Co-op marketing and distribution of local food

Project/Initiative:

• Aggregation and distribution system for locally produced food

What Needs to be Done:

• Hold an event or conduct a survey to determine:

• If thereʼs interest among growers and buyers

• ID producers and their capacity/potential capacity

• ID businesses that buy or want to buy local

  and to identify possible options/solutions

• Define ʻlocalʼ policy?

• Feasibility study

• Short and long term storage

• “Angel investors” – organizations like Valley

  Heartland are needed to pull “Angels” together

Who is Going to Do It:

• Have this type of discussion/survey through a ʻkitchen table meetingʼ (i.e. Group 2) or a larger “stirring the potʼ type event focused specifically on this topic

• Simon, Kristine and two others

Resources Available:

• Rideau Regional Centre?

• Bunker in Carleton Place could be used for central storage

• Scotch Corners – former meat processing facility?

• Ontario Coop Association Technical Assistance Grant

Comments/Questions:

 

• Need to involve investors for capital and undertake studies

• Lots of possibilities:

• Could be entrepreneurial, co-op

• Maybe an eastern Ontario food terminal

• Virtual market

• Auction i.e. Elmira model

• Collaborative marketing by farmers markets

• Colin L. attempted to est. a co-op which failed to materialize – maybe some lessons learned?  Heʼs still very interested.

• Kingston NFU implementing a virtual certified organic marketing system involving Wendyʼs Mobile Marke t

  

Contacts:

Simon Lever, Kristine Swaren, Matthew Brearley, Katie Nolan, Colin Lundy, Bobbi Heaton, Sue Brandum, Cheryl Nash