A local food hub is expanding its reach into the wholesale market.
Farm2Door is launching a wholesale local produce service for restaurants and other bulk-food buying organizations like catering companies, retirement homes and charitable kitchens. In partnership with Tourism Simcoe County, the first 12 buyers signing up for this program will get significant marketing perks.
Farm2Door general manager Bart Nagel said the new wholesale option offers restaurants and other bulk-food buyers both pickup and delivery options while giving them an easy, one-stop-shop window to help source more locally.
“Our role is to connect local growers to local consumers,” Nagel said, noting the new online ordering platform will provide wholesale prices from 10 to 20 local growers and farms.
“Obviously in terms of revenue, wholesale is smaller than retail. We’re also moving to a new digital platform, which includes wholesale.”
Nagel said that role traces its roots back to Farm2Door’s beginnings when it launched two years ago as an answer to the COVID-19 lockdowns with a single mission of making local food more available and accessible for North Simcoe communities.
“Through the Farm2Door web store and the local food store on Balm Beach Road, local food is now available 24/7 all year long,” Nagel said.
Nagel said Farm2Door has grown out to be a true local food hub, carrying produce and food products from over 100 local suppliers with the majority located within Simcoe County and 90% sourced from within a 100-mile radius.
“We want to help as many local food producers as we can,” he said. “For this, wholesale ties in well with the social mission of Farm2Door.”
Nagel said local restaurants could also benefit from the wholesale model and could use the fact they’re serving local, fresh produce as a marketing tool to get more customers into their establishments.
“Foodies crave local and for good reason,” Nagel said. “Local food is grown close by, it's fresher, stores longer, is more nutrient dense and simply tastes better.
“Moreover, buying local veg is better for the environment, it keeps more money in our local economy and increases the attractiveness of North Simcoe as a culinary destination.”
And he expects it to appeal to farmers since they will be able to deliver their product to Farm2Door for distribution rather than driving around from restaurant to restaurant.
He cites his own Bulbs of Fire farm as an example of the benefit, noting that it doesn’t make economic sense for him if “I have to drive into town to sell three pounds of garlic.”
“We’re telling our restaurant clients to order within a certain window so we can inform our farm partners to deliver exactly what’s been ordered. This makes a tremendous difference for everybody in this market.”
Farm2Door is also a strong proponent of encouraging “seasonal eating,” according to Nagel.
“At this time of year, you should eat a lot more root vegetables,” he said, noting the pandemic has made more people consider the importance of supporting their local economies, which includes farmers working their fields and others using those raw ingredients to create value-added products.
“There’s definitely been a renewed passion for local.”
For more information, email Nagel ([email protected]) or Farm2Door supply manager Evain Maurice ([email protected]).
