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Distribution hub could aid Fauquier farmers
Finding or developing a hub from which local food could be distributed to restaurants and institutions, like universities and hospitals, has long been at the top of the to-do list of local food advocates.
A hub, they figure, would provide a place for farmers to take their wares to be combined with produce from other farms and then sold in the larger quantities required by these new prospective clients.
As strange as it might sound, a proposed development in Gainesville could be the answer to local farmers' prayers.
Developers Eliza Wojkaszek and Frank Piatkowski, principals in the Persimmon Tree Companies, are excited about plans for Green Market, which would incorporate indoor, local food-centric businesses like a bakery and deli, meeting space, and a shared-use commercial kitchen with educational classes and demonstrations and, a couple of times a week, an outdoor farmers' market.
To be located at the intersection of Wellington Road and University Boulevard, the planned Green Market would be a local food lovers paradise with 34,000 square feet dedicated to all things local food. And while the location would certainly draw on the surrounding 177,000 residents within a 15-minute drive, it also provides an ideal spot for a local food distribution hub.
Close to Interstate 66 and off U.S. 29, it's an easy trip into the District and surrounding suburbs.
“The location is pretty strategic. It's a good connection point between the urban and rural areas,” said Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Matt Benson, who has been working on local food initiatives. “It would be a good drop off point for farmers and could allow them to focus more of their efforts on what they really like to do, which is be out in the field rather than marketing their products.”
Ideally, Wojkaszek said, farmers could come to participate in a farmers' market for the day, bringing along produce that would then go into the distribution hub and be delivered to waiting clients.
The hub “fits in with the whole concept. It's very much needed to attract local farmers” to secure deals with large-scale clients, Wojkaszek said. “Small farmers are strong in Europe because they have these hubs. They have to work together. The produce that they deliver to the chef is specialized so that they can charge a higher price and be profitable,” she said, noting that restaurants are willing to pay for fresh, quality ingredients.
In recent months, Benson has been working with a group of local food advocates and farmers to develop ideas to promote the local food movement. The group has talked extensively about the need for a hub.
If the hub can secure contracts with large-scale customers, that would allow farmers to have a guaranteed market for their produce. This, in turn, would likely encourage commodity farmers ? who often sacrifice higher profit margins for guaranteed markets ? to try more profitable, and typically riskier, ventures.
Wojkaszek said that it will be important for Green Market and participating farmers and their clients to understand what it takes to operate a successful food distribution hub.
“We have to estimate what it takes in terms of personnel and money to run a successful hub,” she said, noting that several successful distribution hubs operate in isolation in the state. “If we could have a prototype here and then develop a network of these hubs, that would help tremendously.”
Determining the needs of all participants is the next vital step in the process. All parties will be well served if they have strong working relationships, Benson said. For instance, farmers need to understand the kinds of foods that restaurants are looking for. Chefs, on the other hand, might be less concerned about receiving food deliveries once a week when they realize how fresh that locally-grown food will be upon arrival.
Benson is working to set up meetings with growers, restaurant chefs, institutional representatives, and Green Market so that each group can understand the requirements of the other. Benson will begin pulling these groups together in the coming weeks.
The Northern Piedmont Food Systems Work Group will discuss the distribution hub idea at a meeting set for 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 23 at the Farm Credit and Country Mortgage building at 516 Fauquier Road in Warrenton, Benson said.
Wojkaszek said that the company has been developing the Green Market concept for the last six or eight months, “identifying and bringing to the table businesses that share the vision.” Persimmon will do the programming for the building and has an investor who is primed to provide funding for the building's construction.
Likely to begin in April, construction will take about six months for the base building with another three or four months required for tenant improvements, she said.
Even while construction is underway, there are plans to begin operating a farmers' market on site, Wojkaszek said, noting that Green Market is working with Smart Markets, a group that operates farmers' markets throughout Northern Virginia.
Wojkaszek said that she and Piatkowski, her husband, have created the project out of their own interest in local food.
“Wherever we are, we go to farmers' markets. We grew up going to farmers' markets. In Europe, they're an integral part of your everyday life,” she said.
“Because we're a boutique type of developer, we look at projects that might be more difficult or more time-consuming, things that large developers aren't going to do. We've done a lot of research about the green movement and [movements to] buy local. People are concerned about what they eat and with the financial crisis, people are paying attention to their connection with the community. I think this is a timely project.”
In addition to the food, the Green Market would be a place for the community to get together. Plans include an atrium and community meeting room. The commercial kitchen could be used for cooking demonstrations and nutrition classes. Food and gardening expos could be held either indoors or out, Wojkaszek noted.
The market hopes to serve clients when they have less leisure time, as well. Commuters, for instance, could stop in for a healthy, locally grown, take-out meal on the way home.
“We have a lot of good ideas. I think there is enough momentum that a project like this could take off,” Wojkaszek said.
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