SUPPLYING LOCAL FOOD TO INSTITUTIONS
Institutional purchasing can include Farm to School initiatives, senior centers, early childhood education centers, hospitals, etc. Instead of relying on the limited purchasing power of individuals or households, this strategy enables institutions to leverage their buying power to invest in a stronger local food system.
Member Spotlight
Working Landscapes and NCDA Farm to School
Working Landscapes has developed their own brand of prepared food, called ByWay foods, to make fresh, local, healthy food easy and accessible. By chopping and bagging products like collards and sweet potatoes, Working Landscapes is able to service school districts where that little bit of processing goes a long way in the cafeteria! They are also formally a part of NCDA's Farm to School program, providing sweet potatoes for schools state-wide.
Member Spotlight
Farmer Foodshare’s Wholesale Market
Everyone deserves fresh, healthy food. The Farmer Foodshare Wholesale Market is another way to connect people who grow food to people who need it. Farmer Foodshare works with over 50 farms exclusively from North Carolina and helps to consolidate produce to be able to sell wholesale directly to our partners. This opens up new revenue opportunities to small farms that may not be able to sell directly to large institutions. The Wholesale Market operates year-round, connecting all sorts of organizations — schools and universities, restaurants and corporate cafeterias, community organizations and local institutions — to produce from small and mid-scale North Carolina farmers. In 2020, the Wholesale Market generated $1,510,000 in revenue for local growers.
