How You Can Supply The Farm-To-Table Movement

View of a Farmer teaching new employee to gardening

The farm-to-table movement has dramatically increased demand for locally produced herbs, vegetables and fruit. The supply chain for locally-sourced produce is still being created, and it offers a great opportunity for small and medium growers to broaden their farm and greenhouse customer base by providing fresh produce to local restaurants, grocery stores and schools.

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But getting in the door isn’t always easy. To help you understand the ins and outs of local venues, we’ve assembled a panel of experts in each of these areas for an online workshop, How You Can Supply The Farm-To-Table Movement. We’ve also invited growers who organized peers in their area in order to better supply the increased demand for locally farmed herbs, fruits and vegetables. Our panelists will walk you through what is expected of you as a supplier, and what characteristics increases a grower’s chance of winning the contract.

American Farm Marketer and Greenhouse Grower RETAILING was hosted a live online workshop on Thursday, March 10 at 2 pm. The recording will soon be available for purchasing, with several handy worksheets available. The cost is $99.

Our grower panelists offer advice on how to maintain profitable margins, as well as how you can adapt to the significant differences in what these venues want from you as a supplier.

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In this workshop, you receive handouts and worksheets. You will also receive a copy of the presentation slides, as well as several audience generated questions which have been answered by our panelists.

Speakers:

Mikey Azzara from Zone 7Mikey Azzara, Zone 7. Mikey Azzara heads up this dynamic, New Jersey-based, 100% local, farm-fresh food distributor. It delivers daily to restaurants, grocers, schools, and more, and sources from regional farms. Azzara specializes in selling to regional grocery stores throughout New Jersey, New York City, and the Hudson Valley.

Jerry Adams, Farm Link. Farm Link is a regional, wholesale food exchange for professionals located in western Michigan. It connects local chefs, restaurateurs, institutions and schools with Michigan farmers and producers of good food products.

Sara Tedeschi Farm to School Network THUMBNAILSara Tadeschi, Program Manager, National Farm To School Network. Sara Tadeschi is the program manager for The National Farm to School Network (NFSN). NFSN is an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing and food and agriculture education into school systems and preschools. She will be able to offer advice on how to get a local-food network off the ground in your community if one does not exist, and how to improve communication with local schools.

Gail and Vic VanikVic and Gail Vanik, Four Seasons Greenhouses. Grower retailers in a remote area of Colorado, the Vaniks have gone from shutting down their growing division a few years ago to heading up a thriving local-food supply chain. Vic founded a local cooperative of produce growers to help supply local venues, and Four Seasons supplies Telluride restaurants and local schools during the off season.

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