Last year, Jay Nicholds was looking for very fresh eggs.
He cares about nutrition, and eating healthily. He wants to support local food producers as much as he can.
But the Westport Farmers’ Market — an excellent source — is open only 4 hours, once a week.
That was impractical. Jay was — and still is — a Staples High School student.
He ordered 20 dozen eggs off “some random website.”
Then he thought: There must be a better way.
There was not.
So, with several friends — classmates (and now seniors) JC Guerra, Johnny Deitch and Uzi Greenman, plus current junior Joey Carpenter — they created one.
From left: Joey Carpenter, Jonathan Deitch, Juan Carlos Gura, Jay Nicholds and Uzi Greenman, on the farm.
All share Jay’s interest in what they put in their bodies, and the importance of accessibility to high-quality foods.
The result is Farmlink: “Fairfield County’s first farm-to-table platform that connects farmers directly with consumers, ensuring fresh produce and fair prices.”
Customers place orders Sunday through Friday noon on the professional-looking website, which Joey coded himself.
On Saturdays, Jay and his crew pick up the products, then deliver them quickly and directly, right to each door.
These guys know their onions.
And they work as hard as every farmer they work with.
They began by emailing over 200 farms, within a 2-hour radius.
Then they visited dozens — not only to pitch their idea personally, but to ensure that the farms actually adhered to high standards.
They refuse to work with one, Jay says, because they did not like seeing too many chickens caged too closely in small coops.
Their first 2 farms are Little River in Fairfield, and Nature View in Bridgewater.
Farmlink’s prices are very competitive: $7 a pint for berries, $10 a pound for beef, $9 for a dozen corn- and soy-free eggs.
The service charge is far smaller than it could (or should) be.
Their target market is “moms in Fairfield County who care about healthy food, and want to support local farmers, but can’t always get to the Farmers’ Market. This is another option.” Farmlink delivers up to an hour from Westport.
Screenshot from the Farmlink website.
They’ve learned valuable lessons along the way — not only about their own business, but about farming.
“We didn’t realize how hard it is, and with such slim margins,” Jay says.
(The teenagers cite a variety of Staples courses, including Economics, Personal Finance and Computer Science as important to their current venture.)
Feedback has been excellent. “People love the quality and convenience,” JC says. “They really, really love the blueberries!”
The Farmlink founders are involved in many activities. Jay plays rugby and squash, and was a member of the Wrecker Wealth Management team that was their first from a public, non-magnet school to place second in the Wharton Global Youth Program’s annual investment competition.
JC plays hockey and lacrosse, and is a member of Scout Troop 36. Joey rows, Johnny is an Emergency Medical Responder, and Uzi plays hockey.
But Farmlink is their foremost activity, and their passion. They devoted many hours to it this summer, and look forward to ramping it up this fall.
Ramps are not on the menu. But plenty of other farm-fresh food is.
Delivered right to your door, by 5 hard-working, healthy-eating, and very customer-oriented Farmlink founders.
(Click here for the Farmlink website. Follow them on Instagram @farmlinkus, and on TikTok @farmlinkofficial.)
(“06880” regularly covers the environment, food, local businesses, and Westport students — and, like today, all 4 at once. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
