We can post them in the Success Stories section of the Ecwid Blog true life Stories from business owners who power their online stores with Ecwid by Lightspeed. You can meet other entrepreneurs and learn how to build a thriving business with Ecwid.

Today we would like to introduce you to Liz Abunaw. Liz founded Forty Acres Fresh Market in west Chicago in 2018 because she saw how the lack of fresh food in the area was handicapping her community. Liz wanted to do her part to help.

Five years later, her shop provides access to good quality produce for everyone in the community. She hosts monthly pop ups, Delivery and Subscription Services. Read on to find out how she does it all!

Meet Liz and the Forty Acres Fresh Market

Forty Acres Fresh Market is a Black and owned by a woman Grocery retailer that fights health and economic injustice by improving access to affordable fresh food in underserved communities.

Liz Abunaw, the founder of Forty Acres Fresh Market

Forty Acres Fresh Market was founded by Liz Abunaw who wants to improve access to fresh food in west Chicago.

Our motto is: “Fresh food for everyone, because every hood should be healthy.” Liz Abunaw

In 2018, Liz hosted the first Forty Acres Fresh Market pop-up. Just a year later, she expanded her business by launching a fresh produce delivery subscription service.

Forty Acres Fresh Market’s first pop-up team

In 2020, Forty Acres Fresh Market continued to grow by leveraging online sales. They even found lots to hold the first Forty Acres Fresh Market Brick and mortar save on computer.

Currently, Forty Acres Fresh Market operates as a mobile produce vendor, selling seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables pop up Markets and Producer Stands. Their markets are held in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on the west side of the city. They also offer a daily delivery service for preselected fruit crates across the city.

Forty Acres Fresh Market pop-up market

The mission of Forty Acres Fresh Market

The Forty Acres Fresh Market team believes in the power of communities to develop, build and sustain their own resources. Their main mission is to provide access to affordable, good quality, and fresh food in underserved areas.

As of 2020, Forty Acres Fresh Market has also served as a supplier for grocery distribution programs in partnership with thousands of Chicago homes nonprofit organizations.

Our service is open to everyone and we accept SNAP EBT* because good quality Fresh products at a great price should be accessible to everyone. Liz Abunaw

*Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that helps people access healthier eating and other benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Forty Acres Fresh Market’s fruit and vegetable stand

Forty Acres Fresh Market and the hard-working team behind it have become an important part of the economic revitalization of Chicago’s West Side. The awards they receive are proof that they bring their mission to life:

• 2021 – People’s Choice Award at the Chicago Innovation Awards
• 2022 – Famous Amos Winners: Ingredients for Success.

Liz and Forty Acres Fresh Market have big plans for the future, even beyond the incredible impact they’ve already had.

We look forward to opening our first Brick and mortar Business that allows us to expand beyond fresh produce to meet all of our customers’ food needs. Liz Abunaw

Mix It Up Box Subscription from Forty Acres Fresh Market

Use of Online Sales

In 2019, Forty Acres Fresh Market introduced a subscription option for its delivery service. First, they used a different platform to capture orders and process payments. But this was not the case user friendly, mainly because the collection of payments was not automatic.

Searching for platforms that use similar companies, they found Lightspeed’s Ecwid. Ecwid helped them automate the subscription payment process and expand their online presence.

Ecwid allowed us to set up a professional sales page and connect it to a payment processor to set up automatic payments for our subscription customers. Best of all, the cost was extremely affordable. Liz Abunaw

Forty Acres Fresh Market also uses Ecwid to set up tiered delivery fees by zip code, collect customer emails, and embed its online store on its social media platforms and website.

The Forty Acres Fresh Market subscription page

Liz’s advice to entrepreneurs

We asked Liz to share a word of wisdom for fellow and aspiring entrepreneurs. She strongly advises business owners to create structure for their business as soon as possible.

Creating company policies, best practices, and operational plans will give you a solid foundation on which to grow your business. Liz Abunaw

Liz emphasizes that structure allows a business owner to expand and grow their business rather than run it day to day Tasks.

Developing processes for everything you do is key to moving from the day-to-day running of your business to the freedom to work IN business. Liz Abunaw

Be sure to check out the Forty Acres Fresh Market website to see how they help them Community – we are sure to be inspired to build a business that serves a purpose.

A customer of Forty Acres Fresh Market

Share your story on the blog

You can meet and learn from other traders in the Success Stories section of the Ecwid by Lightspeed blog first-hand Experience.

If you’d like to share your experience running an Ecwid store or offer advice to other entrepreneurs on how to get the most out of Ecwid tools, we’d love to hear from you. Contact blog@ecwid.com and we’ll take care of it!