
Delivery from Fennimore Produce Auction
As part of Thrive's 2008-2010 Regional Foods Initiative to increase regional sales and consumption of regionally-produced foods, the goal of the Growers to Grocers project is to work with interested wholesale markets to dramatically increase the volume of sales of regionally-produced foods - and to connect growers to grocers in order to ensure regional food is more accessible for more people.
Thrive is partnering on a scalable project with UW business graduate / entrepreneur Heather Hilleren, who has developed a web-based tool to directly connect farms and consumers. The website is
www.greenleafmarket.com. The technology allows direct purchases as well as bidding.
This online marketplace facilitates the sale of local foods--produce, meats, honey and more--by connecting farmers to grocers, restaurants, schools, hospitals and other food buyers on the Web, and allowing for online sales and inventory management. The website also will permit buyers to post their need, and let farmers bid on it.
Thrive is adding value by connecting with farmers and buyers, presenting at least 13 training sessions throughout the region. Thrive is also meeting with locally owned grocers, restaurants and institutions that want homegrown products.
Thrive is measuring its success in this scalable project through an increase in sales of regionally-produced foods to groceries and in an increase in number of products available.
New! Pierce's Market (five locations across four counties) and Metcalfe's Sentry (Madison), have both formally launched the use of GreenLeaf Market by making their first purchase of produce from Fennimore Produce Auction, a wholesale market supplied by Amish producers in Fennimore, WI.
For more information on this and other Thrive agriculture projects, please contact Greg Lawless at
glawless@thrivehere.org.