Scott Reich and Michael Winik, two Roslyn natives and childhood friends, decided recently to give up their professional lives and go into the food market business together.
Reich and Winik, both also graduates of Wheatley High School, left their respective careers as an attorney and investment banker to pursue their business dream, the online food market, OurHarvest.
“When Mike and I decided to start a business, we knew it had to reflect our shared love of food, address the lifestyles of our fellow Long Islanders, and be socially responsible,” said Reich. “People want access to high-quality, fresh food at affordable prices, and that’s exactly what OurHarvest offers. We work with local farms and fishermen to bring the best all-natural products we can find to the market at peak freshness while working with community organizations to combat hunger at the same time.”
OurHarvest’s mission is to provide consumers with farm-fresh foods at competitive prices while supporting Long Island food-based charities and pantries.
Toward that end, OurHarvest conducted food pick-up drives throughout Nassau County.
The company’s third scheduled pick-up in Roslyn is on Saturday, Aug. 2, at Trattoria di Meo, located at 183 Roslyn Rd. The deadline for ordering for this pick-up, the two said, is on Wednesday, July 30.
OurHarvest also has locations in Hicksville, Huntington, New Hyde Park and Port Washington, with additional locations slated to open this year.
Reich and Winik said that OurHarvest customers log onto the website and choose a convenient market location and pick-up date from the dropdown menu on the homepage. There are more than 35 choices of fresh, all-natural, high-quality foods, including boneless skinless chicken breasts, Scottish salmon, Long Island wild tuna, 100 percent grass-fed ground beef and different cuts of steak, pasture-raised eggs, varieties of all-natural milk, Long Island greens such as romaine lettuce, kale and baby spinach, and homemade jams and honey. Additional items, they added, are regularly being added to their product selection.
“Our model is compelling, especially when you compare us to other food suppliers,” said Winik. “There are no questions about artificial additives, mislabeled products, or where your food comes from. We also ensure that the farmers get their fair share, so everybody wins.”
Unlike community supported agriculture programs and other farm-to-table models, customers of OurHarvest, Reich and Winik said, are not required to pay any registration or subscription fees, and there is no minimum purchase required. For every order of $25 or more, OurHarvest donates a meal to a local food pantry or food bank to help combat hunger on Long Island. To date, over 500 meals have been donated (including to Long Island Cares and Island Harvest), with more donations on the way as demand for their products continues to rise.
The two co-founders grew up in Roslyn Heights and attended the University of Pennsylvania together, where they were roommates. They regularly talked about going into business together and always wanted to start a company that has strong societal value.
Prior to co-founding OurHarvest, Reich practiced law at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. He is familiar to his fellow Roslynians as the author of the acclaimed book The Power of Citizenship: Why JFK Matters to a New Generation, published in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death.
Winik previously worked at Evercore Partners where, in addition to advising some of the world’s largest companies, he ran the firm’s analyst recruiting and top-ranked internship program. They both serve on the boards of local non-profit organizations.
For more information, visit www.OurHarvest.com.
