Applications for Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans now available
Members have three ways to apply: contacting a certified agent, calling 833-468-4280 or visiting ohiofarmbureauhealthplans.org.
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Ever thought of buying toilet paper and a Big Boy at the same time through the drive-thru window at Frisch’s? Believe it or not, it is possible.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest in Ohio and stay-at-home protocols were put into place, suddenly restaurants were left without customers. Many scrambled to start takeout or delivery orders only. Some restaurants got even more creative. Recently on Ohio Farm Bureau’s Our Ohio Weekly radio program, a panel discussed how some restaurants modified their offerings and turned into “grocerants” during the COVID-19 crisis.
As of mid-April, Chris Ford, executive vice president of operations for Frisch’s, said more than 20,000 grocery items had been sold at the chain’s regional restaurants.
“We had our marketplace up in three days,” he said, and additional offerings included toilet paper, eggs and gallons of milk.
The idea to add grocery items was something the team at Frisch’s had been thinking about since November, even before the virus was on anyone’s radar. Suddenly, it made perfect sense.
“We didn’t price these items to make a huge profit,” Ford said. “We did the best we could to just offer products for our guests.”
Supplying customers with what they need via an e-commerce platform is something Stephan Harman and his partners at FUSIAN Sushi had been thinking about for the last three years. The current pandemic expedited the process.
“We are happy we spent the energy there,” Harman said. “(During COVID-19) we need to keep feeding people, keep people at home, but also keep small business in business.”
The grocerant started with adding an option to purchase the restaurant’s produce whole and proceeded into other staples such as bread, eggs, bananas and oranges, among other things.
Stauf’s Coffee Roasters President Mark Swanson said the transparency with his customers since the COVID-19 pandemic began has been key to the success of Stauf’s Coffee Roasters’ grocerant concept. Keeping up with sanitation protocols helped establish customer confidence when the business started thinking outside the box.
“It was a really odd pivot when our CFO said ‘Why don’t we sell items we have in the back of the house?’” Swanson said. So, that is what Stauf’s started to do — whole bean coffee, teas and more are available on its website.
When restaurants reopened in May, they did so slowly and with a different capacity. Restaurant owners and operators will continue to think of different and unique ways to serve their customers.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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