MilkRun Delivery Service
Julia Niiro is on a mission to create a food supply chain that connects small farmers directly to consumers.
Niiro started MilkRun, a subscription service delivering weekly grocery staples sourced from small, local farms, in 2018 after becoming a small farmer herself in Portland, Oregon.
She had purchased a meat-processing company and was working with area ranchers when she learned that 85% of farmers are over 65 years old and were being asked to increase food output as populations increase, yet only profiting 10 cents on every dollar.
“Our model is to increase profits by helping small farmers get more of their goods purchased,”
“Like the traditional milkman model, people buy directly from the farm and have it delivered. This next wave of the food industry will be how to reduce the middle.”
Julia Niiro
The company grew 15x in 2020, and to keep that momentum going, MilkRun raised $6 million in Series A funding. Spark Capital led the investment and was joined by existing investors Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Social Impact Capital and Congruent VC. The latest infusion gives the company a total of $10 million, which includes money raised after attending Techstars and Y Combinator in 2020, Niiro said.
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The new funding enables MilkRun to expand its delivery service to include Seattle and Austin — and a fourth unnamed market coming early next year — and to launch new products. The company recently unveiled a new bacon offering as part of the subscription service and is working with butchers to supply different styles and cuts. The company is also working with seafood suppliers in the Pacific Northwest and will use the funding to add seafood to its other markets.
MilkRun is working with over 300 small and mid-sized farms. Users go online and choose the products they want, like eggs, meat, produce and bread. The company offers a recurring subscription, with no minimum order or subscription fees, and free contactless delivery. Fifty percent of every dollar spent goes back to the farmers, Niiro said.
MilkRun Delivery Service
