Laurie is the drop coordinator for four different drops in North Carolina—yes, you heard that right, FOUR! She’s the homeschool mom of three boys (ages 12, 5, and 3) and is celebrating her fifteenth anniversary with her husband, the love of her life, this month! In her free time, Laurie enjoys sewing, baking, and cooking (but only when her freezer and pantry are fully stocked with Azure goods!).
“Around 2014, my husband was searching for natural pesticides for the garden when he discovered diatomaceous earth through Azure. Since I’ve always been passionate about healthy eating, he introduced me to Azure, knowing I’d be interested—and he was right! For our first year, I drove about an hour to the closest drop. But in 2015, I made the life-changing decision to start two drops in Mooresville and Statesville, NC. Then, two years ago, I became the DC of two additional drops in Troutman and Denver, NC.
“It might seem like a lot to be a DC for four drops, but I love meeting and connecting with people, and honestly, the only reason I don’t get overwhelmed is that our members are just so great! I am really passionate about helping our community grow and connecting with people. Everyone has something to add to the group. Some of our members sell their own honey and eggs, while others own sourdough bread businesses, and bring the bread to the drops! It’s just such a great community of people, and it’s really fun to see how everyone contributes in different ways. There’s a lot of growth happening!
“The drops began on the smaller end, but during the pandemic, they really took off. I think a lot of people were looking for alternatives to going to the grocery store and caring more about their health. These days, we have about forty consistent members at each of our locations. People want to live off the land and know where their food is coming from. Personally, I’ve always eaten healthy and, as people say, “crunchy.” My dad had a huge garden growing up; every year, he planted over two hundred tomato plants that he would transform into mind-blowing fresh salsa and tomato sauce!
“Azure brings me back to my dad’s garden. My essentials in every order are grains, wheat berries, and all-purpose flour. But my all-time favorite product is Azure’s cantaloupe! I’ve never had a better or bigger cantaloupe in my life. I wish it were possible to order it all year round! We also go through apples like you wouldn’t believe. When we first started ordering, we bought twenty pounds of apples, and I was worried we wouldn't be able to get through them with just my husband and a toddler. But we did, and in just two weeks! Now, with a family of five, we go through forty pounds of apples in six weeks.
“I’m so grateful for the community that Azure has brought me and for the opportunity to help build it. Serving as a drop coordinator has been a huge blessing to me over these past ten years.”
Tips:
- Your drop location matters! My husband and I spent about a month looking for drop locations that we felt would be beneficial for both a private business and our members, and also big enough to accommodate a large truck. We encourage our members to visit the businesses from time to time and support the local community.
- We like to give all of our drop members name tags, which serves two purposes: It makes it easy for me to familiarize myself with new members, and it also helps people connect and form relationships more easily.
- I always call our new members and explain the process to them so they’re not lost on what to do on their first drop day. I also let them know that if they’re unable to pick up boxes from the truck, it’s not a problem! We’ve got each other’s backs, and everyone pitches in in different ways.
- When you’re buying in bulk, it’s super important to store your food properly! We store our spices in small jars, and we store our nuts in the freezer so they last longer. We also use food-grade plastic buckets (PS087) and canning jars (NF011) from Azure.