Food Hub Links Farm and Business

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer
Steve Ahearn, a former Long Island deli owner, didn’t have many opportunities to climb down from his tractor in Coalmont and sell beef, so he partnered with the South Cumberland Food Hub.
“I wanted more retail sales and they do all the footwork,” he said. “I’ve got my hands full with the farm here and I wanted to stretch out a little more and didn’t really have the time.”
The Food Hub acts as a direct channel between growers within 50 miles of Sewanee and local restaurants and stores by finding customers, negotiating prices and delivering the food. Ahearn, who runs Double A Farms with his wife Donna, was on the other side of the market when he owned five delis in the Long Island area. Now through the Food Hub he provides beef to restaurants, as well as the University of the South and St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School.
Laura Damron, coordinator of the program, said the Hub’s goal is altruistic, helping producers and growers increase profits and providing quality, local proteins and in-season produce.
“The idea is that we coordinate the direct sale and we only cover our costs instead of making a profit,” she said. “We’re trying to get more of the value of the product into the farmers’  hands, because there are many reselling organizations. We focus on forming relationships and representing small local independent farms.”
There is an underbelly in agriculture, Damron noted, where the farmer makes less money dealing with resellers such as food service companies. She added produce through the Food Hub is often fresher, usually picked within hours of delivery to customers.
The freshness, competitive pricing and availability of more specialty produce are reasons why High Point restaurant in Monteagle uses the Food Hub, said chef Eric Gibson.
“The quality has thus far been outstanding, and it helps the local economy. We are not a large corporation and survive on local business. It is only fair to funnel some of that back in to the local economy, if at all possible,” he said.
“We primarily order vegetables for our chef’s selection vegetable, which has been changing much more frequently with the Food Hub’s involvement,” Gibson added.
Restaurants and stores ordering specialty produce are also enhancing the variety of products available to local residents. For instance, Damron said when a restaurant such as High Point orders multi-colored cauliflower or yellow filet beans, the farmer will have excess they sell at outdoor markets. She cited bok choy as another less common item gaining popularity.
“They’re expanding the diet, increasing the nutrition of the local population due to the fact that white table cloth restaurants want those types of products,” she said.
A relationship with school systems is another source of pride for the Food Hub, especially when underprivileged students have access to fresh nutritious foods.
Melissa Livesay, director of the Franklin County School Nutrition program, said the program started ordering from the Food Hub two years ago, adding items such as strawberries, lettuce, sweet potatoes and watermelons to lunch plates.
The University of the South, another customer, is committed to supporting local, sustainable producers, said Sewanee executive chef Rick Wright, who is also a Food Hub board member. The University has fried chicken Sundays with locally-raised chickens, and eggs, beef and produce from the Food Hub are peppered throughout the McClurg Dining Hall buffet.
Wright said he wants more restaurants, stores and institutions to become Food Hub customers to strengthen the network.
The Food Hub is part of the Rooted Here organization, which also oversees the South Cumberland Farmer’s Market. Jess Wilson, an integral part of the effort, said organizers started the Food Hub four years ago with a grant from groups and individuals from the Sewanee community, and matching USDA funds.
A lot of volunteer work is required to make the program successful, Damron noted, and a willingness from chefs and business owners to consider alternatives to food service companies.
“It has to be driven by someone who’s inspired by the local product,” she said.
For more information on the Food Hub email <damronlaura@hotmail.com>.