Farmhand Foods: An Innovative Food Hub Creating Market Access for Small and Mid-Sized Livestock Producers

Most small and mid-scale livestock producers have been unable to take advantage of growing consumer demand for premium, all-natural, locally-raised meats, especially through wholesale channels. This relates to a host of factors, including the vertically-integrated nature of existing meat supply chains, constraints surrounding slaughter and processing capacity, and the specific demands of wholesale buyers. It also reflects the fact that local food systems suffer from a lack of connectivity between producers, processors and buyers. Working towards vibrant regional food economies requires supporting the development of businesses that can strengthen these relationships and "connect the dots" along local meat supply chains. In the case of proteins, it suggests a strong need for middle businesses that can provide the skills and infrastructure needed to aggregate, distribute and market meat products at the local level. Firsthand Foods, an innovative food hub, offers a regional solution to many of these challenges. Firsthand Foods, LLC was awarded a Phase I grant to prove the feasibility of its business model through research and development of a range of marketing strategies and supply side partnerships. Firsthand Foods is a branded, regional food hub in North Carolina that delivers local, high-quality beef and pork to restaurants and retailers. We are one of the only food hubs in the nation that focuses exclusively on proteins. Firsthand Foods sources animals from a network of small-to-medium scale producers, all of whom raise their animals humanely, outdoors on pasture, without feeding antibiotics or using added hormones or animal by-products. By working with a range of producers, Firsthand Foods & #39; business model allows livestock producers to remain small while being part of a network that supplies larger-scale institutional and retail markets. As a Phase II applicant, Firsthand Foods proposes to conduct research that strengthens its business systems and practices to: 1) support sustainable livelihoods for a growing network of small and mid-sized livestock producers, 2) assist with the professionalization and business advancement of the small-scale meat processing sector, 3) solve numerous challenges that wholesale buyers encounter in sourcing local protein products, and 4) significantly expand consumer access to local, pasture-raised meats.