Logistics

Archive for the ‘Logistics’ Category

PSFN Partners with Local Orbit — a Revolutionary Online Sales Tool for Producers

A few months ago the USDA announced the 2012 Value Added Producer Grant awards. Several farm businesses and organizations in Washington received funding including the Northwest Agriculture Business Center who received $300,000 for Regional Food System Development. With some of this funding, we’ll expand our wholesale market concept this year to further our impact through marketing, increased distribution opportunities, processing and even working with producers and logistical providers to identify efficient decentralized aggregation hubs.

In partnership with Local Orbit, a software service designed to streamline sales between local food buyers and sellers, NABC is in the process of developing and piloting four “virtual food hubs” to scale transactions between farmers and institutional and commercial food service. Producers selling through a NABC hub will have access to smart tools to increase efficiency and profitability, including e-commerce, sales & delivery tracking, and inventory management. Buyers get access to the aggregated supply of local food producers, streamlined purchasing, and a direct, traceable supply chain.

Local Orbit and NABC have worked together to conceptualize four pilot “virtual food hubs” for the Puget Sound Food Network this spring. The first two pilots will launch in May and June respectively, and will first serve PSFN members who participate in the Skagit Wholesale Market and the Farm to Table partnership. The first two pilots include:

North Sound Wholesale Market. This online store will serve select PSFN member buyers and sellers in North counties of San Juan Island, Whatcom, Skagit and Island. The Coho Cafe at United General Hospital has agreed to serve as the first buyer. Chef Chris Johnson will pilot the site and offer feedback about ease of use for institutional foodservice. NABC staff will continue to identify decentralized aggregation and distribution solutions and will gradually work with producers to invite additional buyers and expand business to business (b2b) commerce in the region.

Farm to Table Online Store. This online store was designed to continue the sales relationships formed as a result of PSFN’s involvement in the CPPW grant funded Farm to Table partnership led by City of Seattle Aging and Disability Services. During the new pilot, only participating PSFN member sellers will be invited to list their products for wholesale, and at least four agency partners serving low-income seniors and preschools will be authorized to make purchases during the pilot period.

Local Orbit will be responsible for providing technical support, online transactions and payments. NABC will continue working “on the ground” to recruit and retain sellers and buyers, communicating to sellers regarding inventory queries, identifying opportunities for aggregation and storage and distribution. In essence we’re creating and growing b2b relationships between producers and buyers. NABC provides business development services to producers including product development, business planning, access to financing, and marketing and sales assistance.
Get involved! NABC is currently identifying sellers within PSFN to participate in the two pilots. Local Orbit is leading a discussion on Tuesday, May 8th at 10:00 a.m to learn about their tools. If you are a producer member of PSFN and wish to learn about how the Local Orbit pilot sites will function, please contact us and we will send you a link to the online meeting. We look forward to sharing more about the developing partnership between NABC and Local Orbit. Stay tuned for updates, and for ways you can plug into this emerging marketplace.

Posted by Emma Brewster on May 4th, 2012

NABC Awarded Value-Added Producer Grant Funding from USDA

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Continued from our Spring 2012 newsletter…

So what does this mean? It means we remain firmly committed to providing business planning, technical and marketing assistance to producers, regional food hub developments, and producer owned cooperatives in the Puget Sound region.

We’ll also be evolving our wholesale market concept this year to further our impact through marketing, locating distribution, processing and even working with producers and logistical providers to identify efficient decentralized aggregation hubs. Our new partner, Local Orbit, an Ann Arbor, MI based company is developing four (4) “virtual hub” pilots designed to increase sales transactions between farmers and institutional and commercial food service, including universities, hospitals, restaurants and meal-sites that serve low-income seniors and preschool children in South Seattle/King County and beyond. With Local Orbit handling sales management systems and online transactions, our staff is more focused on what we do best: creating and growing business relationships between producers and buyers who have an interest in increasing local food procurement across categories. Our staff is invested in staying abreast of market trends so that producers of all scales can leverage all opportunities for growth and sustainability.

Later this year, NABC will be relaunching the NABC and PSFN websites, migrating off of PSFN’s online marketing tool launched in 2009. NABC will be integrating its marketing strategies for all projects, including PSFN.

About half of the VAPG grant funding will be to fund overhead costs for Account Management services for dues-paying members including strategic market consulting, sales representation, promotions, technical assistance and value-added product development services.

Ultimately our work helps “level the playing field” for all scales of producers. If farmers have more opportunities to achieve economic sustainability, then farming remains part of our future…not just our history.

While the grant funds cover 50% of PSFN’s existing costs to carry out our mission, we are aggressively seeking corporate sponsors to partner with NABC and join the Puget Sound Food Network. We will be working to ensure that the Network’s impact will grow rather than retrench and we’re excited to move forward with PLAN A!

In summary, this new USDA funding will be used to:

Support value-added marketing for independent producers by providing timely and appropriate technical support.
Implement a new on-line transaction system called PSFN powered by Local Orbit that will allow independent producers to initiate product sales directly to regional buyers.
Support the creation of new regional food hubs owned and operated by independent producers.
Increase the number of institutional meal sites that source value added products direct from local producers.

To learn more, please read our February press release.

Posted by Emma Brewster on April 25th, 2012

New Partnership Benefits Poultry Producers in Northwest Washington

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A new partnership between the Snohomish Co-op and the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) has been announced that will benefit local small scale poultry producers. Adding to the rental program already established in Mount Vernon and Oak Harbor, a third set of Featherman Poultry Processing Equipment will become available for rent starting mid-March at the Snohomish farm products retailer.

The rental program is administered by NABC, and will service producers in Snohomish and neighboring counties year-round. The program currently serves over 120 producers and often turns away renters due to a heavily booked reservation calendar. NABC Project Manager Sera Hartman said, “Utilizing professional processing equipment saves the producer a lot of time and energy. Making a third set of poultry equipment available will not only ease reservation scheduling, this will open up market opportunities for small scale farmers down in Snohomish and support folks who just want to raise a home-grown food source.”

The Snohomish Co-op sponsored the purchase of the new equipment and will provide storage and load-out assistance to renters. Bonnie Cavin, in charge of the Co-op’s Accounts Receivable department said, “It makes good sense for us to provide this service for our poultry customers. We supply the chicks, the poultry feed, equipment, and other supplies and now can complete the circle by helping make this equipment available. And I want to invite everyone to our fun Chick Days event from March 16th to the 18th where we’ll have our new batch of spring chicks for sale and officially launch the equipment rental program. Sera from NABC will be on hand to explain the program and accept the first rental reservations for our location!.”

The lack of processing facilities and equipment has been a major hurdle for many of the farmers and is a reason there are so few poultry growers marketing birds in the region. NABC’s low cost rental program allows for farmers to efficiently process & market birds without significant capital investment.

To sell chickens that are processed using the rental equipment, farmers are required to have a special temporary license issued by the WSDA. The permit allows producers to sell direct to the end consumer right from the farm. No license is needed if the birds are for personal consumption. NABC charges a daily rental fee of $25 + tax for a 24 hour period to cover maintenance and repair of the equipment. Rental reservations can be made by calling NABC at (360) 336-3727. More information about the equipment rental program is available at NABC’s website www.agbizcenter.org.

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 14th, 2012

2011 Wholesale Market Season Announced – Now Seeking Buyers!

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The details for the second season of PSFN Wholesale Markets are officially released! These business-to-business local food aggregation sites (in Seattle and Mount Vernon) will be open for business beginning the third week in July, and PSFN is now actively seeking business and institutional buyers

Seattle Wholesale Market

Wednesday Mornings 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM

July 20 – August 31

Mt. Zion Baptist Church overflow parking lot, 1634 19^th Ave (and Madison), Seattle

(Eastern-facing grass lot across from church)

More info: http://www.psfn.org/seattle-market/

Skagit Wholesale Market

Thursday Mornings 8:30 – 10:00 AM

July 21 – September 8

Skagit Valley Co-op parking lot, 202 South First St, downtown Mount Vernon

More info: http://www.psfn.org/skagitmarket

PSFN’s Wholesale Markets aim to make locally grown and produced goods easily available to institutions and businesses in Seattle, Skagit County and surrounding areas. The Markets are a great way for restaurant and foodservice buyers to get their produce, grains, beans, meat (lamb, chicken, beef, pork and seafood), and pasta in the same place at the same time, at wholesale quantities and prices! The Wholesale Markets are not traditional farmers markets but rather “pick up and pay” sites for wholesale buyers. Institutions and business that may benefit from this wholesale market include schools, daycare centers, retirement communities, country clubs, hospitals, restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, distributors, and caterers, among others. Because of the business relationship focus, we discourage non-business entities from using the site. (Keep reading to find out how individual shoppers and eaters can play a role!)

Each week, the markets will each feature a diverse selection of fresh, seasonal and value-added foods all produced in the Puget Sound region. Each market will host around 15 unique vendors. While Wholesale Market vendors are all PSFN members, any commercial or institutional buyer can shop – member or not! Interested buyers can visit the markets to shop on-the-spot, to help plan seasonal menus, to sign up for the weekly fresh sheet, and to place orders with producers ahead of time for the next week! While featured vendors will bring a limited selection of product to display and sell, most orders should be placed in advance from the weekly fresh sheet.

Chef Chris Johnson of UNited General Hospital with purchases at the 2010 Skagit Wholesale Market

On Monday, July 18, PSFN will begin distributing the weekly fresh sheet for both markets. The fresh sheet will include vendor contact information, available products, and quantities available for wholesale. To receive the weekly market Fresh Sheet for either the Skagit or Seattle Wholesale Markets, contact Ellen Manderfield (ellen@psfn.org) with your contact information: name, email, phone number, and business name. There is no fee (for vendors or buyers!) to participate in the Wholesale Markets.

While the Wholesale Markets aren’t accessible by every shopper, locavores can help spread the word! If you have a wedding or special event planned for this summer, tell your caterer that you’d like local food on the event menu. Have a favorite restaurant? Ask them for local Thursday or Friday specials inspired by their Wholesale Market purchases! Have family living in a retirement community or receiving senior meals? Suggest a fresh, local lunch to the agency for more nutrition bang for their buck!

PSFN is especially excited to bring this year’s Seattle Wholesale Market to Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Mt. Zion and five other Seattle churches are part of a groundbreaking project with the University of Washington School of Nursing called Moving Together in Faith and Health. They are working to stem the tide of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes in their surrounding community. Bringing local farms, businesses and institutions together at Mt. Zion will be an excellent way for our food community to work together to benefit all. Mt. Zion’s Senior Pastor, Rev. Aaron Williams, says this partnership comes at a crucial time. “As we move together to implement policies that promote healthy eating and active living in our churches, our partnership with PSFN and its Seattle Wholesale Market will make fresh, locally grown produce affordable and accessible. We are empowering our churches and our community by giving them healthy options.” For more details on the public health impacts of the Wholesale markets and other PSFN projects, check out this blog post by Johns Hopkins’ School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future!

Check out these stories written about last years’ markets:
PSFN Member Goes Extra Mile To Source Local for Sedro-Woolley Hospital
New Skagit WholeSale Market Brings Local Suppliers, Buyers Together (Grown Northwest)
WholeSale Market Brings Together Farmers and Chefs (Go Skagit.com)
WholeSale Market Aims to Connect Local Producers to Retail Buyers
Farmers cater to wholesale buyers’ needs (Capitol Press)
An interview with Chef Chris Johnson of United General Hospital (Grown Northwest)
Skagit WholeSale Market takes inventory of its first season (Skagit Valley Herald)

We’re so excited for another successful Wholesale Market season! Wholesale buyers, we hope to see you there!

Posted by Emma Brewster on June 24th, 2011

F2T Partners visit F2T Producer 21 Acres

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Today Karen and Emma, PSFN’s Farm to Table (F2T) team were joined by other members of the F2T Partnership on a tour of 21 Acres in Woodinville. F2T representatives from WSDA and Aging and Disability Services (ADS), as well as senior meal site partner Catholic Community Services (CCS) were all able to make the trip out today. 21 Acres (a PSFN member since November 2010) was the first farm to make a F2T connection and delivery! In January, Farm Manager Rosy Smit personally delivered 50 lbs of freshly harvested leeks to F2T meal partner, Chicken Soup Brigade. The leeks were quickly made into a yummy Caribbean tilapia dish with lime and leeks and was delivered shortly to Chicken Soup Brigade clients. Rosy and the rest of 21 Acres’ staff continue to be a wonderful partner in F2T and in the local food economy on the whole.

21 Acres is in the process of building an impressive structure. Once complete, this facility will include a retail co-op for the farm’s and others’ products. The building will also have a natural root cellar, cold storage, rent-able commercial kitchens for the development of value-added products, kitchen classrooms, office space, and will serve as a drop point for wholesale transactions. The building itself will be super eco-friendly, complete with a rooftop garden, composting toilets, and even a shower to encourage employees to bike to work (21 Acres is on a couple of bike trails!). This will be such a great, central facility – we can’t wait to see the completed building.

Check out these photos of the F2T Partnership visit to 21 Acres today!

A lovely morning in Woodinville (the weather held just long enough for us to complete our 90-minute tour!)

21 Acres Farm Manager, Rosy Smit, points out the lay of the land to F2T Partners: Rochelle Carlson (CCS), Karen (PSFN), Shoko Kumagai (WSDA), while 21 Acres Facilities Manager, Brooke, looks on

An on-site (in-field!) brick pizza oven makes 21 Acres a great spot for educational tours for all ages. Now THAT'S Farm to Table!

F2T Project Manager Maria Langlais of Aging & Disability Services checks out the farm

Mmmmm... garlic!

Karen (PSFN), Brooke (21 Acres), Rochelle (CCS), Shoko (WSDA), and Heidi (21 Acres) listen to Rosy talk about opportunities for veterans' groups at the farm

Though it looks a little austere now, come summer this will be a beautiful and flourishing comprehensive agricultural center!

Heidi Pomeroy, Retail Manager for 21 Acres, points out to the group how classrooms, kitchens, and retail space will all come together in the new facility

Thanks for a great day, 21 Acres, and thanks to our awesome F2T Partners for braving the weather to come check out the other side of institutional food service and production. What a great group of people to be working with!

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 11th, 2011

Member Highlight: Nuri Aydinel, Crown Pacific Fine Foods/Eat Local Distribution

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Tell us a little bit about your background.

I came to Washington when I was 16 as a foreign exchange student from Turkey. My family has been farming primarily cotton in Turkey so I have a little background with that. Cotton is an important agricultural export and quite popular so that’s why my parents did it.

I came back to Washington when I was 18 to attend college because I already had friends here, knew the area and the schools. I majored in Business and Economics and graduated from University of Washington.

I am relatively new to the food industry but I was familiar with local food production back in Turkey. It was normal to visit the markets with all kinds of fresh produce that looked and tasted delicious. I first met Tony Ataee (Founder, Crown Pacific), because I was thinking of importing Turkish apricots. As I talked with Tony, I realized it was not feasible for me to do because the margins were too small. So I began helping out around here and then jumped right in when the opportunity came up. I’ve been with Crown Pacific for about a year. Now I help build the business, expand into new growth markets, etc.

Posted by Lucy Norris on January 11th, 2011

CPPW Farm to Table Update

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Puget Sound Food Network announced in July our involvement in a new and unique Farm to Table project designed to cater to some of Seattle’s most underserved senior citizens. This pilot project will make fresh, healthy foods accessible to seniors by bringing local produce straight from local farms to limited-access (low-income and/or home-bound) seniors through home-delivered and congregate meal programs. PSFN was funded by a Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant through the Healthy Eating/Active Living (HEAL) Community Grant Program of City of Seattle-King County Public Health. As a project partner, PSFN will collaborate with Aging and Disability Services (ADS), Senior Services, Catholic Community Services (CCS), Chicken Soup Brigade, the King County Housing Authority (KCHA), and the WSDA on this exciting project. By arranging cooperative purchasing agreements among these partners and local food producers, the project will help ensure availability of fresh, nutritious, local produce to seniors while remaining within existing budgets of our meal-provider partners. If the project is successful, there is potential to apply the Farm to Table model we create to other institutions, such as low-income childcare centers.

Since notification of funding in July, PSFN has attended the first two Farm to Table Partnership meetings, working with project partners to identify preliminary challenges, brainstorm solutions, and begin an initial assessment process to evaluate readiness of meal-provider sites. PSFN has also attended the first CPPW Coalition meeting (a meeting of all the recipients of HEAL and Tobacco Prevention CPPW grants) to share resources and brainstorm techniques to address public heath challenges in our community.

With its CPPW funding, PSFN has hired two new, full-time staff people to work exclusively on the Farm to Table Partnership. Though PSFN is only one of many Farm to Table partners, PSFN’s new staff members are the only two members of the team who are 100% dedicated to the Farm to Table project. These two staff members will work together to do what PSFN does best: make the connections between local producers and food consumers! Karen Mauden, PSFN’s new Farm to Table Coordinator, will serve as a “benevolent broker,” identifying able producers, making introductions and creating relationships between producers and meal-provider sites, arranging purchases and cooperative purchasing agreements, and coordinating distribution and delivery of produce. Karen comes to PSFN with thirty-six years experience in managing purchasing systems and distribution networks. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Foods & Nutrition from Washington State University, owned her own foodservice brokerage for sixteen years, and is a co-owner of the Houser family dairy farm in Sedro Woolley. Her experience prepares her extraordinarily well for the business and agricultural sides of this Farm to Table project. Emma Brewster, PSFN’s new Farm to Community Coordinator, will provide support for Karen, helping to identify producers, assessing meal sites, tracking sales, and providing the administrative support for the project. Emma comes to us as an AmeriCorps Volunteer through Washington Service Corps’ SCORE AmeriCorps Team based in Mount Vernon. Emma holds a Bachelor of Science in Development Sociology from Cornell University, where she focused on the social aspects of rural agriculture and pubic health. Emma’s background working with social and human services and on public health projects gives her a good grounding in the social and health challenges this Farm to Table project aims to tackle.

Posted by Emma Brewster on November 3rd, 2010

Seattle WholeSale Market- Only 2 More Weeks!

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Only 2 Weeks Left. See our most current fresh sheet for product details and ordering

Visit PSFN and learn more about the pilot market and watch a short video of the Seattle WholeSale Market launch on Wednesday, September 15! http://www.psfn.org/seattle-market/

Posted by Lucy Norris on September 17th, 2010

Seattle WholeSale Market Press Release

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“The wholesale market at Whole Foods Market Interbay store offers a great opportunity for local producers to make new direct market connections with a variety of institutional buyers, from restaurants to school districts and hospitals.” Mary Embleton, Cascade Harvest Coalition.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lucy Norris; Puget Sound Food Network (PSFN), 360-336-3666

Calling all Buyers for Seattle WholeSale Market Pilot Beginning Wednesday, September 15

September 7, 2010 [Seattle, WA] – Local food producers are ready to sell their products to wholesale buyers in the parking lot of the Whole Foods Market Interbay store located at 2001 15th Avenue West in Seattle. This pilot market will be held three weeks consecutively on Wednesday mornings from 8:30-10:30 a.m., starting September 15th and ending September 29th.

A wholesale farmer market-as-distribution hub is not a new idea. This year PSFN partnered with Skagit Valley Food Coop to launch the Skagit WholeSale Market. “The market attracts buyers from all over Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and even San Juan County but we know Seattle area buyers want to participate but can’t because of the distance,” says Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager, “Whole Foods Market Interbay store parking lot is perfectly situated minutes from Seattle’s great food neighborhoods. Buyers who want a quick and easy collection site for wholesale volumes of local food will like this market, even if it only lasts three weeks.” “Supporting farmers and other artisan food producers has been a cornerstone of our business for 30 years. We are very pleased and excited to have the opportunity to partner with the Puget Sound Food Network to provide a new venue at our Interbay store for local farmers to connect with wholesale buyers in our community,” adds Denise Breyley, Whole Foods Market Pacific Northwest Local Forager.

PSFN gathered input from Cascade Harvest Coalition, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Seattle Farmers Market Association and Seattle Chefs Collaborative. “Creating new market opportunities helps address farm viability issues as well as increasing the availability of local food. Really a win-win for the community,” says Mary Embleton Executive Director, Cascade Harvest Coalition. Farmers Markets have long understood the important role their markets have in connecting Seattle chefs to local farmers. “We’re interested in this pilot as a way to better understand the local foods wholesale market and how we might continue to serve it,” says Chris Curtis, NFMA Executive Director.

Puget Sound Food Network members represent the bulk of nearly twenty vendors participating in the wholesale market pilot. This market will feature producers such as Willie Green’s Organic Farm, Full Circle Farm, Ninety Farms, Sherman’s Pioneer Farm Produce, Golden Glen Creamery, Hedlin Farm, Viva Farms, Lavender Wind Farm, Aldrich Farm, Twin Sisters Mushrooms, Hidden Meadow Ranch, and more!

Vendors will bring limited product volumes on the first week and then buyers are encouraged to preorder from weekly fresh sheets, and then pay and collect at the market site or request larger volumes for delivery. Vendors will manage invoicing and delivery options independently. Like the Skagit market, PSFN will distribute weekly fresh sheets that include contact information for each vendor, available products, wholesale prices where applicable, promotions and minimum quantities available. Buyers interested in participating in the Seattle Wholesale Market or the Skagit WholeSale Market are strongly encouraged to sign up for weekly product updates. All wholesale buyers are welcome. There is no fee to participate as a vendor or buyer.

Those interested in learning more or wish to participate as a Seattle WholeSale Market buyer or seller should contact Lucy Norris at info@psfn.org. The Puget Sound Food Network is a project of the Northwest Agriculture Business Center. NABC is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to farmland preservation by helping to make farming in the region more profitable. For more information about PSFN, visit www.psfn.org. Map and directions to the Whole Foods Market Interbay store are posted at http://wholefoodsmarket.com/storesbeta/interbay.

Posted by Elliot on September 8th, 2010

Producers and Buyers Anticipate Skagit WholeSale Market Launch This Thursday Morning June 24th

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jodie Buller; Skagit Valley Food Co-op, (360-336-5087×136), or Lucy Norris; Puget Sound Food Network (PSFN), 360-336-3666

June 22, 2010 [Mount Vernon, WA] - Area food producers are preparing to sell their products to wholesale customers in the covered parking lot of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op on Thursday mornings from 8-10 a.m., starting this Thursday, June 24th, and will be there every week through harvest season, interest provided.

The weekly market is designed to help area buyers and sellers decrease time and fuel costs associated with collecting and delivering local food themselves,” says Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager. “The Skagit Valley Food Co-op and Puget Sound Food Network together identified an initial group of local vendors, now we need restaurants and food service buyers to show up.” Buyers can either preorder from the farm, and then pay and collect at the market site, or choose to pick up later. Each vendor will choose their own invoicing and delivery options. Impulse buys are expected and encouraged.

The Skagit WholeSale Market is grounded in the harvest of all-star Skagit organic producers like Hedlin Farm, Skagit River Ranch, Ralph’s Greenhouse, and Skagit Flats. Staples from Sakuma Bros, Twin Sisters Mushrooms, Hidden Meadow Ranch, Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy, and the newly formed Viva Farms will be complimented by delicacies from San Juan Pasta Company and Gothberg Farms. Seasonal appearances by other Skagit and PSFN member producers, and products from nearby and east of the mountains will appear throughout the season.

A collaboration between the Co-op and Puget Sound Food Network, it is the only grassroots business-to-business market of its kind in Northwest Washington.

Those interested in learning more or wish to participate as a Skagit WholeSale Market buyer or seller should contact Erin Treat at skagitcoop@gmail.com or visit PSFN at www.psfn.org. Map and directions to the Skagit Valley Food Co-op are posted at http://www.skagitfoodcoop.com/map.html.

For more background and information, please read our first press release from June 8th on our blog at http://psfn.org/blog/2010/06/seeking-buyers-for-the-skagit-wholesale-market-thursdays-starting-june-24th/, and follow All FOOD Considered, a blog created by Skagit Valley Food Coop.

Posted by Elliot on June 22nd, 2010