ORCHARD At The OFFICE - Page 10 of 14

February 20, 2016December 5, 2019

Dallas Running Club: a fruitful collaboration!

ORCHARD At The OFFICE, the largest office fruit delivery service in the Dallas / Fort Worth and Houston, is proud to announce that we have teamed with the Dallas Running Club to provide all the bananas for their races!

Chris Buchanan smiles with Sean Jett of the Dallas Running Club

A Fruitful Partnership

Since 2010, ORCHARD At The OFFICE has been delivering fresh fruit to businesses throughout North Texas. Our mission is to assist in the health and happiness of our community, one bite at a time. There’s always been a special affinity for runners in our organization. Because Marketing Wiseapple Chris Buchanan’s wife, Chauncey, is a certified personal trainer who has completed several marathons and ultra-marathons, and Chief Banana Kevin Long’s wife, Amy, races regularly and has completed several marathons herself, we jumped at the opportunity to provide bananas.

Sean and ORCHARD At The OFFICE Chief Banana Kevin Long load up healthy goodness for dedicated runners.

Year-Round Racing

The Dallas Running Club is the largest all-volunteer running club in America. The DRC hosts eight races a year and sponsors the “DRC Half” – an annual 5K and half marathon. Runners come from all over to compete in these races, and after all those miles, they need lots of replenishment. So, that’s where ORCHARD At The OFFICE comes in. For instance, the February “Love the Loop” 5K/15K required 320 pounds of potassium for over 900 runners!

DRC Volunteers set out bananas for hungry runners at the February 2016 "Love the Loop 5K/15K" at White Rock Lake. — DRC Volunteers set out bananas for hungry runners at the February 2016 “Love the Loop 5K/15K” at White Rock Lake.

On Your Mark! Get Set! GO!

You can check out the upcoming race schedule for the DRC here. Register for races individually or become a club member for additional benefits! So, whether you’re starting your fitness journey or a veteran runner looking to PR, there’s a race for your schedule…and ORCHARD At The OFFICE will see you at the finish!

Click here to start your office fruit delivery subscription in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex!

February 4, 2016October 13, 2020

Office fruit delivery for previous Artizone customers

We here at ORCHARD At The OFFICE were surprised to learn of the decision by grocery delivery service Artizone to close its electronic doors. While their forte was primarily home delivery and their offerings would run the gamut from produce to meats and cheeses, they were still a company who would at times also do office fruit delivery. As such, we regarded them as fellows in providing wellness to businesses in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

The sudden stoppage of deliveries by Artizone means many Metroplex offices may be seeking out a new source for their healthy snack alternatives. ORCHARD At The OFFICE will be glad to work with you to provide service and customer care at a level that exceeds your expectations. Contact us today and we’ll ensure there’s no interruption to your office fruit delivery service. You can also reach out by calling 972.295.9091 or sending an e-mail to getfruit@orchardattheoffice.com. There are no contracts, so you can try us out without commitment, and we guarantee all our deliveries.

Click here to continue receiving office fruit delivery!

January 23, 2016October 23, 2019

Fresh Fruit Delivery Makes A Happier Office

Fresh fruit delivery is a simple way to achieve a happier, healthier office. As Ron Friedman says in the October 2014 Harvard Business Journal: “If you’re serious about achieving top workplace performance, making intelligent decisions about food is essential.” He goes on to cite a study published in the July 2014 British Journal of Health Psychology that states: “fruit and vegetable consumption predicted greater eudaemonic well-being, curiosity, and creativity at the between and within-person levels.”

Despite the complex wording, the message here is simple. A company that is committed to wellness and worker happiness can easily provide healthy snack alternatives for its staff. Setting up fresh fruit delivery from ORCHARD At The OFFICE produces results that are immediate and tangible. Employees are happier and healthier. It’s that straightforward!

Providing Healthy Incentives

There are a variety of tools available to Metroplex business looking to literally trim the fat. In its worksite wellness manual, the Texas Department of State Health Services lists a variety of measures that companies can take to improve the fitness of their workforce. Among the most achievable on the list is “healthy food.” Cathy Ross, facilities manager for ORIX, saw fresh fruit delivery from ORCHARD At The OFFICE as the ideal means to achieve this. Ms. Ross says, “We wanted to provide a healthy incentive for our employees, instead of deferring to the vending machines.”

The ORCHARD At The OFFICE concept is simple and companies of any size can visit the website to get started. “In my experience, wellness sells itself,” says Kevin Long, the Chief Banana. “We provide the means to make it easier for everyone. People love fresh fruit, and it’s wonderful to see how excited people get when we show up with a basket.”

Happier, Healthier Workers

Their customers can attest to the satisfaction. “ORCHARD At The OFFICE has been a huge success! The employees appreciate the fresh fruit,” says Tammie Hufstettler, who made fresh fruit delivery a part of their corporate wellness initiative last year. Cathy Ross concurs. “There is usually a line to get to the fruit as it is amazingly fresh, and the selection is wonderful.”

To join the happy, healthy office movement in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex or Greater Houston, visit the ORCHARD At The OFFICE website or call 972-295-9091.

December 23, 2015October 13, 2020

Bearing Fruit: ORCHARD At The OFFICE

by Chris Buchanan, Marketing Wiseapple

Thus far I’ve described how ORCHARD At The OFFICE began in 2010 and its expansion throughout the decade. By 2013 we could indeed call ourselves “north Texas’ largest office fresh fruit delivery service”, and by 2015 it was clear that in order to better serve our friends, we were going to need to leave the nest and find a new location capable of handling our ever-increasing volume. Kevin, our intrepid “Chief Banana”, spent several months scouting locations all over the Metroplex, only to find the perfect home just two doors down from where we were!

Michelle, our "Truckin' Tangelo", applies a unique method of measuring headroom as we prepare to move out of our old space. — Michelle, our “Truckin’ Tangelo”, applies a unique method of measuring headroom as we prepare to move out of our old space.

To accommodate our needs, walls were cut, climate controls installed, and floors were sealed. Everyone who has taken up a new residence can understand how such a change signifies both a renewed commitment to an idea, coupled with a fresh outlook. One does not sign a lease, or indeed a mortgage, without some degree of confidence that the partnership (whether a business or a family) has a future. Similarly, when one must take an inventory of all material possessions in order to lug them to a new location, be it two doors or two states away, it’s only natural to take a look at what’s needed and what isn’t, and with that change in perspective, new possibilities often emerge.

Kevin watches the carefully-controlled fall of a half ton of concrete as a method of entrance and egress is expanded.

With this change of perspective, we were able to respond to, and indeed anticipate, the healthy snack alternative needs of our friends. We’ve always customized our offerings, giving them more bananas if they ask, noticing if they aren’t as crazy about the oranges and thus making proactive substitutions and so on. However, we started to consider the size and needs of companies of all sizes: the 2-3 person operation in Westlake who might like fresh fruit on a regular basis, or much larger organization putting together a wellness initiative. And so we increased the quantity of our offering threefold, thus ensuring our friends could find the offering most ideally suited to their needs. Putting together additional offerings such as our clementines, avocados, and our variety pack has given our friends the opportunity to experience a vast array of healthy flavors, and the feedback we’ve received has truly been wonderful.

Before moving into our new location, we had the boys give part of the location a "test run". They approved. — Before moving into our new location, we had my boys give part of the location a “test run”. They approved.

As we move forward, ORCHARD At The OFFICE looks for new ways to bring the mission of health and fitness to the fore. Whether it be in the form of gift baskets our customers can send their clients or staff, our ongoing presence at health fairs and blood drives, or simply bringing a box of bananas to The Samaritan Inn, we remain committed to our single purpose: a healthier, happier Metroplex.

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December 21, 2015October 13, 2020

Year-round gift-giving ideas for Metroplex offices

Soon, the holiday season will have come and gone. But for those in offices throughout the Metroplex tasked with giving gifts to clients or fellow staff members, the search for That Special Something is a year-round proposition. What can you give that special client as a way of saying thanks? Fortunately, the Dallas/Fort Worth area is a veritable cornucopia of edible gift ideas, and I’d like to share three of my favorites, run by local companies, that work for any office environment while being unique and high-quality enough to really stand out.

FRESH FRUIT GIFT BASKETS. I highly recommend the gift basket from ORCHARD At The OFFICE, a Richardson-based organization which specializes in premium-quality office fresh fruit delivery. Their gift basket is a great deal: for $40 plus a $5 delivery fee, the recipient will receive a great wicker basket filled with a fantastic mix of delectable whole fruit with a handwritten note. The basket comes with all the classics you’d expect: Dole bananas, quality apples, citrus, a rainbow of pears…but what I really enjoy are the more exotic varieties they pop into the gift baskets, such as papaya, kiwi, and peaches. The Seckel pears in particular are a delight: they’re a little larger than a golf ball, with a skin that fades between green and red, and a sweetness which is elegant without being overpowering. It’s a great package that encourages healthy snacking, and as such is the gift that keeps on giving!
PREMIUM ROAST COFFEE. Our workplace has become completely sold on Eiland Coffee Roasters, another small company in Richardson which imports an amazing assortment of beans from all over the world, roasts them onsite, and packages them up to suit the palates of coffee cognoscenti throughout the Metroplex. Clay Eiland and his knowledgeable staff have the uncanny ability to turn virtually anyone into a coffee connoisseur with the purchase of just a couple pounds. It happened to me: a year ago I could scarcely taste the difference between any random Starbucks blend; now I find myself describing flavors of different cups with sentences featuring phrases like “notes of…”! You can stop by their location or have pounds of coffee sent as a gift. Check out their selection – I myself am partial to the Ethiopian (especially the Ardi) but have yet to make a bad purchase.
ARTISAN CHEESE BOXES. Most foodies, local or otherwise, are familiar with Scardello, an Oak Lawn staple featured on The Food Network. But their gift box selections sometimes go overlooked – which makes them a particularly unique gift choice. The small box will get you three ¼-lb pieces of handmade cheese (I myself am a huge fan of their mozzarella, which to me tastes like what might happen if milk were touched by an angel) as well as one accompaniment: antipasti, olive oils, a variety of beverages, and even “charcuterie” – cured meats and prosciutto. A big hit for one and all!

For more information on ORCHARD At The OFFICE, call 972.295.9091.

To learn more about Eiland Coffee Roasters, call 972.991.0100.

If you’d like to know more about Scardello Artisan Cheese, call 214.219.1300.