Bob McClendon owns one of the state’s only USDA-certified small farms, McClendon’s Select, which grows 100 different varieties of organic fruits and vegetables across 93 acres of farmland in Peoria and Goodyear.
McClendon’s main sources of revenue are supplying his bounty to restaurants and farmers markets across the Valley. Business is typically booming for specialty growers during the spring months, but sales have suddenly screeched to a halt due to the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona.
“All of a sudden, when all the restaurants were ordered to close, it was like a switch turned off,” McClendon says.
The farmer says he lost 75 percent of his operating revenue overnight. Usually, the farm makes enough money in March to make it through the sweltering summer months, when the ability to grow produce is very small. With no savings to stay afloat, it looked like McClendon had to lay off a large majority of his employees.
“We do still have our farmers markets, but they have dropped off a little bit because of people trying to avoid crowds,” he explains. “We’re still able to operate because we are a food source and according to Governor Ducey, farmers markets will continue to operate.”
McClendon’s Select, which sells its fruits and vegetables at farmers markets in Old Town Scottsdale and Uptown Phoenix, allows a small group of people to shop at a time and encourages people to stay six feet apart. Even with safety precautions in place, sales have dwindled.
Luckily, McClendon came up with a creative solution. McClendon’s Select now offers grab-and-go boxes of varying sizes and prices ($50 for a small box, $70 for a medium box and $90 for a large box) that contain an assortment of produce from the farm. Customers can drive up to McClendon’s truck and they will load the box into the car.
“They don’t even have to get out of their car,” he says. “They can hand us a credit card or cash and we’ll process that right there on the spot.”
Though the to-go boxes have kept his team busy, McClendon says they’re going to “suffer financially from this for years.” His biggest concern is his employees and their families, some of which have worked for him for more than a decade. He also manages McClendon’s with the help of his wife, Marsha, their son, Sean and his wife, Kate.
“Because of this box program, they’re all working full-time now,” he says. “As long as we can keep this thing together, they’re going to be employed.”
Despite the recent economic downturn, McClendon is dedicated to providing the Valley with fresh, local food.
“We love what we do, we love our employees, we love our customers, and we can assure them that we’ll be there for them,” he says.
