In addition to deliveries, Freewheel partners with local and national companies for street level, interactive advertising and promotions with our staff serving as brand ambassadors.

The photos below show us in action at Bumbershoot, where we generated hundreds of impressions for John Fluevog (the unofficial shoe of Bumbershoot) and handed out concert guides.  

Let us know if we can help your brand connect with urban consumers.

Dan Kohler - Freewheel co-founder and ceo

Photo credit:  Olli Tumelius - http://halfaframe.com

Exciting times at Freewheel.  

First, we just hired two great new folks - Ali Masterson & Mitchell Wittenberg - to help us keep up with our growing delivery demand.  Ali is a grad student at the UW and Mitchell is a recent grad from Western.  If you see them out on the road, be sure to say hello!

Second, we're setting up a number of new partnerships for delivery, advertising and promotions.  One we can announce is with Complete Office - www.complete-office.com.  They're a great, local company with an award-winning commitment to sustainable initiatives.  So if you need office supplies in Seattle, hit them up and we'll bring it by bike!

More news soon.

Dan Kohler - Freewheel co-founder & ceo

About four months ago, just as Freewheel was getting started, a friend of mine connected me with Alex Salkin, an entrepreneur and all around great guy.  

Over coffee at Zeitgeist in Pioneer Sq., Alex gave me some superb marketing advice and suggested I talk to the folks a Maven Meals, a company he believed could be a great fit for Freewheel deliveries. 

A couple months and several emails back and forth later with Maven Meals chef and owner Heidi Pomeroy, we were delivering their amazing food to homes and offices throughout Capitol Hill and Downtown. 

People that know Maven's love them. That's why I asked Heidi to tell us a little bit about their story. My questions and her answers below.

Dan Kohler - Freewheel co-founder & ceo

Tell me about Maven Meals.

Maven Meals provides nutritious meals made from scratch using the highest quality, fresh and natural ingredients, delivered. Meals are ordered online through our website at www.mavenmeals.com. Each week the menu changes in its entirety and is comprised of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. We cater to many special dietary needs offering lots of gluten, dairy, soy-free options. There are always lots of options for vegetarians as well!  Our ingredients are sourced as locally as possible & practical, for example all of our meats come from the northwest and are free of antibiotics, hormones & the like. 

Where’d the name come from?  I like it! 

When I was in grad school working as a household manager & private chef for a family I started a blog called Household Maven to share recipes, household tips & kitchen knowledge. The name seemed appropriate as a “Maven” is an expert in a particular field that likes to share their information. As time progressed I was asked by a few friends if I’d consider making meals for them.. and the rest is history - Maven Meals was hatched as a full-time venture in the summer of 2011. In October of 2013 we also opened a retail outlet, The Maven Mercantile where folks can visit to pick up local, seasonal prepared foods to go.

What kind of folks is Maven Meals good for? Families? Single folks? Busy workers? 

Our biggest groups of customers are new parents, busy professionals & retired / empty nesters. We have lots of people who are ordering for their elderly parents as well which is an awesome option for this group. 

What are a few of the most popular dishes?

Mexican- Style Pork with Cilantro Lime Rice
Butternut Squash Lasagna
BBQ Pulled Bison with Chipotle Slaw
Grilled Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette

Can people try it without committing long-term?

Yes!!  There is not minimum order & everything is available by the serving. No subscription, just order when it works for you.  The only thing people should know is that they order what they want for the week with a one-time weekly delivery on Tuesday or Wednesday & all orders must be received by midnight on Sunday. 

Have you had Maven Meals?  Leave a comment.  Gonna try them, let us know. 

 

At Freewheel, we are proud to partner with business leaders that share our vision of a more sustainable, vibrant and healthy urban environment. 

Perhaps no one embodies that better than the founders of Stockbox Grocers. If you haven't been to their shop on First Hill or South Park yet, make it a priority. 

They have an amazing mission, great staff and a wonderful store. We love delivering there six days a week for Molly's and Middle Fork Roast. 

I was curious to know more about their story and what they think of Freewheel delivering to their shop. I asked CEO Carrie Ferrence to answer a few questions that I could share with you. She was kind enough to do so.  Enjoy.

Dan Kohler
Freewheel co-founder and ceo

1)     What's the idea behind Stockbox?

Stockbox is the new neighborhood grocery.  We are working to build a network of small grocery stores across Seattle to offer a local resource for fresh foods, meals, and grocery staples in communities that don’t have access to good food.  Our goal is to go where the grocery stores can’t and stock the food convenience stores won’t.

2)     How do you believe Stockbox can make a positive impact on the community?

Not long ago most communities had their own corner store, regardless of their size, location, or economic standing. But over the past few decades these stores have all but disappeared from communities, while larger grocery chains have moved outside of the core. As a result, 23 million people in the U.S. now live in a food desert, which means they don’t have access to a grocery store or fresh food, where they live. This grocery gap is actually growing and demonstrates a pressing social need: emerging urban communities are left without a strong retail core to provide essential resources, while lower-income areas are left dependent on resources like convenience stores, resulting in disproportionately higher levels of chronic health issues. Stockbox is working to bridge this gap, so that all communities can have access to good food and can start to re-build their economic core.

3)     What's your favorite part of your job?

I love retail. I have worked in retail for most of the past decade and I think it offers a unique opportunity to build face-to-face relationships with your customers. And because we sell a product (food!) that people have a really personal connection to, we get to learn and grow from our customers as they shop the aisles or make a purchase.

4)     Do you have any advice for others looking to build a business with a social conscience?

Starting a business is difficult work, even if your business is working to create a social positive impact. People often assume that because we’re building a socially conscious business we don’t need to worry about the numbers. But, honestly, the reverse is true – we have to watch the numbers even more closely because we’re working to create a market where the traditional grocery companies won’t go. At the end of the day, it’s still about building a business where customers want to shop.

5) Do you like that Molly's and Middle Fork Roast are now delivering to your store carbon free with a bicycle?

We have been daydreaming about using cargobikes to deliver groceries since we launched! Most of our 30+ suppliers are local and it’s silly that they all drive their product to our stores separately and, often, in big trucks. We’re always looking for ways t support a more localized supply chain and Freewheel offers us an opportunity to demonstrate that commitment, to our customers and our suppliers!

How food or products are grown, made, produced or packaged. Whether you’re a business making products or a consumer choosing them, if you value sustainable practices, you’re already asking those important questions. 

But what about how a product is delivered? Consider that most products are delivered with diesel trucks or vans that get poor mileage, cause climate and asthma-inducing pollution, endanger pedestrians and add to traffic congestion. Can't we do better than that?

That’s why we created Freewheel - to provide urban delivery entirely carbon free and to do it using bicycles instead of trucks. We’re passionate about our mission because we must do more to combat climate change and, here in Seattle, transportation is our biggest source of carbon emissions. 

I love living in such an amazing city that leads the way on so many important issues. Together, we can change how delivery is done by adding ‘how did it get here’ to our core set of sustainability values.

Dan Kohler
Freewheel co-founder & ceo

Two birthdays are coming up: my own May 24 (I’ll be 39) and Freewheel’s May 30th (we’ll be 2 months). This got me reflecting. I feel a huge amount of gratitude about where I’m at in life and where things stand with this new, crazy venture.  

Freewheel is off to a great start because of all the folks who have embraced our idea, contributed suggestions, or taken a chance on us. And that will continue to be true moving forward. It's important to say thank you. That's the kind of person I am and the kind of company we're building. This first one is personal. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My beautiful wife Jennifer,

Your faith and confidence in me to follow my passion is truly a gift. And your tolerance for - as well as your insightful feedback on - my constant stream of business ideas is a miracle. Freewheel wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you sugar. I love you.

Dan Kohler
Husband
Freewheel co-founder & ceo

You’ve been there and so have I. Standing in a grocery aisle, trying to make a decision. Which coffee to buy? Which bread? What produce?

Having just started my own business, I have to be cost conscious. But I’m also not willing to compromise on my family eating healthy. And, like a growing number of people, I view our purchasing power as a way to make a difference. Our family supports companies that share our values; in particular, a vibrant, healthy and sustainable city. 

The thing is, figuring out which companies share your values can be a real challenge. I know my eyes have glazed over trying to discern the difference between various labels: organic, fair-trade, natural, shade grown, eco-certified to name just a few.

Some of this stuff is pretty complicated. For instance, a lot of us prefer organic. But maybe not so much if it came from an industrialized farm halfway across the world.

Personally, I’m with author Michael Pollan in supporting local produce and products. As he put it: “To buy local is an act of conservation — of the land, of agriculture and of the local economy, all of which are threatened by the globalization of food. Anyone who prizes agricultural landscapes, and worries about sprawl destroying them, should buy local whenever possible.”

In my view, Freewheel is a key link in the sustainability chain. As I see it: To buy products delivered by a bicycle is an act of sustainability – of less climate pollution, less traffic and congestion, of safer streets and innovation that points toward a better, more livable urban environment.

That’s why starting today, Freewheel is labeling the products we deliver. Nothing complicated here: the product either was or wasn’t delivered by a bicycle. So this is one label you can believe in and trust. As such, we hope consumers really like it and our business partners see a nice value-add for our service.

UPDATE 5/14: We're getting really positive feedback on the new label. It's the most retweeted post we've done.  Here's an email I received from Samantha Chadwick, one of our followers:

"I love the 'delivered by a bicycle' label! It really stands out and I think will make people notice the product, and think about the possibility of doing things differently -- like Freewheel. Buying that product -- you'll know you're doing a small part to protect the environment, but it's also fun to think about folks getting out on their bicycles!"

So what do you think?

Dan Kohler, co-founder & ceo

p.s. - Join our email list, and we'll keep you posted on the products we deliver.

This week's blog post is from Kevin Lugo. Kevin spotted me zipping around Capitol Hill making deliveries. It reminded him of the kind of biking he had see in Europe. He got in touch and we had a great conversation over a cup of coffee at High 5 Pie. He's got an interesting take on the Seattle cycling scene, how it can grow and how FREEWHEEL may help. I asked him to write a guest blog piece and he was kind enough to do so. Hope you enjoy! - Dan Kohler, co-founder & ceo

p.s. - We plan to run other guest blog pieces in the future. Let us know if you'd like to contribute.

FREEWHEEL's Carbon Free Cargo: Good for Seattle Cycling

It is 8:45 and I am riding up Pine Street like any other morning, having safely navigated all the traffic on my route from Lower Queen Anne. As I approach the Central Co-Op my groggy eyes notice something unfamiliar coming towards me: a giant blue box on wheels. A second glance reveal this box is actually piloted by a guy pedaling away on what appears to be a very sophisticated cargo bike. He must be lost…this is not Europe. Heck, it is not even Portland. Silly guy, bikes are for Portlandia.

The cargo bike I saw belongs to Freewheel, a new start-up providing “carbon-free cargo” for “last-mile delivery.” A passion for cycling and sustainability inspired CEO Dan Kohler to start Freewheel as a way to address the counter-intuitive nature of many urban delivery systems. While delivery drivers sit in traffic Dan zooms by using a combination of bike lanes and side-streets too narrow for large delivery vehicles. While drivers search for parking or block traffic and risk parking tickets to find a nearby space, Dan pulls right up to the door and starts unloading. While those delivery trucks consume gallons of fuel everyday, Dan just needs some food and water. Freewheel is not just delivering time-sensitive packages or picking up lunch like other bicycle delivery companies; it is providing a high-quality delivery service that reduces pollution and contributes less to congestion and parking shortages. Simply put, Freewheel is redefining urban business delivery in Seattle.

So if sensibility is what makes Freewheel a successful business, what makes it good for Seattle cycling? Keep Reading.

"Every picture tells a story don't it" 
- Rod Stewart

When I first conceived the idea of a sustainable delivery service using cargo bikes, coffee and farmers markets came to mind. I thought, wouldn't it be better to have a bike bring things to and from the market? It just fits better with the ethic and the human scale and everything local markets stand for.  

Well, last week, my vision came to fruition. We started doing deliveries for Middle Fork Roasters to Ghost Alley Espresso in Pike Place Market. We had a blast. The guys at the fish market even threw a ceremonial pound of coffee.

I wanted to share some amazing pictures that Ryan Warner captured of our first deliveries. 

- Dan Kohler, co-founder and ceo