Jenile Brooks was born in raised in Detroit, but was working as a filmmaker in New York when she decided to do a documentary with her hometown's problems in providing fresh food to all residents.
That experience led to a new idea.
In January, according to Xconomy Detroit's Sarah Schmid, Brooks (right) plans to launch Harvest Express in the neighborhoods of Midtown, Downtown, Woodbridge, Corktown, and Indian Village.
Online groceries are a somewhat risky proposition in a city known for high rates of poverty and relatively low rates of home Internet service, but Brooks already has the support of two partners, one of whom is Jared Saverino, a third-generation grocer whose family owns Holiday Market in Royal Oak.
She’s also lined up some seed money from the Enterprising Health accelerator.
“Getting people to change behaviors is always a tough sell,” Brooks told Xconomy Detroit. “But our research has shown that a lot of people are interested, and they’re already shopping online.”
