One benefit producers find working with food hubs is the long-term, transparent relationship characteristic of a value chain. Transparency can increase market efficiency by making an effort to find that inscrutable balance between supply and demand. A food hub has the valuable position of being in the middle of the transaction, so they have an understanding of what the buyers want, and the adjustments that producers can reasonably make to meet that demand. In this webinar, two food hubs present their very different methods for doing production planning. 

Enterprising businesses are increasing their efficiency, reducing costs, addressing food equity, and engaging existing community assets to get healthy, affordable food to underserved consumers. The webinar introduces one such business, Lake County Community Development Corporation (CDC) in Ronan, Montana. This is followed by a broader discussion of healthy food access learning across a wide range of models in the U.S to include rural, urban, and urban-rural linkages. 

This webinar explores, at an introductory level, how one may adapt what we know about marketing and consumer behavior to create positive social change. The concepts are illustrated using inspiring examples of success and practical advice.

This study examines the long-term impact of the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI) on rural grocery stores. The Reinvestment Fund gathered information from store owners on how FFFI financing had affected their ability to access credit, stay in business, carry new lines of products (including fresh foods and produce) and stimulate economic activity in their communities.

In order to sell attractive, fresh fruit and vegetables, it’s important to learn some tricks of the trade. This guide provides tips on how to order, handle, display and store produce in your store.

A guide on how to sell produce. It includes helpful hints, resources for grocers, guidelines for storage and display, special produce lists and tips and tricks.

This is a guidebook from Australia with suggestions about how to bring healthy food into stores in remote rural locations.  It includes practical tips on shelf talkers, cooking demonstrations, shelf displays, store tours, rewards programs and other promotional ideas, many of which will be relevant in diverse settings.

Circle Food Store is set to open in mid to late summer of 2013. New owner Dwayne Boudreau spent years lining up the $8 million needed to repair the damages from the post-Katrina flood.

Lafayette Market, a 10,000 square-foot grocery store is set to open December 2012. It will offer fresh produce, a café, a fresh meat counter and more. Federal money from the Neighborhood Stabilization 2 and New Markets and Historic Tax Credit programs, as well as the Michigan Magnet Fund, state historic tax credits, brownfield tax credits and private lenders helped pay for the renovation of the building at North Saginaw and Lafayette.

An article about the struggles behind the start-up of the Creekside Co-op. The co-op has 1,871 households and hopes to do $5.8 million in sales in its first year.