Farm family hopes to revive door-to-door delivery

Farm family hopes to revive door-to-door delivery BY APRIL DZIUBALA Winder Farms, a West Valley City, Utah-based provider of high-end, organic foodstuffs, has spent six generations making its name within the Beehive State. Now it's branched out, extending its home delivery service to Las Vegas this summer. Already individual orders are exceeding those of established customers. The company has more than 100 clients in Summerlin, where the service is currently offered, and expansion is on the horizon, according to its co-owners, the husband-and-wife team of Kent and Sherri Winder. Kent Winder, president of Winder Wholesale and a sixth-generation Utah farmer, said the family business will eventually deliver to other areas of Las Vegas, including Henderson. Further down the road, he added, Winder wants to introduce its products and delivery service to Reno, Boise, Sacramento and Denver. But that expansion will probably not happen for several years, until the Las Vegas management team is firmly in place. Winder Farms, formerly Winder Dairy, has been in business since 1880. It began by delivering milk produced by vegetable-fed cows and still does. Winder Farms specializes in dairy products but offers over 130 additional foodstuffs, with an emphasis on organic, chemical-free farming.   "We feed our cows dry alfalfa hay, high-moisture alfalfa hay, cotton seed, distillers corn, regular corn and a full mineral package," Kent Winder told the Business Press. "A cow nutritionist comes out at least once a month to look the cows over and tell us what (they) need." A Winder Farms corporate statement reads, "we pay a premium to our farmers for all natural milk made without growth hormones added ... many people around the world share our animal and public health concerns about using rBGH. In fact, it is banned from use in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union." In addition to producing and delivering milk that is free from any added hormones, Winder Farms generates organic cheeses, eggs, freshly squeezed juices and preservative-free bread. The Winders' operation contracts with Southwestern farms and businesses for produce, and for a multitude of other items such as pizza and seasonal goods. It's gone beyond dairy products and baked goods to offer 133 products -- including bacon, sausage, steak and apples, as well as antibiotic- and hormone-free Piedmontese beef -- all available for home delivery. Whether the products come from Winder Farms or a contractor, a company brochure promises buyers, "Almost all of our products are either all natural, organic, pesticide free, preservative free or hormone free." Sherri Winder said, the use of antibiotics and hormones is not tolerated. "The more natural, the better," she added. Winder Farms' milk, for instance, is never subjected to fluorescent lights, which can destroy vitamin A and riboflavin. Those who sign up for Winder Farms home delivery service pay a $29.95 startup fee, and receive a Coleman porch cooler and freezer pack, to maintain product integrity. Customers then pay a $2.95 weekly service fee, on top of the cost of the goods, and can order "as much or as little as they want," Sherri Winder said. Moreover, the service fee is waived if customers don't order during that particular week, she explained. Summerlin subscribers are ordering an average of $28 worth of goods per week, versus the $14 to $15 a week that Winder's Utah clients spend. Sherri Winder attributes the discrepancy to the fact that Utah residents continue to identify Winder Farms primarily as a dairy, whereas Summerlin residents are "taking full advantage" of the Winder Farms catalogue. So far, Winder Farms has received positive feedback from Summerlin customers, who comprise the target demographic, Kent Winder said. "We're so glad you called," is customers' response when Sherri Winder calls to remind new subscribers to put their ice packs out, she said. The co-owner makes it a habit to ring up the night before a customer's first delivery to "welcome them to the family." All deliveries are made on Thursday or Friday, depending on the route, and are guaranteed to arrive before 8 a.m. Furthermore, customers can change their orders up until 8 p.m. the night before delivery. Products are "packaged at the source," Kent Winder said, and distributed from local points like the warehouse in North Las Vegas that services Summerlin. Winder Farms will eventually outgrow its North Las Vegas quarters, added Kent Winder, who visits the site daily with Sherri. He anticipates Winder Farms having 30,000 Las Vegas customers in the next two to five years, while the company currently serves 25,800 in Utah. The growth of the delivery service is supported by the Winders' propagation of their three main selling points: convenience, savings and quality. Kent Winder said that Winder Farms provides "convenience with a smile" and saves consumers money by sparing them from trips to the grocery store, which use gas and time, and often lead to impulse purchases. Overall, Kent and Sherri Winder are just happy to be here. "This is an exciting adventure," Sherri Winder said. "We're here to put a stake in the ground as the first Winders to go out of state." bpeditor@lvbusinesspress.com | 702-871-6780 x319 PROFILE FACTS Company: Winder Farms Owner: Kent & Sherri Winder Address: 4168 N. Pecos Road, Suite 106, North Las Vegas, NV 89081 Year founded: 1880 Phone: 800-Winder-1 (800-946-3371) Web site:www.winderfarms.com g src="/art/space.gif" width="468" height="20">-->ble width="490" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center">

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