Township of Langley Food Hub Feasibility Study (December 2014 to September 2015)
Greenchain Consulting identified the idea and feasibility of a food hub for the agricultural community of the Township of Langley, the 3rd largest agricultural community in BC.
http://www.tol.ca/Current-News-Initiatives/Initiatives/Food-Hub
Rural Agri-food Distribution Hub Model (Fall 2013 to February 2014)
Greenchain Consulting partnered with Erin Nichols at Farm Folk City Folk to develop a model for farmers to aggregate their products and distribute it to wholesale buyers together. The first phase was to survey local farmers and research similar models to identify demand and needs as well as best practices. The model was then presented to dozens of farmers and wholesale businesses around BC to gather feedback and interest.
Victoria Community Food Hub (Fall 2013 to January 2014)
Greenchain Consulting worked alongside Found Solutions to develop a community food hub for Victoria. The food hub will support local farmers and food banks to distribute their products more efficiently throughout the region as well as providing office space and commercial kitchen space for food processors and advocates. The first stage was to develop a business plan and feasibility study.
http://www.iccbc.ca/funding/victoria-community-food-hub-society
North Fraser Food Hub (August 2012 to January 2015)
Greenchain Consulting, in collaboration with Janine de la Salle at HB Lanarc, worked with the Pitt Meadows Economic Development office to develop a distribution food hub for the farmers in the North Fraser region. In August of 2012, we organized and facilitated a visioning session between North Fraser growers, producers, and distributors to identify the needs, opportunities, and challenges of this hub to help support and grow local food production and sales. In Summer of 2013, we did a pre-feasibility study of a food hub for the region, including surveying 17 farmers and 17 restaurants to identify the demand and needs of a food hub.
New City Market, Vancouver (March 2011 – September 2013)
New City Market (NCM) is the food hub concept developed by Vancouver Farmers’ Market in partnership with Vancity. NCM’s concept is to provide a year-round indoor farmers’ & chefs’ market, commercial kitchen, and local food aggregation and distribution support. In Spring 2011, Greenchain led the research and writing of the Preliminary Business Plan and, over 2011 and 2012, presented the plan to over 400 people within the industry to gather feedback and further develop the business model. Greenchain built partnerships with other businesses and organizations to submit a joint proposal to the City of Vancouver.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/04/LocalFoodCrownJewel/
http://www.bcbusiness.ca/manufacturing-transport/the-farm-to-table-opportunity?page=2
Richmond Food Hub, BC (September 2015 to present)
A Richmond Food Hub Feasibility Study, funded by VanCity EnviroFund and the City of Richmond, is being conducted by the Richmond Food Security Society and Greenchain Consulting. It is taking the approach of talking directly with small and medium -sized producers in Richmond to identify what is it they really need to grow their local sales.
Vancouver Local Food Hub (October 2014 to present)
Greenchain Consulting partnered with FarmFolk CityFolk and Vancouver Farmers’ Market to develop a food aggregation service, the Vancouver Local Food Hub, that supports local farmers in their sales to local restaurants, retailers, and other food service businesses. A number of initial focus groups and surveys between producers and buyers identified the needs and components for this service.
These insights helped develop a business plan, policies, and operational procedures. Greenchain further helped launch the food hub by implementing an operational software program, recruiting a food hub co-ordinator and producers, and signing on food service customers.