Liviri, an online grocery package service, has named Madison Foods, an independent grocery store located in Ennis, Montana, as the first recipient of its online grocery grant program. The company developed the program to award resources to an independent grocer to improve online grocery efficiencies and optimize supply chain management.
Madison Foods is the only grocery store in the Madison County area, serving 1,000 year-round residents and over 4,000 additional seasonal residents during the summer. Customers spanning a 50-mile radius use the grocer's curbside pickup and delivery options.
"We're honored to present Madison Foods with a grant package valued at over $7,000 to help them increase their e-grocery operational efficiencies and save them time and resources," said Liviri general manager Ken Longval, in a statement. "Madison Foods is passionate about doing everything they can to serve their community, and it is evident they are ready to take their operations to the next level."
Madison Foods was selected because it demonstrated a strong need to increase business operational efficiencies for both storing and delivering perishables, according to Liviri. The grocer is using a basic residential refrigerator to keep groceries cold, and outdated coolers to transport perishable foods. While the team works to keep up with demand, operational constraints decrease the volume of deliveries it can fulfill.
Madison Foods was seeking a better system for storing perishable foods after orders were shopped, as well as a better system to keep the foods at the appropriate temperature during deliveries or when storing orders for long periods.
"Right now, we have to make multiple trips in order to keep groceries cold during transit, which is not cost-effective," said Chris Gentry, owner of Madison Foods,, in a statement. "With Liviri's Sprint totes and a better storage system, we'll be able to store food for significantly longer times, allowing us to deliver to more of our customers in one trip without worrying about spoilage."
As the grant recipient, the grocer will receive $5,000 in cash, and the packaging company’s insulated totes, ice packs and dividers, and two picking carts.
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