Colorado-based local grocery platform Pinemelon uses recyclable paper bags and a unique order-grouping model that enables it to plan delivery routes that are more efficient and sustainable for customers.
Online grocery platform Pinemelon has expanded from its hometown of Denver into the Boulder, Colo., market. The company aims to bolster local food systems and deliver quality groceries directly to customers’ doors from area farmers, ranchers and producers.
“We are genuinely excited to deepen our roots in Colorado to serve the Boulder community,” said Alexey Lee, CEO of Pinemelon, whose team boasts 60-plus years of combined experience in online retail and grocery. “Pinemelon is not just an online grocery platform, it’s a movement towards a healthier, tastier and more sustainable way of living. By entering Boulder, we’re not just expanding our footprint, we’re serving a community whose values align closely with ours for high-quality, sustainable and locally sourced products.”
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Pinemelon offers an extensive inventory of 6,000-plus products made with organic ingredients and ready for delivery within two hours. Its lineup of local producers includes MASA Seed Foundation, a nonprofit farm growing climate-resilient seeds, and Grama Grass, a first-generation rancher with a grass-fed and -finished beef business in Boulder County. Pinemelon is dedicated to creating a fair marketplace, ensuring that makers meeting certain standards can sell their products to the community on the platform at accessible prices.
Additionally, Pinemelon’s eco-friendly approach employs recyclable paper bags and a unique order-grouping model that enables it to plan delivery routes that are more efficient and sustainable for customers. The company also uses biodegradable plastic and is working to further improve the sustainability of its packaging. As an additional benefit to the community and food ecosystem, Pinemelon donated more than 40,000 pounds of food to local organizations last year.
“Pinemelon plays a vital role in helping to bridge the gap between small-scale local food producers and a broader, urban audience, something that historically, has always been a challenge or even an impossibility for us as producers,” noted Julia Wolfe, general manager at Longmont, Colo.-based Grama Grass. “Their innovative model directly promotes the viability of small-scale producers by giving us the platform to connect with and serve other consumer markets, without the prohibitive barriers of time, distance and cost, while providing access to ethically and locally produced food for all.”
Shoppers receive free two-hour delivery on orders over $35 and membership benefits with increased discounts and prioritized delivery. They can start by downloading the Pinemelon app or visiting the company’s website.
Since its 2022 debut, Pinemelon has generated more than 250 new local vendor and farmer partnerships.