In the “Success Tales” part of the Ecwid weblog, we get to publish the real-life tales of enterprise house owners who run their on-line shops with Ecwid by Lightspeed. You possibly can meet fellow entrepreneurs and learn to use Ecwid to make a thriving enterprise.

As we speak we’d prefer to introduce you to Liz Abunaw. Liz based Forty Acres Fresh Market on Chicago’s westside in 2018 as a result of she noticed how the lack of recent meals choices in the space impeded her neighborhood. Liz needed to do her half to assist.

5 years later, her enterprise offers entry to high-quality produce to everybody in the neighborhood. She hosts month-to-month pop-ups, supply, and subscription providers. Learn on to learn the way she does it all!

Meet Liz and Forty Acres Recent Market

Forty Acres Fresh Market is a Black and woman-owned grocery retailer that combats well being and financial inequity by growing entry to inexpensive recent meals in underserved communities.

Forty Acres Recent Market was based by Liz Abunaw, who desires to enhance entry to recent meals choices on Chicago’s westside.

 Our motto is, “Recent meals for all, as a result of each hood must be wholesome.” Liz Abunaw

In 2018, Liz hosted Forty Acres Recent Market’s first popup market. Only a yr later, she expanded her enterprise by launching a supply subscription service of recent produce.

In 2020, Forty Acres Recent Market continued to develop by leveraging on-line promoting. They even have discovered property to maintain the first Forty Acres Recent Market brick-and-mortar retailer.

At the moment, Forty Acres Recent Market operates as a cell produce vendor, promoting recent fruit and greens via seasonal pop-up markets and produce stands. Their markets are held in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on the metropolis’s westside. In addition they supply day by day supply service for preselected produce packing containers all through the metropolis.

The Mission of Forty Acres Recent Market

The Forty Acres Recent Market crew believes in the energy of communities to develop, construct, and maintain their very own assets. Their fundamental mission is to enhance entry to inexpensive, high-quality, and recent meals in underserved areas.

Since 2020, Forty Acres Recent Market has additionally served 1000’s of Chicago households as a provider for meals distribution applications in collaboration with non-profit organizations.

 Our service is open to all, and we settle for SNAP EBT* as a result of high-quality recent produce at a nice value must be accessible for all. Liz Abunaw

*Digital Advantages Switch (EBT) is an digital system that helps folks entry more healthy meals and different advantages via the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program (SNAP).

Forty Acres Recent Market and the hardworking crew behind it have turn into a very important a part of the financial revitalization of Chicago’s westside. The awards they obtain are proof that they create their mission to life:

• 2021 – Folks’s Selection Award at the Chicago Innovation Awards
• 2022 – Winner of Well-known Amos: Substances for Success.

Liz and Forty Acres Recent Market have massive plans for the future, even past the unbelievable impression they’ve already had.

 We sit up for opening our first brick-and-mortar retailer, which is able to enable us to increase past recent produce to service all of our buyer’s grocery wants. Liz Abunaw

Leveraging On-line Promoting

In 2019, Forty Acres Recent Market launched a subscription possibility for their supply service. Initially, they used one other platform to seize orders and course of funds. Nevertheless, it was not user-friendly, particularly as a result of cost assortment was not computerized.

Whereas looking for platforms that related companies use, they discovered Ecwid by Lightspeed. Ecwid helped them automate the subscription payment process and increase their on-line presence.

 Ecwid allowed us to arrange a skilled promoting web page and join it to a cost processor to arrange computerized funds for our subscription clients. Better of all, the value was extraordinarily inexpensive. Liz Abunaw

Forty Acres Recent Market additionally makes use of Ecwid to arrange tiered delivery fees by zip code, capture customer emails, and embed their on-line retailer inside their social media platforms and website.

Liz’s Recommendation to Enterprise Homeowners

We requested Liz to share a phrase of knowledge for fellow and aspiring entrepreneurs. She strongly advises enterprise house owners to create a construction for their enterprise as quickly as potential.

 Creating firm insurance policies, greatest practices, and operational plans provides you a robust basis from which to develop your small business. Liz Abunaw

Liz emphasizes that having a construction permits a enterprise proprietor to increase and develop their enterprise as an alternative of executing day-to-day duties.

 Creating processes for every little thing you do is the key to transferring from working in your small business on a day by day foundation to having the freedom to work ON the enterprise.  Liz Abunaw

Be certain that to take a look at Forty Acres Fresh Market’s website to see how they assist their neighborhood—we’re positive you’ll be impressed to construct a enterprise that serves a function.

Share Your Story on the Weblog

In the “Success Tales” part of the Ecwid by Lightspeed weblog, you may get to know fellow retailers and be taught from first-hand expertise.

If you’d prefer to share your expertise operating an Ecwid retailer or give recommendation to fellow entrepreneurs on the right way to use Ecwid instruments to the fullest, we’d like to hear from you. Attain out to [email protected], and we’ll take it from there!