Report
Food hub adaptation: case study of Local Inland Northwest Cooperative Foods
Technical bulletin (Washington State University. Extension), 102E, Washington State University Extension
11/2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000007009
Abstract
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a food hub as “a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products, primarily from local and regional producers, to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand”. It may sell directly to consumers, offering community-supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions or via an online farmers market; operate an online grocery box delivery enterprise; act as a wholesale distributor, selling to restaurants and institutional buyers; or combine two or more of these approaches. A food hub provides one or more of the following services to small- and mid-sized producers: active connection with retail and institutional markets, business management, food safety training, liability insurance, and value-added product development. In addition to aggregation and distribution, it may provide branding and market development, brokering, packaging, light processing, and product storage. While the food hub model offers a way to efficiently connect multiple regional producers to wholesale and institutional purchasers, many food hubs have additional environmental and social goals, seeking to increase community cohesion and access to healthy, local food to create a more vibrant and equitable food system. This WSU Extension publication describes the development, financial history, and current operations of Local Inland Northwest Cooperative Foods Inc. (LINC), an established hub in eastern Washington State, and spans the period of the hub’s inception through the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023. This publication is part of a series of case studies on three food hubs in Washington State. It is intended to help farmers, researchers, technical service providers, and others interested in starting a food hub, or those looking to expand or improve the operations of an existing hub.
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Details
- Title
- Food hub adaptation
- Creators
- Marilyn Sitaker (Author)Stephen George Bramwell (Author) - Washington State University, WSU Extension ANR
- Academic Unit
- Publications, WSU Extension
- Series
- Technical bulletin (Washington State University. Extension); 102E
- Publisher
- Washington State University Extension; Pullman, Washington
- Number of pages
- 15
- Identifiers
- 99901169440401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Report