Call for Producers to join the Kawartha Region Local Food Wholesale Project
Do you want to grow your farm by selling to local restaurants, stores and institutions? Would you like to be connected to interested buyers?
This project seeks to support expanded production, wholesale marketing and purchasing of local food within Kawartha Lakes, the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County.
The Project should assist producers with scaling up their operations. Adding expertise to their operation can also free up time spent on marketing and distribution to focus on production and increased profitability.
During this two-year project, as a Local Food Producer participant, you will receive, at no cost:
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One-on-one coaching at your own convenience to adapt training material to your own businesses from April 2024 to December 2025.
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Facilitated coordination for aggregation and distribution of local foods to local buyers in restaurant, retail, food service, and institutional businesses within the region. Purchasers will be concurrently participating in the Local Food Buyer side of this project (July 2024 to December 2025).
Producer Benefits:
The Kawartha Region Local Food Wholesale Project aims to build the capacity of the local economy in providing local food to consumers.
Participating local food producers and food buyers will build mutual understanding and lasting relationships and identify wholesale models that work for both sides of the wholesale relationship. By doing this together, with the assistance of a team of expert advisors, the group can expand access, networks of collaboration and support, and create greater availability of locally produced foods through local wholesale channels.
What benefits will this provide local food producers?
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The utilization of an economy of scale will provide more time for farming and other interests by reducing time selling and delivering.
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The ability to concentrate on the products each producer most enjoys producing.
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Higher farm profits overall, even with the possibility that farm gate prices could be lower.
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The chance to learn new skills to improve each farming operation and address common challenges.
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The opportunity to learn new business management skills.
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Knowledge of the unique needs of buyers who are interested in sourcing quality local food and the tools to work together to build a successful local food wholesale network.
Producer Training
Producer training and coaching will be provided by David Cohlmeyer of Sustainable Good Food Consulting. David was the founder and former owner of Cookstown Greens and has decades of experience working with both farmers and chefs.
One-on-One Producer Coaching
The training and one-on-one coaching phase is meant to be advisory in nature, and any costs for amendments by buyers would be borne by them and not the consultant. The Coaching aspect of this mandate will extend through the final phase of the project on an as-needed basis, even after the initial individual business recommendations are provided.
Facilitated Aggregation/Distribution Pilot
The final portion of the project will see a Pilot Aggregation/Distribution System be undertaken to assist the group of producers and buyers to enter wholesale buying relationships as a collective group with centralized activities. This will address challenges of product delivery costs, potential struggles meeting volume demands from an individual producer on a weekly basis, risk of product availability given potential crop losses by one producer, less variety, and more.
The Local Food Hub demonstration pilot project will facilitate collaboration among participants to test and choose the appropriate aggregation and distribution systems (be it a central place or a network of smaller function-based facilities, or other arrangement) which will ultimately increase the volume of local food transactions and improve efficiency for local food distribution and buyer procurement in the region.
Next Steps for Interested Local Producers:
Step 1: Expression of Interest
To register for this project, contact one of us below to request a short Expression of Interest Form. Complete and submit the form, telling us why you are interested in this project and what you hope to achieve by participating.
Step 2: Follow-up Questions
The Project Coordinator will contact you to collect additional information if necessary. All information collected about your business will be kept confidential. Contact information will only be used for communications within this project by the project team. Other information provided in your responses will be used to guide the development of training and coaching within this project.
For additional information contact:
Kelly Maloney, Economic Development Officer – Agriculture, City of Kawartha Lakes
(888)822-2225 extension 1208, kmaloney@kawarthalakes.ca
Erika Inglis, Assistant Economic Development Officer, Kawartha Local Food Wholesale Project
einglis@kawarthalakes.ca
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