in to replace the chicken thighs.
- Beef suppliers across the country are facing unprecedented challenges in the wake of COVID-19, and some have seen additional facility closures over the last week. These closures are destabilizing the beef supply chain and the price of ground beef is now higher per kilogram than boneless chicken — something that hasn’t been seen in the marketplace in a long time. We want you to know that we will not engage in surge pricing on our products and we promise you’ll continue to get the same great value from Goodfood as you always have.
Celebrating All Moms on Mother’s Day
- To everyone who celebrated the day last weekend, Happy Mother’s Day! We asked the Goodfood team to share stories celebrating the moms in their lives: stepmothers, foster mothers, biological mothers, grandmothers, wives, and others who hold a special place in their hearts. Check out our blog post to meet the moms of Goodfood and find some inspiring ways to celebrate your loved ones every day of the year.
To everyone in the Goodfoodie community, thank you for your ongoing support as we navigate these changes together. Have a safe and wonderful long weekend!
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members May 7, 2020.
I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy this week! Lately, we’ve all been doing a little more home cooking than we used to and we know Goodfoodies are relying on our online grocery services to keep their fridges and pantries stocked during this time.
At Goodfood, our teams are working hard to ensure your baskets are safely packed and delivered on time. Across the country, our suppliers are facing great challenges and we are working closely with them to secure stock and offer support where we can. The safety and happiness of our employees, our partners, and our members remains our number one priority.
Here are a few updates on what’s been happening at Goodfood this week:
Member Happiness & New Facilities
- Our Member Happiness response time is back to normal at less than 24 hours and the phone lines have officially reopened! You can now contact our Member Happiness team via chat, phone, or email. Thank you to all of our members for your patience and support over the last few weeks as the team caught up on member inquiries.
- We are excited to announce that we’re hiring 300 employees for this month’s launch of our newest fulfillment center in the Greater Toronto Area (near Pearson airport)! This new facility will enable us to improve the quality and speed of Goodfood deliveries in Toronto while creating much-needed jobs for Canadians who have been recently laid off. We’re also on track to launch a second facility in Toronto in 2021, which will offer even more products, services, and flexibility for our loyal members.
Supply Chain (Produce & Protein)
- In preparation for next week’s spotlight recipe, our produce team has secured 6,000 lbs of farm-fresh shishito peppers! These sweet, mild peppers are set to arrive at our facilities in a couple of days, just in time to start packing orders for our loyal members’ baskets!
- Over the last few weeks, our partners have been working hard to fulfill protein needs for Goodfoodies and Canadians across the country. Unfortunately, we have just received word that one of our poultry processing partners has temporarily suspended operations. This week, most Goodfoodies will still be receiving boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs, exactly as our chefs had intended. For upcoming weeks, we are continuing to work closely with our suppliers to secure alternative stock, like bone-in chicken. We will keep you updated on any changes to your baskets and communicate additional cooking instructions for any affected recipes.
It’s important to stay connected and support each other as we all navigate this new normal together. Please continue to take care of yourself and follow the latest public health guidelines and government recommendations. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox (and junk mail!) for information and updates from our team.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members April 30, 2020.
This week brought some good news (and some warm weather with it!). It’s looking like public health measures are helping slow the spread of COVID-19 and governments are developing plans to gradually reopen more services and businesses once it’s safe to do so. While we all continue to do our part by washing our hands, self-isolating, and maintaining social distancing, our team is hard at work making sure Goodfood baskets are delivered safely and on time to loyal members across the country.
Let me share how the Goodfood team has been continuously improving service this week, including answers to some of your most frequently asked questions:
Delivery Times & Member Happiness
- We are in great shape this week! Many of our new teammates have successfully completed their training, our delivery schedule is back on track, and our Member Happiness response time is now back to normal at less than 24 hours.
- Following precautionary temporary isolation, over 150 of our employees have returned to work. We’re very happy to have them safe, healthy, and ready to serve our members!
Supply Chain (Produce & Protein)
- From the onset of the crisis, our produce managers, head of logistics, and supply chain team have been working around the clock with produce suppliers to fulfill weekly arrivals of farm-fresh ingredients at our facilities across the country. Over the last few weeks, our loyal members enjoyed crispy kohlrabi, black oyster mushrooms, beautiful green almonds, pretty purple asparagus, and tiny cipollini onions. Coming up next: delicate and delicious heirloom tomatoes!
- As mentioned last week, our supply chain team was working to secure a backup stock of chicken and beef to limit the risk of any shortages in Goodfood baskets. We’re happy to report they’ve successfully secured the stock, which means fewer protein swaps in the coming weeks for our loyal members.
Supporting Our Communities
- Earlier this month, we reached out to our members for help supporting a cause close to our hearts. Goodfood has been a longtime partner of Breakfast Club of Canada through financial donations and employee volunteer programs serving healthy breakfasts at local schools across the country. Due to the crisis, the needs of Canadian children have been greater than ever. The Goodfoodie community heard our call and together we raised over $58,000 for Breakfast Club of Canada COVID-19 Emergency Fund. We couldn’t be more grateful to every single one of our amazing members for your generosity during this difficult time. Thank you for helping #FeedKidsNow!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we get COVID-19 from the food you send?
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there are no reported cases or evidence of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of COVID-19. Nevertheless, we have worked closely with the Canadian Health and Safety Authorities to implement the highest safety standards in our facilities to keep our employees and members safe during this time.
How do I wash/sanitize my products when I receive my Goodfood box?
To ensure best practices in the end-to-end delivery of your box, we are continuing to offer contactless drop-off. As a precautionary measure, it’s advised to wipe off the surface of your box with a disinfectant wipe before handling. Remove outer packaging and throw directly in your recycling bin before placing items in your fridge. For perishables, simply put the items directly in your fridge (not on your tables and counters) and then thoroughly wash your hands. Wipe any surfaces that were in contact with grocery bags or packaging. As usual, we always recommend washing fruits and vegetables before consumption.
What precautionary measures are you taking inside your facility regarding COVID-19?
Although there are still challenges ahead, things are looking up across the country and here at Goodfood. Thank you for sticking with us during these unprecedented times; it is a privilege to be able to serve the Goodfood community across the country. Continue to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbours by following government and public health guidelines. We will get through this together.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members April 23, 2020.
It’s been a rough few weeks for us all. Our lives are changing, our communities are changing, and our businesses are changing. As new challenges arise, our focus continues to be on keeping our employees safe and healthy while improving service for our loyal members.
Here are a few updates and changes to be aware of this week:
Delivery Times
- This week, nearly 97% of baskets were delivered on time! To any of our members who still experienced a delay or a missing ingredient this week, we apologize and want you to know that our team is working very hard to get our new hires trained and ready to serve our members. There were a few hiccups along the way, but we have addressed the issues in training and expect to see even better results next week.
Member Happiness Response Time
- Our hardworking Member Happiness team has officially caught up on member inquiries! We expect to reopen live chat and return to our regular 24 hour response time by the end of the week. We apologize for any delays you’ve experienced recently and thank you for your patience while our team caught up.
Supply Chain & Products
- In order to increase our packing efficiency and ensure baskets went out on schedule, we chose to remove a handful of Grocery Essentials and Ready-to-Eat items from your selection page this week. But not to worry, all of your favourite products will return in the coming weeks! Keep your eye out for over 150 new products preparing to launch once operations are fully back on track.
- Poultry suppliers are still facing labour shortages and many of them are operating with less than 50% of their regular workforce. To ensure the essential supply of chicken for Canadians across the country, the poultry industry as a whole is shifting away from deboning chicken legs to increase their production capacity. For this reason, you may see substitutions in your Goodfood baskets over the next few weeks for bone-in chicken legs, bone-in chicken thighs, or bone-in drumsticks. We will share clear preparation and cooking instructions with any affected members.
- Despite the continued strain on the poultry industry, our supply team is happy to announce that one of our important chicken suppliers has just reopened after a two-week shutdown. Although they are operating at reduced capacity, this will help our team secure even more top-quality chicken for our loyal members.
- As you may have heard, some Alberta beef suppliers have shut down their facilities to ensure the health and safety of their employees and slow the spread of COVID-19. Although this may cause disruption in the supply chain over the coming weeks, we are working with our partners to find solutions, including securing a frozen beef supply to have on hand as a substitution for some recipes. We will keep you updated on the situation as it develops.
Health & Safety
- We have worked closely with Canadian Health and Safety Authorities to implement the highest safety standards in our facilities to keep our employees protected and healthy. The importance of frontline workers, like Goodfood production associate Fatima, has never been more obvious to us all. To Fatima and all frontline workers, thank you for being there and thank you for helping us serve the essential needs of all Canadians.
Giving Back
- Companies across the country are stepping up to support their communities and help those in need. You can read more about Goodfood’s partnership with Breakfast Club of Canada and other initiatives by Canadian brands and retailers in this article by Retail Insider.
Keep an eye on your email inbox for the most up-to-date information concerning your basket, products, and delivery (and don’t forget to check your junk mail, just in case!). Know that we stand by you and the entire community as we navigate these changes together. Take care of yourself, your family, and your neighbours by continuing to follow public health guidelines.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members April 16, 2020.
Although things were a little different this year, I hope everyone shared a wonderful Easter/Passover weekend with loved ones (even if it was from a distance). The Goodfood team was hard at work sourcing the freshest ingredients and getting them to your door as quickly as possible.
As we all navigate the realities of a new normal, we want to keep you updated on what’s been happening at Goodfood and the steps we’re taking to improve service for our loyal members during this time:
Delivery Times
- This week, over 95% of Goodfood baskets were delivered on schedule! To anyone who still experienced a delay, we apologize and want you to know that we’re making considerable headway in stabilizing our operations and addressing labour shortages in order to better serve you. The amount of on-time deliveries will be even higher next week!
- The newest additions to the Goodfood team have finished their training and are ramping up to assist in our Operations, Logistics, and Member Happiness departments. I want to thank all of our teammates and delivery partners who are working hard to get delivery times back on track.
- In order to prioritize our loyal members, we are continuing to restrict new member sign-ups exclusively to low-demand delivery days that won’t affect fulfilment for our existing members. As the delivery schedule should be fully back on track next week, if you have friends and family that are in need of Goodfood you can now feel free to share your referral link.
Disruptions in the Supply Chain
- As Canadians across the country go through the food reserves built up at the beginning of the crisis, grocery stores saw a larger than expected spike in consumer demand for a variety of food items this week. Across the country, many chicken suppliers have been forced to shut down or reduce their output due to major labour shortages caused by the current situation. While our supply chain team is doing their best to source the amount of fresh chicken needed, some of our members may receive pre-cooked BBQ chicken thighs, legs, or drumsticks as a substitute this week. Although this is not the exact protein you were expecting, our pre-cooked BBQ chicken is one of our most popular premium add-ons. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding during this exceptional situation.
- Rest assured, our supply chain team is rising to the challenge and working hard to find innovative ways to fill your baskets with delicious, top-quality ingredients every week.
Member Happiness Response Time
- Our Member Happiness team has been working hard to improve our response time for our loyal members. We want you to know that we will address all your questions and concerns as soon as we can.
- We apologize for any delays you may have experienced and we thank you for your patience as we get closer to returning to our standard response times. The good news is that we have improved our response time by 25% and expect to be back close to our normal response time next week!
Giving Back with Goodfood
- My thoughts go out to all the frontline healthcare workers across the country who are working day and night to save lives. Goodfood is showing our support by partnering with Montreal’s CHUM hospital to provide frontline medical personnel and volunteers with meals throughout the month of April. We can all do our part by washing our hands, practicing social distancing, and following public health guidelines.
To our hardworking teammates and our loyal members, thank you for your support and patience as we work through these challenges together. Thank you all for being a part of our community. We will continue to keep you updated as the situation evolves.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members April 9, 2020.
As an essential service provider, we know our members are relying on their Goodfood deliveries now more than ever, and that is a privilege and responsibility we take seriously. Rest assured that you can continue to count on us during these challenging times as we work around the clock to get your baskets delivered safely every week.
The situation is evolving day-to-day and we want to share the steps we’re taking to continuously improve our service while keeping our employees and members safe and healthy during these times:
Delivery Adjustments
- Last week we shared the challenges we were facing with our supply chain and operations in the wake of COVID-19. As we begin to see more predictability in these areas, some members received an email yesterday from our team letting them know they have been assigned a new delivery day for their baskets moving forward. This change will enable us to fulfill deliveries more reliably and help you better plan your week with less disruption caused by unexpected delays.
- While you do have the option to change the delivery day on your account if this modification doesn’t work for you, we ask that you refrain from doing so unless absolutely necessary. If you can accommodate the modification (i.e. take no action), this will maximize the chances that you receive your delivery on time and alleviate some of the strain on our employees and delivery partners and keep them safe while they practice social distancing. We thank you for your understanding as we work to get delivery times back on track!
- Note that we are continuing to restrict sign up days for new members in order to prioritize existing members.
- For those of you that have experienced a delivery delay, we cannot thank you enough for your understanding and we are overwhelmed by the show of support for our incredibly hardworking team members.
Member Happiness Support
- Last week we welcomed 450 new employees to the team and hiring continues across our Operations, Logistics, and Member Happiness teams to strengthen our operations across the country. We expect to see Member Happiness response times improve next week as our new colleagues complete their training.
Health & Safety
- We’ve successfully secured additional masks, eyewear protection, and safety barriers for the essential service employees in our facilities. We’ve hired nurses and a security team to ensure the best possible health screening for our employees and to reinforce social distancing measures inside and outside of our facilities for the health and safety of our teams and our members.
Giving Back with Goodfood
- This week we announced our partnership with Montreal’s CHUM Foundation to provide weekly meals to teams working at the first-line patient call centres and volunteers at the on-site daycare center. Thank you to all the healthcare professionals and volunteers who are working incredibly hard to keep Canadians safe every day!
- Note that the resources used for our Giving Back with Goodfood projects exist outside the supply chain to make sure our production and logistics employees stay 100% concentrated on fulfilling your orders.
We want to extend a special thank you to all of our members for your continued support and our dedicated employees who are working tirelessly to feed Canadians across the country. We will continue to keep you updated as we navigate these changes together.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members April 1, 2020.
The past few weeks have been a time of great change and uncertainty for Canadians across the country. We know our members rely on Goodfood as an essential service during this unprecedented situation and that is a responsibility we take seriously.
As the situation evolves, we want to keep our members informed of new initiatives and updates to our service:
Delivery Times
- Labour shortages in our facilities and those of our suppliers are affecting operations and the supply chain, which means some orders are being delayed 1-2 days. Note that boxes are not being delayed in transit, so rest assured quality and freshness will still be top-notch. We want to thank you for your patience and understanding while our team works hard to get delivery times back on schedule!
- If your order is delayed, we will send you an email by noon on the day of your delivery (be sure to check your junk mail!) with an updated delivery time so you know what to expect and to reduce incoming questions to our Member Happiness team who are working through the backlog.
- Last week, we hired 450 new team members in Operations, Logistics & Member Happiness to strengthen our operations across the country. Many of these hires were part of the workforce who have been laid off in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. They are well into their training and will be supporting you shortly!
- We are prioritizing our existing customers by restricting the availability of delivery days for new sign-ups.
Communicating with Member Happiness
- Although our response time is longer than usual, we want you to know that member happiness is our top priority and the quality of our care has not changed. Thank you for your patience as our Member Happiness team works through the backlog (they’re making great progress!).
- We have temporarily closed our phone lines and chats to focus on answering your emails. If you need to contact us, please write to chef@makegoodfood.ca and our team will get back to you within 48 hours.
- We ask that you contact us only once per issue, as contacting us multiple times adds to processing time as we sort through duplicates. Rest assured that no issue will fall through the cracks!
- Note that these measures are temporary and we have hired new Member Happiness Specialists who are being trained as we speak to uphold our happiness guarantee and help you with any questions or concerns throughout the crisis.
Supporting Our Communities
- There are over 1 million children who are currently affected by food insecurity, including the 250,000 students who depend on Breakfast Club of Canada’s healthy school breakfasts every morning. We’ve been supporting the Club since 2017 and we will match donations made by our members to Breakfast Club of Canada’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund for the next two weeks, up to $10,000. If you are able to donate, please visit the donation page and select “Goodfood” from the dropdown menu on the second step of the donation process to help us accurately match donations. We have already seen an incredible response from our members — thank you!
Health & Safety
- As our team works around the clock to service the needs of our members, rest assured that we are continuing to follow the guidelines issued by local and federal governments and are taking all necessary precautions to protect the health and safety of our employees and our members.
We echo the statements made by provincial Premiers and the Prime Minister in support of our frontline workers who are going above and beyond to meet the essential needs of Canadians. To all of our hardworking employees and incredible members, we want to thank you for your support and understanding during this time. We will continue to keep you posted as the situation develops.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members March 26, 2020.
As you’ve probably heard, provinces are ordering non-essential businesses to close for two to three weeks due to COVID-19. Grocery businesses like Goodfood are remaining open to service the essential needs of Canadians from coast to coast. We recognize the importance of this responsibility and we’re mobilizing all of our resources toward fulfilling it.
As outlined in our updates during the last couple of weeks, we’ve been taking as many precautions as possible to keep our members healthy and safe. Please rest assured, we’re staying on top of all government recommendations and policies without compromise.
Here are a few more updates as the situation continues to evolve:
- Although we’re experiencing some delays of 1-2 days for certain customers given the increase in demand, rest assured we’re working day and night to help you out. You will receive email updates on this topic only if your delivery is delayed.
- Our Member Happiness team is much busier than usual. We’re always happy to hear from you, but we’d ask that you please refrain from contacting us when possible to help us work through the backlog. We are also experiencing longer wait times than usual to respond, but our team is 100% committed to supporting your needs. I am incredibly proud to see the way our team is stepping up.
- The Canadian supply chain is being stressed and there are shortages of certain ingredients. We have been able to fulfill all orders to date, but please note that there may be some ingredients that are swapped in our meal kits. We thank you for your understanding (and please know that our culinary team has selected swaps that will be delicious!).
- Our supply chain teams in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver are working around the clock to ensure that we’re sourcing the best ingredients for you and your family without interruption. We’re seeing price increases on certain products that are procured from the United States, but we’re sourcing products and ingredients as locally as possible to support our Canadian farmers. This week alone, we’re picking up more than 65 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables from our growers for delivery to Canadians across the country.
- We’ve confirmed that all of our suppliers are also considered essential services and won’t be part of the ordered closure of non-essential workplaces.
- As we ramp up our hiring, we’d like to thank the keen-eyed members who noticed our recent press release for spreading the word; we’ve received more than triple our usual volume of applications in the past couple of days and it’s an enormous help. Feel free to refer your friends and family looking for great opportunities to our career page!
- We’ve introduced our Hero Pay Program to reward our employees for their hard work and dedication during this period of increased demand.
Thank you for your continued support and trust. Our Member Happiness team has been receiving kind words of encouragement every day and we feel incredibly fortunate to draw inspiration from all the wonderful Canadians that we have the privilege of serving. We’ll keep a tight line of communication with you as the situation develops — our team is driven to make a positive impact throughout this crisis.
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members March 19, 2020.
Goodfood has always been motivated by the idea of having a positive societal impact for the hundreds of thousands of families we serve across the country. Although difficult for everyone, the latest worldwide event is providing us with an opportunity to step up and make a difference.
We’d like to take a moment to update you on our progress toward the developing situation with regard to COVID-19:
- Further to our already rigorous food safety standards, the implementation of enhanced hygiene procedures including additional cleaning and sanitation within our facilities are going well. Our team is demonstrating exemplary diligence by going above and beyond at every step of every process to ensure your health and safety.
- We’ve been screening employees for potential COVID-19 contact. At this time, 19 of our 2,500 employees have been asked to stay home for 14 days as a precaution. No cases of COVID-19 have been reported in our workforce and we continue to monitor this closely and assist employees in need. All of our employees who can work from home are currently doing so and we encourage you to do the same: we all have an important role to play in slowing the spread of the virus in order to avoid overloading our healthcare system.
- In addition to temporarily suspending our Empty Box and Reusable Box programs, we’ve also prohibited visitors inside our facilities as an extra precaution to avoid any risk of cross-contamination.
- We continue to work closely with our suppliers on a daily basis and we’re building up inventory of items that we think may be the most at risk. Should we encounter a supply issue, we may need to make substitutions to certain ingredients in recipes. We appreciate your understanding as we are all doing our best under the circumstances. We reassert our commitment to not engage in any form of surge pricing despite increased demand for home deliveries. You can count on us to maintain the same excellent value that we provide in every Goodfood basket.
We recognize that Canadians are counting on us as an essential service and we’d like to thank you, our members, for your unwavering trust in Goodfood as we navigate these uncertain times together. We’ve already received outreach from hundreds of our customers with heartfelt thanks to our team for their support — a truly beautiful gesture and a rewarding experience for which we could not be more grateful.
As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Member Happiness team with any questions or concerns — we’re here to help!
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder
The following note was sent to members March 12, 2020.
We’re reaching out to share the steps we’re taking to ensure that all of our members continue to have a safe and positive experience in light of recent developments regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Your health and safety is our top priority and a commitment that we take seriously.
Please take a moment to review the precautionary measures we’re taking:
- We’re working closely with all partners in our supply chain to ensure safe end-to-end fulfillment and we will not engage in any form of surge pricing on any of our products even with increased demand from home delivery. We promise you’ll get the same great value from Goodfood no matter what happens in the coming weeks.We’ve encouraged our employees to work from home or take paid time off if experiencing any symptoms of cold or flu.
- We’ve temporarily suspended our Box Pick-up Program in areas where this is currently offered. Please recycle your cardboard boxes and packaging according to your local recycling program as our delivery partners will not be retrieving them until further notice in order to ensure there is no cross-contamination in our facilities.
- We’ve also temporarily suspended our Reusable Box Program. If you are enrolled in the program and currently have a reusable box in your possession, you may leave it in your usual delivery location so that our delivery partners can retrieve it for proper cleaning and sanitation. Upcoming deliveries will arrive in new cardboard boxes until further notice in order to ensure there is no cross-contamination in our facilities.
- We’ll continue to maintain strict adherence to our rigorous standards of cleanliness as well as sanitary and training procedures in our production facilities across the country.
We encourage our members to follow Health Canada’s preparation and prevention best practices by avoiding crowded spaces, reducing contact with others, staying home, stocking up on essentials and having supplies delivered to their homes instead of running errands.
We will continue to follow developments closely. Please rest assured that Goodfood deliveries will continue to arrive in a timely manner while upholding the absolute highest standards of health and safety.
Should you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Member Happiness team — we’ll be more than happy to help!
Stay safe, healthy & happy,
Jonathan Ferrari
CEO and Co-founder