Wholesale Readiness

What is a Food Hub?

Food hubs are businesses that actively manage the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products to multiple buyers from multiple producers. These producers are primarily local and regional. Food hubs exist to help meet wholesale, retail, and institutional demand with local food.

Types of Food Hubs:

• Retail – Farm to consumer
• Wholesale – Farm to business or institution (often includes distribution)
• Hybrid – Serve both retail and wholesale markets

Healthy Harvest of North Iowa is part of a statewide Food Hub network that works to increase sales opportunities for producers and move local food across Iowa. Reach out to Andrea at director@healthyharvestni.com for more information.

Food Hub & Wholesale Resources

📍 Iowa-Based Reports & Directories

• Iowa Food Hub Directory

• A Snapshot of Local Food Hub Activity in Iowa (2012)

🌽 USDA & National Resources

• Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

• Resources for Food Value Chains and Food Hubs

• Regional Food Hub Resource Guide

📘 Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

• Growers Manual: A Template for Grower Cooperatives

• Production Planning for Aggregators

🚜 Producer-Focused Resources

• ISU Extension Food Hub Managers Working Group

• Practical Farmers of Iowa: Farmers and Food Hubs: a How-To Guide for Getting Started

Selling wholesale can be intimidating. We have partnered with the Cedar Valley Regional Food and Farm Network with the local food hub Field to Family, to share top recommendations for your business as you enter the wholesale market. This is an excellent preparation step before attending events such as our our producer-buyer networking event. Please enjoy the recording of this session.