Wish you could have a customized box of Carolina-grown produce delivered right to your door? Meet Nano Farms, a recent enterprise that does just that, augmenting the CSA model with a focus on convenience: clients create wish lists from the products available each week, place orders on the company’s Facebook page, and wait for personalized baskets to arrive on their stoops.
On days when they deliver to communities in the greater Charleston area, husband-and-wife owners Ryan Tarrance and Alexandra Purro purchase fruits and veggies from small farms across the state (sometimes as far away as Spartanburg). This further distinguishes Nano from the typical CSA: customers buy from a range of farms, order only what they want, and place orders as needed—no contracts required. “Nobody likes the exact same item,” Purro says. “And a lot of people want farm-fresh stuff, but don’t want the commitment.”
The name “Nano Farms” comes from the minuscule microgreens Purro and Tarrance initially specialized in growing, and while the greens are still available on a per-order basis, Purro admits that the sheer hours necessary to facilitate deliveries have stymied their green thumbs. Recently, Nano received a USDA grant to construct a high tunnel greenhouse, which Purro hopes will allow them to grow more of their own goods for distribution.
