Why a Food Hub?

Transparent from field to kitchen: products are never mixed or combined with other farmer’s product. Farms own their product through the supply chain: their production methods are transparent and food is traceable to the farm.

Opens up new markets for farmers to deal directly with businesses and institutional buyers who seek local products, and who purchase large volumes of food, but typically do not have the time to shop at farmers markets or farm stands.

Empowers farmers to develop and maintain direct customer relationships, negotiate their own prices and nurture business growth for their own farms. They do not hand over their customers, or steep margins, to a third-party.

Provides shared marketing and infrastructure for local farms to increase sales and reduce labor costs and food waste.

Order from the field! Food is fresher than any typical distributor’s offerings. Fresh produce is often picked the day before it reaches the customer. It’s ripe, in season and oh-so-delicious!

Buyers have access to greater varieties of vegetables, fruits, livestock breeds that are atypical in the commodity market and highly prized for flavor (and not whether it holds up in cold storage or not!).

Convenient for buyers to source fresher, more nutritious and better tasting products direct from local farms with an online marketplace, streamlined payment options and one food-safe, aggregated delivery to their door.

Traveling distance between farm to customer is shortened compared to broad line distributors which significantly decreases carbon emissions. Producer farms operate within the 6 counties of northwest Washington including: Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan, Snohomish, and King.

Consolidated cold storage space uses less energy.

Supporting local farms will help them move away from synthetic fertilizers and encourage them to integrate more organic growing practices which often require higher labor costs.

Purchasing local food supports local farms by providing them and their workers a livable wage

Purchasing local food increases our region’s food security.

Purchasing local food protects the environment.

Purchasing local food creates jobs and boosts the local economy.

Purchasing local food keeps the community at large healthier by consuming more nutrient-rich food!