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MARKET CHANNELS Local and regional marketing opportunities are largely untapped, including both through direct and wholesale channels. The County's proximity to Mecklenburg County, home to the city of Charlotte, positions it well geographically for accessing a large number of potential markets. Direct -to- Consumer: Cabarrus has 37 farmers who sell directly to consumers and their sales totaled $90,000 in 2007. The Piedmont Farmers Market operates five markets in four locations, and sales are generally not considered strong. Wholesale Distributers: There are several wholesale buyers in the area who provide important potential markets for County farmers, including Sysco Foods Source Verified Beef Program and Albert's Organics. Wholesale Food Service: Chain restaurants are less likely to source local ingredients, whereas higher end restaurants that are independently owned are increasingly sourcing local. The definition of local varies from chef to chef and includes within 50 -100 miles, as well as the entire state. In addition, the County itself feeds a lot of residents through its institutional programs, including the Department of Aging, County Schools, and the County Jail, all of which contract with broad line distributers. Wholesale Retail: Today, Cabarrus has 29 retail grocery stores. In the 1990s, Cabarrus County was home to a successful independent and locally owned grocery, Dover Supermarket, which had three locations as of 1998. Large grocery chains cur- rently dominate the market in both Cabarrus and Mecklenburg Counties. Fresh Market and Earth Fare, two smaller chains with multiple stores in the Southeast, have locations in Charlotte. Emergency: Cabarrus County has nine food pantries and fresh produce is in high demand. The majority of what is moved through this market channel is non - perishable, except for what is gleaned from farmers' fields. Three Cabarrus farms are gleaned during 11 months of the year. Lack of refrigerated stor- age space, as well as suitable trucks and drivers, are all deter- rents to using locally- sourced gleaned produce. INTERVIEWS WITH STAKEHOLDERS Farmers in the County who are successfully selling locally are engaged in direct -to- consumer sales and at this juncture would prefer to continue this focus. They are not necessarily interested in scaling -up production or undergoing the certification requirements of most wholesale buyers. They do not believe they have sufficient infrastructure or product volume to satisfy wholesale buyers. Furthermore, many of them enjoy direct marketing and understand it to be more profitable than wholesale production. There is a lot of interest in: 1) increasing consumer awareness of locally -grown food and 2) expanding CSAs and food - buying clubs for both produce and meat. Restaurants, both in the County and the Charlotte/ Mecklenburg area, present a host of challenges for scaling sales of local meat and produce. Most restaurants interested in sourcing local are independently owned, upscale establishments. While some prefer local produce because of its quality, most chefs will not become regular buyers unless the price is right and the products they are interested in are available in the volume and consistency they need. Those chefs and restaurant owners currently sourcing locally are doing so based on strong relationships with individual farmers. Some of the County's institutional buyers are sourcing Attachment nurpber 1 Cabarrus County Food System Assessment 1 -1 Page 619