Demand for healthy, local or regionally produced food is at an all time high. Yet every year, Oregon ranchers, farmers and specialty food manufacturers in rural communities continue to go out of business, having not found a viable method for accessing and profiting from this robust interest in their products. FoodHub, a new online directory and marketplace, addresses that dilemma head on by making it easy and efficient for regional food buyers and sellers to find each other, connect and do business.
Come learn about FoodHub during two free public workshops being offered to wholesale food buyers and food producers in Central Oregon this month. For questions or to reserve a seat, email meet@food-hub.org.
Using FoodHub to Build Your Wholesale Food Business
2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, October 26, at the Madras Aquatic Center, 1195 SE Kemper Way. Learn how FoodHub can open doors to new wholesale accounts.
Using FoodHub to Buy Local
2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, October 27, at St. Charles Medical Center, 2500 NE Neff Rd. Learn how FoodHub can help you find local food producers quickly and easily so that you can showcase local products on the menu.
FoodHub, a social venture business of the Portland-based nonprofit Ecotrust, is designed to increase food trade in the Pacific Northwest by connecting food producers and food buyers online. It is the only network of its kind that accommodates food producers – including farmers, ranchers, fishermen and food manufacturers – and food buyers of every scale and production type across such a significant geographic range. FoodHub launched in February 2010 and already has nearly 700 members throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Take the guess work and leg work out of finding buyers and sellers
FoodHub immediately provides benefits to both food sellers and buyers. For farmers, ranchers and food producers FoodHub offers an easy way to let buyers know what products are available and how to make contact to complete a sale. For wholesale food buyers—including local restaurants, public schools, grocery stores, caterers, universities and hospitals—FoodHub provides a robust database of food products that are available. Customizable search features allow a buyer to hone in on the exact product specifications they are seeking.
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About Ecotrust
FoodHub is an Ecotrust project made possible by the generous support and contributions of many. Ecotrust’s mission is to inspire fresh thinking that creates social equity, economic opportunity, and environmental well being. With regard to our Food & Farms program, we improve public understanding of agriculture and the challenges it faces and increase the market share of regionally grown, processed, and manufactured foods. Whether by introducing a farmer to a chef or a food processor to an institutional buyer, Ecotrust is a trusted “benevolent broker” that has been making connections between food buyers and sellers in the greater Northwest for a decade. Learn more at ecotrust.org.