IDAHO, USA — Although "Reko Rings" aren't a new thing in the state of Idaho, local producers continue to find ways to improve them.
Reko is a Swedish term used for "fair consumption." Reko Rings first started popping up in Finland around 2013 as a concept to connect local producers and customers through Facebook Groups. Customers would join a group with local farmers and comment on which items they would like to purchase and pick up each week.
The concept gained interest in European countries, and Idaho gave it a shot during the COVID-19 pandemic while farmers were trying to find ways to still get their products to people.
Hipwell Ranch in Oreana, Idaho, raise grass fed cattle, as well as pastured chicken, eggs, and pork.
"We are running from the time the sun comes up until the time the sun goes down," Brecca Hipwell, the owner of Hipwell Ranch, told KTVB.
They were one of the very first Idaho producers to give Reko Rings a try.
"It's been important to us to make sure that our product makes it from our door to your door the way that we want to see it happen," Hipwell said. "You have sustainability. You have food sources within reach, within grab at all times."
Hipwell was part of a small Reko group called Reko Treasure Valley with pickups just in Meridian. The group now has grown to have dozens of vendors, and various pick-up locations across the valley.
Eventually the group outgrew Facebook, experiencing frequent technical difficulties, Hipwell said. She approached app developers in Utah to help solve the problem.
Soon after, The Reko app was launched. The first Reko producers to give it a try was Reko Treasure Valley.
The Reko App facilitates orders, payments, and pickups.
Reko Treasure Valley has various pick-up locations.
- Star, Middleton and Nampa on Tuesday.
- Boise, Meridian, and Kuna on Wednesdays.
Pickups are about fifteen minutes long. Keeping the process quick. The Reko Treasure Valley group is set up in private parking lots.
Many of the producers in the Reko Treasure Valley group are also vendors at our local farmer's markets.
Hipwell loves that Reko connects everyone in a community.
"They're our people, our friends, our customers," Hipwell said. "They're amazing. We meet them every week with goods and smiles, and we catch up on their lives."
Reko also gives consumers who need to restock midweek an option before the weekend farmers market.
Abby Moore, a Meridian customer, gave Reko a try for the first time on Wednesday.
"It was great there's a bunch of vendors and you can look through each of them" she said. "I found out about it this morning, and made an order this morning,"
Over in Kuna, Chrissy Kieth, who has been buying Reko for three years, said the app has made the process work smoother.
One of the benefits of Reko is that consumers know exactly where their food comes from.
"If you have a question about how it was grown or how it was raised, you can ask and get an answer for that question directly," Hipwell said. "What is being sprayd on them? What kind of herbicides, pesticides? When we shop local, we take that worry out of the game."
In July, the Idaho nonprofit FARE Idaho partnered with Reko to connect more Idaho producers with each other and the community.
"You can do your weekly pickup at Walmart, or you can support your local farmer... The people you see as you drive around town," Tammie Halcomb, the executive director of FARE Idaho told KTVB. "If you're purchasing from Walmart, you don't know where those foods were produced, and you don't know where that money is going to go. It's likely going to go to the corporation. If you spend local, you keep your money local."
Reko is a ring, Hipwell Ranch is proud to be a part of.
"We can be out here producing great meats, and we can be out here doing all these things," Hipwell said. "But if we don't have a community of people that we can connect with, then it's kind of all for naught."
Hipwell said there is interest for Reko Treasure Valley to enter into Mountain Home. You can keep up with the group on Instagram @rekotreasurevalley or Facebook.