AMHERST – Edward Watt is a guy who knows a thing or two about produce.

Starting this week, he’s opened Market Fresh Direct, a delivery service for people who are looking for quality produce but want to avoid shopping in the traditional sense.

“I’ve been in the produce business all my life,” Watt said. “I’m always down in the market and know people in the industry and local farmers. I’ve always had those points of contact.”

Watt said when the market was first set up nearly two decades ago, he visited Nashua schools, discussing with the students the importance of nutrition, agriculture and farm-to-table foods.

“Our first online ordering system was really before Facebook and all the online platforms that we have now,” he said. “We started it again, because its timed pretty well. The dynamics in the way people buy produce these days has totally changed.”

While he considers what he did 20 years ago as trailblazing, Watt knows it’s possible for lightning to strike twice, hence he’s resumed what he considers to be a necessary commodity.

“We understand how the supply chain works and the appreciation for customer quality,” he said. “It was very easy to get up and running again, because we had the infrastructure already in place.”

Watt, who hails from a farm in Wales, United Kingdon, is utilizing 470 Sunapee St., in Nashua, the site of site of the Blushing Rose, which is opened during holidays, as their distribution hub, delivering locally on certain days and plans on expanding from there.

“We will be offering a greater selection as soon as the supply change stabilizes,” he said. “At the moment, for example, if you can’t get toilet paper, it affects papayas coming out of Guatemala at the end of the day. Everything has a knock-on effect, particularly in shipping and the supply chain, and so there’s obviously going to be shortages and quality issues that will be coming into the market in the next couple of weeks.”

Watt believes he’s the person who will know exactly what’s in season, what is available and what quality customers want – plus he can get it to their address with minimal handling while reducing the carbon footprint.

Currently, their website is open, www.marketfreshdirect.com.

“The idea at the moment is to maintain a distance from others,” he explained. “The produce, at the moment, is delivered in boxes. We don’t want the boxes back. But eventually, the plan is to return the boxes.”

People will be able to pick up orders that they place online. They’ll need to contact Market Fresh, and the boxes will be brought out of the store to their cars.

“They won’t be able to come into the store,” Watt said. “We must maintain that distance. At this point in time, it’s 99.9% delivery.”

The produce itself might vary depending on availability.

Their delivery days are Tuesday and Friday. Deliveries for Tuesday must be placed by 6 p.m. Sunday; deliveries for Friday must be placed by 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“I really want each customer to become a friend,” Watt shared, encouraging people to call personally, using the number listed on the website. “It’s like the relationship we all have with the Earth. Establishing that trust is an important part of what we do.”

Newsletter