Food Hub Works to Bridge the Gap

Kalamazoo Valley’s new Food Hub is poised to play a crucial role in getting fresh, local food onto more plates in Kalamazoo. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between produce growers and consumers. “We want to be the piece in the middle to help support getting fresh, local foods into institutions,” said Randall Davis, Food Hub and food safety coordinator for Kalamazoo Valley. “I’m excited about what the future possibilities will be. Innovation will come naturally as we grow,” Davis said.

The Food Hub is located at the college’s Food Innovation Center, which is one of three buildings on the new Bronson Healthy Living Campus in downtown Kalamazoo. The Center includes a 16,400 square-foot building with a 9,600 square-foot greenhouse on approximately eight acres of reclaimed urban space. Food Innovation Center objectives are to build the supply chain for local produce into institutions including hospitals, universities, and schools; to flexibly support the local food system by filling gaps in training, production, and processing; to provide hands-on training and credit-based education that leads to jobs in the local food system; and to create opportunities for education and engagement with community organizations.

Food production at the Center is focused on new, innovative, and high-tech methods for growing, including hydroponics and aquaponics. The outdoor growing areas also showcase traditional sustainable methods. “We will produce a diverse mix of crops for demonstration and educational purposes and a high volume of a few key crops for institutional customers,” said Rachel Bair, director of Sustainable and Innovative Food Systems at the Food Innovation Center.

The center’s Food Hub is a flexible space that was designed to be scaled up gradually and adapted to local market needs. “In the first two years we plan to start lightly processing produce grown on-site and at a limited number of local farms. We’ll also distribute raw, washed and chopped produce to local institutions,” said Bair. “Over years three to five we will gradually scale up the number of suppliers and customers, and diversify processing options to include frozen, dehydrated, and sauced products.”

Bair said the Food Hub offers many benefits to the community and its farmers and consumers. She explained that with traditional fresh food distribution, a batch of carrots may contain vegetables from five different farms. Food hub distribution practices ensure that the local source can be identified and more benefits get back to the farm. Not only does the Food Hub get more fresh, local produce onto plates faster, but it provides unique training opportunities for students enrolled in the college’s Culinary and Sustainable Foods programs. “When possible, we also seek to create community benefits through our students’ work,” Bair said. “The Farm and the Food Hub do just that. They are venues for students to practice real-world skills while supplementing the Kalamazoo food supply and providing services to local farms and cafeterias.”

Food Hub plans call for buying fresh produce from many local farms, processing - which involves washing, peeling, chopping, and sometimes freezing it - and selling it to local institutions like hospitals, schools, and universities for use in their cafeterias and patient meals. “We will aim for sales revenues to cover our expenses and any excess will support the facility and programs,” Bair said. “We don’t want to compete with any existing businesses, and have identified this as a market niche that needs to be filled.”

Davis emphasized that the intent is not to compete with existing businesses. “We are running a business in support of our educational programs,” he said. “As part of that, our students will grow, process, package and distribute food in order to help build a better understanding and appreciation around local foods.”

Bair is finalizing the process to obtain Food Hub licensure from the state. She said that during the first year, about five to ten local farmers will probably use the Food Hub for vegetable processing and distribution. Within five years, Bair expects 30 to 40 farmers to use the Food Hub to distribute produce to as many as ten large scale customers. “We’ll look for a nice, diverse, range of products so we can help ensure a secure supply and demand,” Bair said. Members of the Michigan Farm to Institution Network and the Michigan Food Hub recently hosted a joint meeting in Kalamazoo and toured the Food Innovation Center.

Noel Bielaczyc, Food Hub and Meat Value Chain specialist with MSU Center for Regional Food Systems and co-convener of the MI Food Hub Network, called the Food Hub a huge asset for the state of Michigan. “The connection between Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Bronson Hospital is a great example of a Food Hub institution partnership and a model for other communities across Michigan,” he said.

Colleen Matts, Farm to Institution Specialist with the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems and co-lead of MFIN agreed. “Food hubs can play a critical role in helping institutional food buyers source more Michigan foods on a regional level,” she said.