Baldor Specialty Foods makes strategic alliance

Baldor Specialty Foods, Bronx, N.Y., has made an alliance that it says will enable better direct-to-consumer grocery delivery.

Baldor, a produce and specialty foods distributor specializing in foodservice but also retail customers, has partnered with Farm to People, a New York City-based service for delivering local, sustainable and ethically sourced produce and pantry items to home cooks, according to a news release.

Baldor first began offering home delivery during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, as a way to ensure food access for local communities while also keeping the company’s employees working. As Baldor’s traditional restaurant and retail business has picked up again, the company sought a way to continue to satisfy the needs of the individuals and families who came to love Baldor’s home delivery while also meeting a growing demand from traditional clients.

The Farm to People partnership will allow home chefs to purchase family-sized quantities of Baldor foods.

“When we opened up for home delivery in 2020, we were blown away by the response — and we remain immensely grateful for the customers’ orders that sustained us in a difficult time for the restaurant industry,” Benjamin Walker, Baldor’s senior vice president of sales, marketing and merchandising,  said in the release. He helped lead the company’s pivot.

“Partnering with Farm to People was a no-brainer since the company has the infrastructure to support these smaller orders and shares a similar mission to our own, of sourcing the very best food from the very best farmers and makers,” Walker said.

Through Farm to People, Baldor consumers can enjoy Baldor’s assortment of premium products, including Urban Roots and top-of-the-line produce.

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To celebrate the partnership, the company is offering a $15 discount on the first three orders (using discount code: BALDOR codes Baldor1, Baldor2, and Baldor3 respectively). Orders can be placed at farmtopeople.com.

“We can’t wait to welcome Baldor home delivery customers to our transparent, locally focused, sustainable shopping experience,” Farm to People co-founder and CEO Michael Robinov said in the release. “Baldor and Farm to People are all about delivering fresh, sustainably-grown foods in the most efficient and convenient way possible.”

With a focus on local, peak season and small farms, Baldor curates a selection of more than 6,000 items — including produce, meat, poultry, fish, dairy and specialty items. The company manages more than 10,000 major restaurant, foodservice, retail and corporate accounts from Portland, Maine, to Richmond, Va. Baldor started as Balducci’s fruit stand in Greenwich Village in 1946.