Local Sourcing

There are many differences between ClusterTruck and third party food delivery apps. The most obvious difference being, quite simply, that we cook our own food. Sounds like common sense, but this whole “cooking our own food” thing sets us apart because it allows us to ensure the quality and consistency of every single order we deliver.

We control the experience from end to end.

So where does that begin? One key component to creating high quality food is to source ingredients locally as often as we can. Whether it’s working with Raquelitas Tortillas to perfect our Denver menu, or getting freshly baked bread from Orlando Baking Company in Cleveland, our goal is to not only purchase from these local partners, but to also get to know these people, and on occasion, share a beer with them in their home.

To us, choosing who we partner with in each of our locations is a vital part of our business. Why would we ship greens across the country to Minneapolis when Urban Organics in St. Paul is creating some of the most flavorful arugula in the country?

To us, it also means being a part of the community and supporting the awesome people who create and supply the best food we can find.

Let’s let our Director of Ops, Abby Braughton, give you the business of local sourcing.

Q: Why is ClusterTruck utilizing local partnerships?

AB: I believe authenticity is essential to good food. For authenticity to happen, it needs to be local, it needs to reflect culture, and it needs to be a physical, visible part of the community. ClusterTruck isn’t just in the business of good tech, or good jobs - our product is good food. Everyone has their favorite taco truck, their favorite cold brew, even their favorite local butcher - it’s important we give the people already doing the good work the largest platform we can to continue that. We’ve got kitchens, we’ve got cooks, and we’ve got the know-how to make that happen and increase that visibility. Why would we do it any other way?

Q: Why should anyone give a crap about sourcing locally?

AB: Regardless of what’s important to you and your family, there are so many reasons to care about local sourcing. From a health perspective, local sourcing comes without a lot of the Franken-food baggage that food from who-knows-where does. There are all sorts of diets and fake food facts taking the internet by storm these days but the single greatest thing you can do for your body is to put good, clean food into it every day and that’s what you get from locally sourced products. From a sustainability/Mama Earth angle, the closer your food is to home, the smaller the journey it took to get to you. Community building and investment, you’re supporting your actual neighbors and people that put real dollars back into your community. And if you’re still not convinced, good local food just tastes better. Across the board, local sourcing is the smart thing to do. Sourcing food locally isn’t always a straightforward process, but it’s my job to make it simple.

Q: How is ClusterTruck vetting these partners?

AB: Our vetting process begins with relationship building. It would be impossible to develop a meaningful and symbiotic relationship without getting to know our farmers, producers, and makers on a human level. From there I can understand what’s important to them and how that impacts the way they run their farm and businesses. Early in the process, we’ll go and visit folks at their local farmer’s market or farm-to-table restaurant to see how they are positioning themselves. Shortly after we’ll arrange to visit their property to see how they’re raising their animals or growing their crops. These visits help us to understand whether our criteria are met — including everything from pig nose rings to pest management systems. It’s imperative for us to ensure we’re building relationships with the right partners whose operations are in line with our values. My background is in small-scale sustainable farming, so that training helps me identify who is producing the product we really want and how to develop partnerships that will last.

Q: What is the most exciting thing about this initiative?

AB: It should be easy for people to get good food. Like, really really easy—but it’s not! We aren’t going to solve the epidemic of food deserts overnight, but this initiative relies on ClusterTruck’s wizard technology to bring good local food to more people and that’s a start. More than anything, I hope this work will help to shift attitudes about what good food is and where it comes from. We are building relationships with so many incredible local food producers who are growing good food the right way. We are working with a local tortilla who has been making tortillas using their great-great-great grandfather’s family recipe for like 100 years! And that’s just one of our producers in one of our kitchens. It’s no surprise that technology has changed the way Americans eat. I’m excited to be part of changing what we eat by making it easy for more people to access great food.