My WebLink
|
Help
|
About
|
Sign Out
Home
Browse
Search
AG 2011 07 18
CabarrusCountyDocuments
>
Public Meetings
>
Agendas
>
BOC
>
2011
>
AG 2011 07 18
Metadata
Thumbnails
Annotations
Entry Properties
Last modified
7/19/2011 2:20:33 PM
Creation date
11/27/2017 11:16:10 AM
Metadata
Fields
Template:
Meeting Minutes
Doc Type
Agenda
Meeting Minutes - Date
7/18/2011
Board
Board of Commissioners
Meeting Type
Regular
Jump to thumbnail
< previous set
next set >
There are no annotations on this page.
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015
Laserfiche.
All rights reserved.
/
259
PDF
Print
Pages to print
Enter page numbers and/or page ranges separated by commas. For example, 1,3,5-12.
After downloading, print the document using a PDF reader (e.g. Adobe Reader).
View images
View plain text
demand for locally- raised beef, poultry and pork. As mentioned above, Earth Fare <br />also sells grass -fed beef raised in North Carolina at both its Charlotte locations. <br />Earth Fare is committed to its local grass -fed beef program, even though it faces <br />challenges related to keeping producer volume consistent and price competitive. <br />Farmer education, infrastructure needed to access market <br />In order to access grocery stores, small -scale independent farmers need access to <br />infrastructure as well as distributors who are willing to work with them. Many <br />distribution companies that now deliver to grocery stores require farmers to have <br />GAP certification, which can be expensive for small producers. Many Cabarrus <br />farmers prefer to avoid the need for GAP certification if at all possible. <br />Independently owned grocery stores are ideal markets for small -scale independent <br />farmers. Yet in order to be successful, these stores need distributors who are <br />willing to make deliveries scaled to their smaller size. <br />New farmers may not be aware of which products are suitable for sale in grocery <br />stores. "Some bring me products that are too large or too unusual for me to sell," <br />says one store owner. `It would be good for someone to educate them about the <br />market perspective." <br />Farmers have expressed an interest in having a cooperative grocery store in <br />Cabarrus County, a place to sell their produce. Others have said they are not <br />interested in selling for wholesales prices. The County is exploring the potential <br />for using existing spaces for local food retail and/or revitalization. Members of <br />the Food Policy Council have traveled to look at other NC cooperative grocery <br />stores that could serve as potential models. <br />Summary <br />The retail market currently offers limited potential for local farmers. Local beef <br />producers can explore the possibility of supplying the two Charlotte Earth Fare locations <br />through Hickory Nut Gap Meats based in Buncombe County. But local produce farmers <br />have few options for selling in grocery stores. A consumer cooperative grocery store <br />offers one retail outlet model, but local producers must be prepared to get wholesale <br />prices (about 30 percent less than retail) for their products. <br />Food Lion, a NC -based grocery store, has a history of promoting sales of food produced <br />in North Carolina. <br />Recommendations <br />1. Plan for ways to offer farmers training and technical assistance that will prepare <br />them to scale production for this market <br />2. Continue to explore the consumer cooperative model as a way to provide a retail <br />outlet that sells locally -grown food. Examples include the new Company Shops <br />Market in Burlington and Chatham Marketplace in Pittsboro. <br />3. Build relationships with Food Lion management. <br />23 <br />Attachment number 1 <br />1 -1 Page 258 <br />
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.