Background

This project began in 2002 when Bob Waldrop decided to start buying some of his groceries directly from farmers. Through conversations, meetings, brainstormings and input from potential producers and customers, the Oklahoma Food Cooperative emerged to have it's first order in November 2003. The co-op learned as it grew and came up with innovative ways to keep things local. The software is available under the GPL (GNU General Public License) for other cooperatives to use.

Is this the right software for you?

Read this to make sure this software does what you need:
Overview and questions to ask yourself first.

Versions

Software Version 1 "Tomato"
Version 1 of the software started only with a list of products customers could review. They would email their orders with product ids and quantities and invoices were manually created. As time-consuming tasks were identified, updates were made, so this version was cobbled together without a road map. It works! But it is spaghetti. With tomato sauce of course.

Software Version 2 "Asparagus"
Version 2 of the software is completely re-written in an OOP style of programming with the big picture in mind. It's tighter and faster. The bugs are still being worked out (no pesticides have been applied in the growing of this software) so is not yet ready for stable release. Asparagus is a great companion plant for tomatoes. An asparagus planting is usually not harvested for the first 2 or 3 years after planted, allowing it to develop a strong root system. A well cared for asparagus planting will generally produce for about 15 years without being replanted.

Overview of Features and Functionalities

• Producers/farmers can log in and add products to the product catalog at anytime. They can also add photographs and turn inventory counting on or off.
• During a designated time of the ordering cycle, cooperative members can log in and place orders. Once they are finished, producers can log back in and print out invoices and labels to put on packages for delivery day. They can also add in weights for items such as veggies, meats and cheeses that are $/pound that then calculate into the total price.
• Administrators can print out sets of invoices for delivery day and once per order cycle, people meet up and divide up the items to go to distribution hubs across the state. Route managers handle a large portion of the distribution end of it and they also have a way to log in and confirm who is on their route for the upcoming distribution day.
• The membership chair can also log in and add new members and update contact information - and in our next upgrade members will also be able to update their own contact information. Producers can already edit content on their own personal webpage through the coop, adding ingredients lists, information and links to provide background on who they are and why they do what they do.
• There is a section for tracking sales tax for reporting to the state and other various reports, and also a way to add on adjustments to invoices when there are missing items or credits from volunteer time.

Specific Order Cycle Information

Courtesy of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative

• Choosing a type of software
• Delivery day essentials
• Delivery day functions
• Order cycle steps
• Pricing
• Producer procedures

So to get started, we'd recommend gathering some information:

• Names and contact information for first set of producers
• Names and contact information for first set of members
• Sales tax rates for all the counties and cities in your coverage area
• Decide on hubs, the main sorting area. For Oklahoma we have Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Norman, and Tahlequah. These are the places where truckloads of groceries are taken for further sorting for that specific area
• Decide on pick up locations near each hub
• Decide on delivery options - will you offer delivery for a fee?

Click here for an example of Oklahoma's hubs, routes and delivery/pick up options.

PDF Generator: HMTLDOC
The software uses HTMLDOC to generate PDFs of invoices and product lists from webpage output. It is free for download from their website: HTMLDOC

Special Thanks

Coming soon.

Stay Informed / Mailing Lists

Join the announcement mailing list to be notified when new versions are posted. If you have specific questions, contact us at software@localfoodcoop.org

Sourceforge

• Sourceforge project website
• Screenshots
• Announcement and discussion mailing Lists

System Requirements

System requirements to install and run software:

• MySQL 4+
• PHP 4+