Bottom Line

"When you see something, you can pivot. And with Vori, we can pivot fast.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

By switching from RORC to Vori:

+22% increase in net sales

+10% basket lift among loyalty members

+45% order count lift among loyalty members

10K+ shoppers enrolled in rewards program

20+ hours saved per week across meat and produce departments

Overview

For nearly 70 years, Valley Farm Market has been a staple of East County San Diego. Founded in 1956 by the Marso family, the store began as a neighborhood market and slowly evolved into a specialty grocery and award winning butcher shop beloved by the community. Today, under owner Derek Marso, Valley Farm Market has transformed into a destination for premium meats, craft beer, specialty sauces, chef prepared meals, and an unmatched level of personal service.

Derek never expected to join the family business. He played football at Kansas State, spent time in the NFL, and later built a successful career in life insurance. But despite financial success, he felt something was missing. When his father mentioned stepping back, Derek realized he was called to serve his community.

“Money has never been my driver. I feel I am on this earth to be of service to people.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

That philosophy still defines Valley Farm Market today. Now operating stores in Spring Valley and La Jolla, with Del Mar opening soon, Derek focuses on creating a specialty experience rooted in hospitality, quality, and connection. To continue expanding his vision, he needed technology that matched his pace, flexibility, and ambition. That is where Vori came in.

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Challenge

Outdated and fragmented technology

Valley Farm Market had long relied on an inherited Southwest POS setup that forced Derek to pay for multiple disconnected add ons just to run basic workflows. He found himself juggling separate programs for scales, receiving, ordering, and labeling, none of which communicated cleanly or supported the specialty direction he was building toward.

“We were using essentially a hardware company. Every time I needed something integrated, it was another thousand dollars.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Slow operations and heavy system overhead

The old system slowed down his team’s ability to respond to price changes, vendor cost updates, or new items. Even basic tasks required leaving the floor, logging into a back office terminal, importing files, and exporting them again. This constant friction made it difficult to maintain accuracy, train staff, or standardize processes across his store.

“We were paying for all these programs, but not even scratching the surface of what they could do because there were so many of them.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Slow receiving and margin leakage

Without real time check in tools, new items could sit for days before being properly input into the system. That meant missed margins, delayed price accuracy, and inconsistent inventory. In a specialty market with fast moving fresh departments, those delays had real cost.

“Sometimes an item would go upfront and not get inputted for two or three days. Those are days I was not capturing the revenue I was supposed to be capturing.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Labor challenges and limited visibility

Derek prides himself on leadership and culture building, but without modern tools he often could not see store performance unless he was physically present.

“With my old system, I needed to be in the store to see anything. I could not look up labor, sales, anything."

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Solution

A unified modern platform built for grocery

When Derek discovered Vori, the difference was immediate. Instead of stitching together expensive hardware and disconnected apps, he saw a modern, intuitive platform that updated continuously and could scale across his stores. With Vori, Valley Farm Market replaced a patchwork of systems with one clean operational backbone.

“What was so exciting about Vori is that they are a software company. It is continually updating. And I never hesitate to call because I get answers. You do not see that.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Real time receiving and instant revenue capture

With Vori’s mobile scanning, Derek and his team can check in items at the back door and update prices, costs, and margins instantly. This closed the gap between delivery and ready to sell inventory, eliminated days of lost margin, and reduced manual errors.

“I am clicking it at the back door and instantaneously I am making changes. I am capturing revenue right away.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Faster ordering and major labor savings

Departments like meat and produce, once bogged down by manual invoice comparisons and ordering processes, now keep pace with changing costs and daily operations. New item adds, cost changes, and vendor updates can now be completed in seconds instead of hours.

“For meats and produce, it is huge. You save twenty hours a week depending on the department.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Easy price changes and digital labeling

With Vori, price changes no longer require back office terminals or manual batch tag printing. The system synchronizes item data instantly and supports digital tags for volatile categories like meat and seafood.

“You cannot give me the excuse that you did not have time. It only takes thirty seconds or a minute now.”

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Powerful auditing tools that improve accuracy

Vori’s handheld scanning tools have become part of Derek’s leadership rhythm.

“I love going around doing my audits. It is instantaneous. I know exactly where our prices are, what our margin should be, when we last ordered it. I do not have to pull reports, invoices, anything."

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

A true partnership, not a vendor relationship

One of the biggest differences for Derek has been the personal support from the Vori team. This confidence is a major factor in Derek’s decision to bring all three Valley Farm Market stores onto Vori.

“If I have to wait two weeks for an answer, I am losing money. Vori is not a POS system. You are more than that. You are a partner."

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

Results

With Vori, Valley Farm Market has significantly reduced labor time across receiving, ordering, and pricing. Tasks that once required hours now take minutes, and operational accuracy has improved across every department. Derek and his team have regained time to focus on merchandising, product innovation, and customer service.

These improvements have strengthened customer engagement and created a more consistent experience across all stores.

Loyalty adoption has also surged, creating repeat visits and emotional connection.

“People are excited. They are like, ‘Do you want to use your points?’ and they say, ‘Nope, I am going to save those.’ And I am just excited that they are excited. How cool is that, that you are excited to come back and go spend more money?"

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

The new store in La Jolla benefited immediately, adopting standardized processes from day one. Vori now provides the operational backbone that supports Valley Farm Market’s specialty strategy and multi store expansion.

Why It Matters

Derek leads Valley Farm Market with the same values he brings to life: service, community, and work ethic. Modernizing operations with Vori allows him to spend less time buried in systems and more time leading his team, shaping the customer experience, and building new stores that challenge what independent grocery can be.

“Now I can be in the know at all times. I can look at my phone and see labor, see sales, see what is happening. I do not need to be in the store anymore to manage the store."

^{Derek, owner of Valley Farm Market} 

About Valley Farm Market

Founded in 1956, Valley Farm Market is a third generation grocery store known for premium meats, craft beer, chef prepared foods, and award winning customer service. With locations in Spring Valley and La Jolla, and a new Del Mar store opening soon, Valley Farm Market continues to redefine what an independent grocer can offer its community.

Visit Valley Farm Market

📍 9040 Campo Road, Spring Valley, CA 91977

🕗 Daily: 8 AM – 8 PM

🌐 https://valleyfarmmarkets.com/

📸 @valleyfarmmarket_springvalley