When David Stelzer talks about Azure Standard, he doesn’t start with numbers, growth charts, or business strategies. He starts with the soil.
In the 1950s, his family farm in rural Oregon looked much like every other farm in America. They relied on chemical fertilizers, hoping to fight pests and boost yields. But over time, the soil weakened, and so did the family’s health.
“Those first few years were rough,” Stelzer remembers of the moment they decided to quit chemicals in 1973. “We were fighting weeds and insects, and we didn’t really know what we were doing. But eventually, the yields came back and we saw chronic health issues resolved, simply from consuming real food.”
That turning point shaped not only the way the Stelzers farmed, but the way they lived. By the 1980s, their wheat and rye were being sold to Bob’s Red Mill. When a contract change left the family with a mountain of surplus grain, David loaded his old Chevy Luv pickup, milled flour, and drove across Oregon and Washington, selling to friends and small stores.
“I milled some of it and then hit the road to sell the organic grain and flour to friends as well as stores throughout Oregon and Washington,” he says. “I’d load up the old Chevy Luv pickup and head out. I knew people were eating organic, I just needed to find a way to supply that niche. Pretty soon, people were requesting I bring them other organic foods from other suppliers.”
What began as a way to get by turned into a calling and eventually, a company. Today Azure Standard reaches families in all 50 states, including right here in Williamson County.
Why It Resonates in Tennessee
Williamson County, TN, may be a long way from rural Oregon, but Azure’s story resonates deeply in the South. The values of stewardship, faith, and good food are universal.
“The whole country is waking up to the reality that real food matters,” Stelzer says. “We’ve never wavered on that reality. We know that it is entirely possible to feed your family the highest quality, most delicious food possible, while also caring for the soil and our environment. You can literally taste the difference in food that is grown to the Azure standard compared to what you grab off the shelves at the supermarket.”
Families here know that difference. Many are looking for more transparency in their food sources, more honesty in their labels, and more meaning in their purchases. Azure’s way of farming and living offers that.
Keeping the Heart in the Work
One of the things Stelzer is most proud of is that Azure has never strayed from its roots. Even as the business grew to a nationwide network, the team kept its focus on the values that mattered from the start.
“Our core values are just what we do and who we are,” he says. “We are extremely open about our values, so much so that they are on the website as well as all over the walls of our warehouses and offices.”
That commitment, he explains, isn’t just about farming practices. It’s about people, employees, customers, and the families who gather at Azure’s community drop sites.
Building Community Through Food
Unlike the anonymity of online grocery delivery, Azure’s model brings people together. Williamson County families, for example, can meet at The Factory in Franklin once a month to collect their orders. There’s usually a truck, a pallet, and a handful of neighbors unloading boxes together.
“We hear from our customers all the time that this is where they’ve met other families in their community that are also passionate about healthy living,” Stelzer says. “Friendships and communities build up around the people they see at their Azure drop.”
It may be a faster way to get groceries, but it’s also a slower, richer way to connect.
Holding the Line
Organic farming has never been the easy path, but for Stelzer, the challenges are part of the conviction.
“Sometimes doing the right thing is hard, but just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that it isn’t right,” he says.
That perspective, forged in the early days when his family struggled to make their farm chemical-free, still guides Azure’s decisions today. “Once you’ve seen the difference real food can make, it makes it nearly impossible to compromise on it,” he reflects.
Looking Ahead
For David Stelzer, the future of Azure Standard isn’t about building the biggest company; it’s about protecting a way of life.
“Our work is not finished until every family has access to healthy food grown in a sustainable and ethical way,” he says. “That is our mission, and we will continue to press on until that dream is a reality.”
It’s a vision that feels at home in Williamson County, where old-fashioned values meet modern lifestyles. Azure may have started in a small town in Oregon, but its story is one that families everywhere can connect with, because in the end, it’s not just about food. It’s about being rooted in goodness.
AzureStandard.com
We know that it is entirely possible to feed your family the highest quality, most delicious food possible, while also caring for the soil and our environment.