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Singleness of Purpose

specialize in office fruit deliveryIt is very easy for me to explain my job.

“We deliver fresh fruit to offices,” I say when asked by friends and family about ORCHARD At The OFFICE. The key to our success, the idea which has made us the largest office fruit delivery service in Texas since our 2010 inception, is that we focus on doing one thing in a manner that exceeds expectations. We provide fresh fruit for offices. Do we also provide pretzels, coffee, nuts? No. Fresh fruit is what we do and it’s all we do – so we do it better than anyone else.

This idea is, of course, not without precedent: most businesses start off in a particular niche, and many flourish if they can function at an expert level. In fact, one of the main perils of business is to stagger off into “similar territory”, only to find the Core Competency they’d identified requires a bit more effort than they’d imagined.

An example with local ties: a restaurant franchise built around a single food item – chicken fingers – might leave Shark Tank bigwigs rolling their eyes. Yet Raising Cane’s has taken this business model of a simplified menu and parlayed it into a billion-dollar concept with over 400 locations and three headquarters (including one in Plano). That’s right: two guys had a billion-dollar idea involving serving, not chicken, but a very specific cut of chicken. Doing one thing well can pay off.

ORCHARD At The OFFICE, while not in the “three comma club” (yet!), has also learned there are details involved in supplying fresh fruit to hundreds of offices throughout Texas that one can’t merely bluff their way through by chucking cheap (or imperfect) produce at. For instance, a company that provides vending services including all manner of snacks and beverages to businesses is liable to think “well, we’re in the building anyway – we may as well sell bananas and apples”, not realizing there are basic quality, perishability, and presentation issues that are going to be problematic. Many times we’ve heard from the unfortunate office which got locked into a contract with such a service provider, only to receive mealy, cafeteria-grade Red Delicious apples instead of crisp and flavorful JAZZ, and by the time the employee dissatisfaction with the low-grade bananas becomes apparent, the kitchen area is starting to see a small swarm of fruit flies, ironically infesting the area where the offending vendor proffers their other snacks.

We source the best possible produce and prices that will match our customer’s bottom line, and we’re glad to make accommodations for display, order customization, and payment terms. One of the reasons we decided from the start to never lock our clients into contracts is that we firmly believe fresh fruit sells itself. Superior customer service is only possible if one truly cares, and at ORCHARD At The OFFICE, we’ve found the best way to care is to try to be one thing to all businesses.

If you have an office anywhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, whether it’s a staff of five to five thousand, we’ve got a package that’s right for you. Feel free to check out our newly-revamped webpage, https://orchardattheoffice.com , and get signed up for the best fruit delivery near you! We’ll talk to you soon, and we thank you for the opportunity to be of service.

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Happiness May Be The Key to Productivity

What makes a company one of the “Best Places To Work”? The metrics used to compile these lists will do their best to quantify a variety of intangibles, but we’ll focus for now on the concept of happiness. A corporate fruit delivery service can lead to a happier, more productive workplace.

HAPPY STAFFERS BOOST THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies have verified and quantified the link between employee happiness and productivity. One such study was conducted by the UK’s Social Market Foundation. In this experiment, tests were devised to increase the happiness of participants, with everything from presentations of comedy clips to providing snacks, including fresh fruit. Productivity increased an average of 12%, and the snacks, in particular, were even more effective. Therefore, companies can achieve this for very little money as well.

FRESH FRUIT: A FLAVORFUL KEY TO HAPPINESS

It is certainly true that one feels better after eating fruits and vegetables
because we know we’ve made a healthy choice. But there’s a more direct correlation than that. Multiple studies have linked fruit consumption with happiness. This exhaustive study published in the American Journal of Public Health utilized 12,000 participants. It examined the correlation between fruit and vegetable consumption and an individual’s feeling of well-being and happiness. The study found that “Increased fruit and vegetable consumption was predictive of increased happiness, life satisfaction, and well-being.”

HAPPINESS DELIVERED TO YOUR OFFICE

ORCHARD At The OFFICE is the largest and best source of fresh fruit to offices, as that’s all they do. They’re Texas-based and will work with you to determine how to best supply your staff with the fresh fruit they need to keep everybody happy. With a variety of products, they can work within any budget.

Maybe you’re an office of ten. There’s a small basket of 25 pieces of fruit happiness boosts productivityincluding the ever-popular clementines that would be ideal for you.  If you’re a large organization, with a hundred or more on-site, you’ll find many options available. You can get nearly 200 pieces of premium-quality fruit including bananas, apples, citrus, pears, and seasonal items, all for roughly 65 cents apiece. That’s a value that fits into nearly every budget! Additionally, the returns in morale and productivity are measurable and substantial.

Ultimately, happiness is a self-fulfilling prophecy. While none of us can make each other happy, we can make small gestures to improve the conditions of one another. Sometimes it’s as simple as the ability to say, “There’s some fresh fruit in the break room!”

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DBJ Healthiest Employers Event

Happy office workers
A misty Thursday morning provided a healthy contrast to the burst of color we brought to the Hyatt Regency Dallas.

Despite low-hanging clouds, our spirits were high on Thursday, March 10, 2016, as we pulled into the loading dock of the Hyatt Regency Dallas.  The Jeep was laden with a delectable display of fresh fruit. It was the morning of the Dallas Business Journal’s “Healthiest Employers in North Texas 2016”, an annual event for those invested in corporate wellness. Companies can mingle and display their wares before a luncheon awarding the businesses that have gone to the greatest lengths to champion the cause of office fitness.

As we got to our display table,  Chief Banana, Kevin Long, worked with Michelle to arrange our assortment of edible delights as I surveyed the scene.

Michelle, Kevin, and Chris give the thumbs up to happy, healthy office fruit delivery in Dallas!
Michelle, Kevin, and Chris give the thumbs up to happy, healthy office fruit delivery in Dallas!

SETTING THE TABLE

Prior to founding ORCHARD At The OFFICE, Kevin was a creative director with a background in graphic design. While Michelle works for us in the day, her career is that of hair and makeup artist of the highest caliber. As they arranged wooden bowls piled high with our finest offerings, their eyes were sharply attuned to the slightest artistic detail. I reviewed our marketing materials and started the process of networking with future friends and partners in healthy living. Knowing that we would be debuting our organic options at this event, I wanted to make sure that I had my own talking points in order.

FRUIT SELLS ITSELF

As the Marketing Wiseapple, I sometimes feel I have the easiest job in the organization. One needn’t work overly hard to sell fresh fruit at people. Indeed, it sells itself. “Would you like a banana?” “Yes, please!” Office fruit delivery is a great idea that works. However, not just anyone can do it. It takes expertise to seek out top quality produce, deliver it in a timely manner in attractive and eco-friendly packaging, and provide top-notch customer service.

Winners are announced over lunch for the Dallas Business Journal’s 2016 Healthiest Employers in North Texas.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

The actual lunch was a lovely, if somewhat muted affair.  As one by one the top 40 employers were counted down, recipients came forward to receive a trophy of engraved crystal. ORCHARD At The OFFICE found itself applauding quite a bit as nearly half the award recipients currently subscribe to our office fruit delivery service! Winners represented a healthy cross-section of Dallas industries, from hospitals and healthcare to commercial real estate. (I won’t spoil the surprise by listing the winners here, but you can read the Dallas Business Journal article here.)

Michelle and Linda, one of our most enthusiastic customers, take a moment to chat.

What gives us the opportunity to provide our service to so many of these organizations? To me, the keyword is personalization. As a service provider, we want to be as unobtrusive as possible, like an efficient waiter at your favorite restaurant. However, we pride ourselves in making sure that there’s a personal connection with our friends. People like knowing that if you send an e-mail to getfruit@orchardattheoffice.com, it will be read promptly. For us, “customer care” is neither a slogan nor a platitude; it is a commitment and a promise.

UNTIL NEXT YEAR

As the event drew to a close, we took the opportunity to express our gratitude to those in attendance and those who made such a nice event possible. We’d like to do so here again by congratulating the awardees and thanking the Dallas Business Journal for hosting. We look forward to seeing you all at next year’s event, and in the meantime, we encourage all of you to LIVE WELL!

LIVE WELL!
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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 committedhappier healthier office 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.”

happier healthier office

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.