A farm-fresh food hub is an exciting place for the farmers and businesses to connect together. It benefits all stakeholders involved in the food system. The business or organization handling this activity manages marketing, distribution, and aggregation of certified food products. These products are sourced from local and regional farmers and growers. The hub ensures the availability of fresh and wholesome food produces to local businesses. It also sells many other locally made products.
A Profitable Enterprise
The food hub ensures a regular and steady income for the food producers, distributors, and sellers. It also helps farmworkers and their cooperatives. Traditional food distribution systems have a larger footprint which means they also have a bigger carbon footprint. The produces in those systems require refrigeration and long-distance transportation. The carbon footprint of these activities is eliminated at a local farmer’s hub. Over time, these markets have started using the latest technologies to better serve their wholesale customers. For example, they are now taking online orders.
Beneficial Business Model for Local Businesses
This model of business benefits both farmers and businesses that need farm produce. The supply chain involved in this process has a small footprint. Produces are not sent to faraway places so the transportation requirements are fewer. Businesses receive fresh produces that have higher nutritional value. The food hubs deal directly with businesses like restaurant owners who order wholesale. This hub benefits businesses and institutions that need farm produce in large quantities at economical rates.
Different from the Farmers Market
The food hubs are different from the farmer’s markets that deal directly with retail customers. At a food hub, farmers and producers deal mainly with institutional customers like restaurants, hospitals, schools, universities, and other organizations. These customers need produces at a scale. It benefits them because they do not have to buy those items from multiple sources. They get a single-point marketplace where they can source all their farm produce requirements. Food hubs can also arrange transportation for their products. They offer liability insurance coverage to their producers.
A farm-fresh food hub ensures fresh, safe, nutritious, and healthy foods for the local population. It makes available nutritious foods to underserved areas where large companies do not want to sell. Farmers can eliminate the high costs associated with logistics, inventory, infrastructure, and transportation. This hub works on their behalf to market theirs produces. Some hubs have a hybrid model where they deal with both retail and wholesale customers.
