Coral BeachRick Delashmit, creator of FruitMyCube, shows the FruitMyCube Classic box, which has 15-17 pieces of fresh fruit and costs $10.99 delivered. BELLVILLE, Ill. — When a regional chain gobbled up five independent grocery stores, it swallowed almost half of the revenue stream of the Bellville Farmers Market, a small produce wholesaler just across the Illinois state line from St. Louis.
The 40-year-old family owned business still had a few other accounts and a healthy walk-in retail 
Coral BeachThe FruitMyCube Mini box was introduced early this year in response to customers who wanted 7-9 pieces of fruit a week for $6.99 delivered. business from loyal locals, but owner Dan Schwendeman thought he might have to lay off general manager Rick Delashmit to make ends meet.
“My wife and I talked about it and we knew Rick had a lot of ideas, so we kept him on and asked him to come up with something, anything, we could try to replace the lost business,” Schwendeman said. “He came up with FruitMyCube and we can’t believe how it took off.”
Delashmit said the general push for Americans to eat more fresh produce coupled with corporations’ increasing emphasis on health and wellness programs for employees gave him the inspiration for FruitMyCube. Initially he thought businesses would buy cube-shaped boxes so that employees could grab a piece of fresh fruit and take it to their work cubicles as a healthy alternative to vending machine snacks.
“Rick went at it hard, pitching the idea to HR departments and at health fairs around the metro area,” Schwendeman said.
The idea caught on, but not quite as planned.
Some of the 200,000 cubes sold since June 2010 were bought by employers. However, the majority of cubes are bought online by individuals — 22,000 unique buyers placed order in 2011. The 6- to 7-pound FruitMyCube Classic, with 15-17 pieces of fruit, was an instant hit at $10.99, including delivery.
Delashmit and Schwendeman ended up renting trucks and hiring drivers for the Monday deliveries and soon added Tuesday deliveries to meet demand. FruitMyCube business has more than replaced the lost wholesale revenue.
Cubes now go out to more than 600 St. Louis area work places every week. Delivery points include the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Zoo, Energizer, Purina and Wells Fargo Advisors.
Delashmit runs the Web orders with the help of a smart phone and proprietary software to help with order and delivery tracking. When a driver drops off cubes, Delashmit receives a text message and notifies customers by e-mail. Orders can be made online or by telephone.
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