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Anna Marie Seafood Dulac, Louisiana “You need technology to create quality,” says Lance Nacio, a 38-year-old Cajun and wild shrimp fisherman from Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. Darlene Wolnick, who works for an organization called marketumbrella.org that helps food producers like Lance do direct marketing in the region, agrees, “Lance is the most innovative shrimper we’re working with.” Read more
Appalachian Harvest Network Abingdon, Virginia “How can we create a system that puts money in farmers’ pockets and puts good food on the table in an environmentally sustainable way?” asks Anthony Flaccavento, the executive director of Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD). His answer, for dozens of farmers in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, has been a program called the Appalachian Harvest Network (AHN). Read more
Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools LaFarge, Wisconsin “This is a social experiment disguised as a business,” says George Siemon, chief executive officer of the Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP). Today, after 20 years of this “social experiment,” CROPP has over $500 million in annual revenue, 1,300 member/owner farmers, and 500 staff. It is arguably one of the biggest and most successful organic producer cooperatives in the country. Read more
Greenmarket New York, New York “Our mission is twofold: keep small farms viable and provide good food to all New York City communities regardless of income level,” says Michael Hurwitz, director of greenmarket, a thriving network of 49 farmers markets in the city. Greenmarket began with 12 farmers in an empty lot in the heart of Midtown Manhattan in 1976, and has since grown into the nation’s largest open air farmers market program, with markets in all five boroughs. It supports small farmers who grow near New York City by showcasing their locally grown products and providing them with new opportunities for direct retail sales. Read more
Indian Springs Farmers Association Petal, Mississippi Even though he has led the Indian Springs Farmers Association in Mississippi for almost a generation, Ben Burkett views himself first and foremost as a farmer. On the 255-acre farm that has been in his family for more than a century, he grows 16 types of vegetables and herbs and manages pine timber. “I really enjoy what I do, although I haven’t got rich at it. I started off in conventional cotton, transferred into corn, soybeans, and wheat. While we always had a vegetable contract when I was growing up, I only transitioned over to vegetables in my own farm a little more than ten years ago.” But Ben’s most important crop is farmer empowerment. Read more
The Intervale Center Burlington, Vermont “Why not grow Vermont’s fresh food in Vermont, and do it sustainably?” That was the question preoccupying Will Raap in the 1980s when he had a small garden shop and catalogue, a compost pile, and a parcel of neglected land in Burlington. Back then, the “Intervale” referred to 350 acres that were historically important but had fallen into disuse. Based on consumer research, Will saw in the land the potential to grow at least 10% of Burlington’s fresh food at the Intervale.... Read more
Lorentz Meats Cannon Falls, Minnesota Don’t waste time asking Mike Lorentz for advice on how to sell meat at a farmers market. “You won’t make enough money to justify being there. It’s great for a hobby, you might even break even. But you won’t turn a profit.” And, he adds with emphasis, “if isn’t profitable, it isn’t sustainable.” For Mike, size matters, even for local food. He sees several “sweet spot” business opportunities for small- and mid-scale meat processors. At the heart of Mike’s company is a 10,000 square foot processing plant, built from scratch in 2000. It is fully certified by the USDA to process by hand not only cattle but multiple species like bison, pigs, and elk. Read more
The Oklahoma Food Cooperative Oklahoma City, Oklahoma “We’ve finally found one thing that fundamentalist Baptists can come together with Pagans to agree about,” says Bob Waldrop, founder and president of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, “and that’s local food. This coming together was a miracle.” When delivery day for the Cooperative arrives, Bob explains excitedly, “It’s quite an experience. Thousands of products come in the door, starting about 9:00 a.m., from sixty or so different producers. ... Read more
Swanton Berry Farm Davenport, California Jim Cochran is used to having his ideas brushed aside. Two decades ago, when he set out to grow strawberries organically without the pesticide methyl bromide, many of Jim’s peers in the strawberry industry thought he was nuts. He persisted and wound up developing one of the first organic, chemical- free approaches to growing strawberries on a commercial scale. When he began negotiations with the United Farm Workers to represent his workers, other strawberry farmers warned him this would kill his business. And yet, today, after becoming the first organic farm in the country to become 100% unionized and to offer family medical and dental coverage,... Read more
Weaver Street Market Hillsborough, North Carolina When Ruffin Slater and his two friends, Marilyn Butler and Randy Tally, opened up Weaver Street Market in 1988, natural food co-ops meant big crates of dry grains. “We wanted something more than that,” says Ruffin, “something we could get the community involved in.” Today Weaver Street is a large, diversified community enterprise that lives its motto: “A co-op is a better economic system.”... Read more
The White Dog Cafe Philadelphia, Pennsylvania For 25 years Judy Wicks’ wake-up ritual was to go to her bedroom mirror and chant a four-word mantra: “Good morning beautiful business!” Her commute to the business, the White Dog Café, was about 60 seconds, as she wound her way down the stairs of her three-story brownstone, through the offices of the nonprofit White Dog Community Enterprises, past her retail shop called the Black Cat, selling locally made and fair trade gifts, and finally entered the restaurant. Besides being a popular eatery and bar featuring local food, organic produce, and humanely raised meat, the White Dog has become ground zero for efforts in Philadelphia, and nationally, to organize locally owned businesses. Read more
Zingerman's Community of Businesses Ann Arbor, Michigan “Who really believes they couldn’t live without a ten dollar corned beef sandwich?” chuckles Paul Saginaw, whose facetious question tries to explain why Zingerman’s emphasizes high- quality food and remarkable service. The surprising answer, though, is tens of thousands of people living in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan, rich and poor alike, who collectively spend about $27 million at one of the eight Zingerman’s companies. ... Read more

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