Staples High School senior Jay Nicholds was raised to care about where his food came from. “My parents have always focused on sustainability,” he tells Westport Lifestyle. But it was a few years ago, while watching YouTube videos about the origins of conventional eggs, that he decided to take action on his own. It was a small step at first—well, sort of small. He ordered some farm-fresh eggs for his family. Twelve dozen of them.
The arrival of 144 eggs at his home became an entrepreneurial lightbulb moment. Jay ordered the eggs online because, as a high school student, he wasn’t able to shop at the Westport Farmers’ Market during their Thursday hours. “I really wanted to come up with some sort of solution,” Jay says, that would allow online shoppers to purchase farm-fresh, sustainable eggs whenever their schedule allowed. He roped in a few friends—fellow seniors JC Gura, Johnny Deitch, and Uzi Greenman, plus junior Joey Carpenter— and they got to work building a delivery service called Farmlink. Jay and his co-founders drove around for hours, looking for farms that would meet their quality standards: ensuring the chickens aren’t fed corn or soy, that everything is organic and pesticide-free, and that all the crops are non-GMO. Even his co-founders have been moved by his devotion to high-quality food sourcing. “Jay is a huge inspiration for me,” says JC. “For a long time we were [big box grocery store] shoppers, but that’s changed a lot.”
Today, Farmlink offers more than just eggs: shoppers will find seasonal produce and grass-fed beef, too. They work with local farms Nature View Farm in Bridgewater and Little River Farm in Fairfield. Shoppers place orders Monday through Thursday, and the farmers get the items together. Then, the Farmlink team does deliveries over the weekend, anywhere in Fairfield County, for a $5 delivery fee. Farmlink has become an invaluable resource for people in the community, allowing more flexible access to high-quality, sustainable produce. “We’ve had great comments about the green peppers, the carrots, and the blueberries—people can really taste the difference,” says Jay. “I love hearing how much people appreciate the quality.”
While four members of the Farmlink team are graduating this spring, they say the plan is to continue offering their service to Westporters, passing down the delivery responsibilities to a new crop of Staples students. “It’s a great way to keep the business going and support Staples students,” explains Jay, who plans to study finance and entrepreneurship in college. And they plan to continue building the business, too: adding new seasonal products and improving the environmentally-friendly packaging they use to deliver orders. “We are inspired to bring our mission to more people, too,” says Jay. “We want that high-quality produce on everyone's plate, not just in Westport.”
To shop Farmlink’s selection of products or to learn more, visit farmlinkus.com
Farmlink has become an invaluable resource for people in the Fairfield County community, allowing more flexible access to high-quality, sustainable produce.
“Jay is a huge inspiration for me,” says JC. “For a long time we were [big box grocery store] shoppers, but that’s changed a lot.”