The idea for the Fresh Food Collective came from Mrs Cates' horror at the price of fruits and veges from the supermarket.
The former banker and insurance worker had her first child last year, and got a shock when she looked at her first grocery bill on a single income.
She then developed more sympathy for families on low incomes who were forced to feed their children poor-quality food.
"It wasn't until I was trying to feed my family the same way I had on two incomes, that I realised it isn't necessarily bad food choices, it's just damn expensive."
She began researching online for anything resembling co-ops in Whangarei.
An arrangement in Christchurch linked with the Canterbury District Health Board caught her eye, and she got in touch with the organiser to find out more. "It started just after the earthquakes."
The Fresh Food Collective began in January, and 120 people signed up in the first week.
The Facebook page, where Mrs Cates initially did much of her promotion, now has more than 1300 "likes".
She initially expected her customers to be from lower income households, but said they are generally from more middle-income families.
Mrs Cates has about six people who help her with the collective, mainly family and friends, and now has some of her clients helping out too.
"It's very much a labour of love at the moment, because our profit margins are so low," she said.
"I would love to be able to pay people once we expand a bit more."
She gets a lot of satisfaction in seeing families come in for their boxes, and has had great feedback.
"The kids come in and they're so excited to be picking up their food, then you see them bouncing off, munching on a carrot - it's great."
-To sign up, go to www.freshfoodcollective.com for details, or text 021 207 1331.
