Trevor Clatterbuck

 

 

Founder and CEO of Fresh Fork

 

by Isaiah A. Tate, crew 3
 

 

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work that is worth doing.” This Teddy Roosevelt’s quote inspires Trevor Clatterbuck at this metier, Fresh Fork.

 

Clatterbuck, 28, started Fresh Fork while pursuing a dual degree in political science and business management at Case Western Reserve University. Fresh Fork helps people connect to farmers who live far away and don’t have access to markets. “I created marketplace similar to Amazon or eBay,” Clatterbuck explained.

 

Fresh Fork customers get their weekly bags in special pick-up zones. The weekly subscription model includes produce, meat, and cheeses. The food comes from a network of 108 farms.  Fresh Fork sells a cross section of foods like chicken, beets, spinach, oranges, peaches, and bacon, to name a few. They also incorporate a vegetarian bag of food for people who don’t eat meat.  

 

Additionally, Fresh Fork hosts a number of special events for subscribers and for people who don’t know about Fresh Fork. They cook food for people to try and have dinner parties to show people how to prepare food. “We also have farm fair, a festival in which farmers came into the city and taught people how to garden,” Clatterbuck described. They use these workshops to educate their consumers. They try to make more customers and people in the area aware of why they should be eating local and what they should be looking for. “If it’s beef, it needs to be 100-percent grass-fed because that’s what’s natural; if it’s crops, they need to be non-GMO,” Clatterbuck explained.

 

Fresh Fork has become increasingly successful. They started with 40 customers, then each year grew to 400, 1000, 2000, and  then 3000. “This year we’re looking at 3,600 to 4,000 weekly customers. We have had at least 50 percent growth every year,” Clatterbuck said. With such growth, the staff has also grown. “We have a dozen employees in high season. Fortunately for me, a lot of the employees have come across my desk. I haven’t had to search them out,” Clatterbuck explained. “We have temporary positions in the summer, and the ones who do the best job stay on for the full season.”

 

Clatterbuck said he is not certain what the future holds, but that he will still be working at Fresh Fork. “In 5-10 years, I will still be here. I think there will be more businesses related to Fresh Fork,” he said. “We are looking into opening a quick freeze facility.” This could help them have food in the winter stored from the summer. They are also considering opening a malt house for dry barley and rye, to use in production of beer and whiskey.

 

The best part of Clatterbuck’s job is “the reaction we get from the customers when they are satisfied, knowing that you did your job right,” said Clatterbuck. “What we’re doing is not tangible but it’s having an impact on people.”