An apple a day keeps the doctor away, the saying goes, and proves an innovative business model Lexi Schmidt and Danielle LaRiviere have found. The business partners and recent college graduates moved the headquarters of their produce delivery service to Bellevue this year.
Apple-A-Day started in 2009 in LaRiviere’s hometown of Yakima. It was her first summer back from college at Washington State University where LaRiviere had been studying business. The idea behind the start-up—to supply fresh deliveries of apples to local clients, first occurred to her dad in 2002, but it was not until his daughters headed to college that it manifested into an actual business plan.
“We’ve gotten a great response [on the Eastside],” says LaRiviere. “People are very health conscious here. They’re talking about wellness, and they’re acting on it. This is the perfect solution—it’s simple and affordable.”
In May the fledgling business was nominated by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce for the most innovative product of the year, and within months, the girls had 55 clients under their belt, among them Puget Sound Energy, Nisson, Nordstrom and Swedish Hospital Medical Center.
But though Apple-A-Day is growing, LaRiviere and Schmidt say they’re still committed to the intimacy of that original model. Deliveries are made on Mondays and Wednesdays, which both girls make themselves after waking up early to drive to Mukilteo for the order.
“We pick up about 15 boxes of apples. Then Lexi and I split up to make those deliveries,” says LaRiviere.
Sprouting the business hasn’t been easy. Both admit that there isn’t a handbook for such a niche market.
“There’s no road map telling you to do it this way,” says LaRiviere.
In September the pair made a commitment to operate full-time. They moved to Renton to live with an uncle so that they could be closer to their headquarters. The relocation was in itself, a new experience. LaRiviere remembers at one point having 10 refrigerators on the porch.
By the end of the year they hope to have 100 clients. From there, the plans are limitless: “We could see if this model works in Seattle, it could also work in other cities around the country.”
