TRI-COUNTY — Trans-Pecos Delivery Services, a new company founded by Alpine couple Matthew and Rebecca Roggow, transports groceries from H-E-B, Sam’s Club and Walmart stores in Odessa to customers over two hours away in rural Big Bend country.
Like many, the Roggows, who moved to Alpine in 2019, were frustrated by the high prices, low quality and limited options that plague local supermarkets. They became accustomed to tacking on a trip to the store when traveling for their sons’ sports competitions — events often hours away in neighboring West Texas towns.
“We’re no stranger to driving West Texas raising our three boys,” Matthew said.
“We would often find ourselves on our way back from some game, stopping in Odessa and Midland, or stopping in El Paso,” he added. “And, of course, those purchases were much less compared to what they were locally.”
Matthew, a retired law enforcement officer with a master’s degree in operations management, and Rebecca, a professional driver for Sul Ross Athletics, saw the opportunity to start a grocery transportation service that provides “better quality, fresher produce, more choice, reasonable prices and options to shop in bulk” in exchange for a delivery fee.
They crunched the numbers and found that grocery carts of items from Lowe’s, for example, cost around $66 to $100 more than similar carts from H-E-B and Walmart. The Roggow’s said that even with their delivery fee — which ranges from around 12 to 16% of total order costs, not including sales tax — customers are saving money.
“We’re not trying to take advantage of our community by charging exorbitant prices,” Matthew said. “In fact, we’re passing those savings onto the customer.”
Importantly, Rebecca said, the service gives big families greater access to affordable bulk goods and those with dietary restrictions more dairy-free, sugar-free and gluten-free options.
The start-up venture has made three delivery runs since its December 2024 launch, the most recent trip consisting of orders from 24 customers. The capacity of their 24-foot trailer, outfitted with industrial freezers, coolers and racks with netting, is double that, Matthew said.
The company currently serves Fort Davis, Marfa, Alpine and Marathon and expects to expand to Presidio and Terlingua at the end of the month. Deliveries are planned for twice a week.
Here’s how it works: customers go to Trans-Pecos Delivery Services’ website to see the next scheduled pick up where a store, date and time will be specified, then customers build carts and place curbside orders on respective stores’ websites and finally go back to share their order details with the Roggows. Items are dropped off to customers at central locations in each town.
The H-E-B, Walmart and Sam’s Club stores they pick up from in Odessa were chosen in order to accommodate their truck and trailer, Matthew said.
The Roggows said, so far, the stores and their employees have been accommodating. A recent curbside attendant at H-E-B expressed awe at the level of their operation and at the fact that they are transporting the grocery orders over two hours away, they said.
“It was funny to watch their expressions,” Matthew said. “They’re like, ‘Y’all are going all the way down to Alpine?’ And it’s like, yeah, we live down there.”
“He said he’s never seen anything like our trailer,” Rebecca added. “It was very organized. It’s industrial, the refrigerators, the freezers. He was just wowed by it.”
Matthew said there has been a lot of interest in the new service already and they are prepared to meet whatever demand arises, even if it means increasing deliveries, hiring staff and eventually expanding into another rural region.
“We’ve looked at places like Iraan, Sheffield, Sonora, Ozona, all of those communities sort of fit the same profile as we do down here in Brewster, Presidio and Jeff Davis counties,” Matthew said. “We will look to expand. We will look to hire employees. We will look to match our services with the demand level of the community.”
For more information, visit transpecosdeliveryservices.com/
