New Wholesale Database and Online Wholesale Store to Help Regional Institutions and Businesses Buy More Local Food

 Lewis, NY – Adirondack Harvest and the Hub on the Hill have launched synergistic offerings to help businesses and institutions in the greater Adirondack region better connect with local food producers who wholesale.

Many businesses and institutions have echoed that they would like to be able to offer more locally grown food, as the Adirondacks are home to a large variety of farms, producing everything from fruits and veggies, eggs, and meats to many value-added products such as artisan cheeses, charcuterie and cream-top yogurt. However, knowing where to start when buying local food wholesale can be time-consuming and confusing.

In response, Adirondack Harvest created a growing online wholesale database, has hired a Chef Outreach coordinator, and has expanded their successful Farm to Institution Outreach program. Additionally, the Hub on the Hill launched an online wholesale ordering and delivery service, where businesses and institutions can order a wide range of local food products online from one source.

Adirondack Harvest Builds Wholesale Database, Hires Chef Outreach Coordinator

The new and growing Adirondack Harvest Wholesale Database serves as a place where wholesale-scale farms and local food producers list their wholesale-specific offerings, scale, and delivery regions in one cohesive place so that wholesale purchasers can easily connect with local food producers.

“Farms operate at different scales and many in the Adirondacks are direct-to-consumer based. The Adirondack Harvest Wholesale Database makes it easy for wholesale buyers, such as restaurant chefs and food service directors, to easily connect with farms that can meet their needs,” said Carly Summers, Agriculture Issue Leader of CCE Essex.

Adirondack Harvest has also recently hired a new Chef Outreach Coordinator as part of a three-year New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Smart Growth Grant. Additionally, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Essex County earned a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local Food Promotion grant this winter, which has helped expand their successful Farm to School program to other types of institutions, like hospitals and daycare facilities.

Farm to Institution Educator, Meghan Dohman, and Chef Outreach Coordinator and Chef Adam Bechard, are working to help businesses and institutional food service directors learn how to integrate seasonality into their menus, navigate budgets, connect with new producers, understand distribution options, and more.

If you’d like to learn more about purchasing local food wholesale for your business or organization, please contact us at cfs82@cornell.edu.

Hub on the Hill Launches Online Wholesale Ordering and Delivery

 Similarly, The Hub on the Hill’s new online wholesale store allows wholesale purchasers to order a variety of locally grown products online from one place. The online wholesale store aims to streamline the ordering and delivery process for businesses and institutions that would like to offer more locally grown food.

For example, the Hub on the Hill’s new consolidated wholesale online ordering and delivery platform has helped Elderwood of Uihlein at Lake Placid offer their residents local strawberries from Juniper Hill and yogurt from North Country Creamery.

The Hub’s pilot program ran for a month in June, and the team was able to work through the new process, streamlining purchasing, ordering, and delivery. The pilot is now complete, and wholesale buyers and local food producers are encouraged to join and utilize the new cooperative platform and delivery routes.

“The value of streamlining wholesale ordering from local producers will be felt throughout the region. Our work bringing local, nutrient dense food into Adirondack school systems has had a ripple effect and I’m thrilled to see our partners at the Hub and Adirondack Harvest working to expand access and simplify the process for more institutions.” said Julie Holbrook, Food Service Director of the Adirondack Farm to School Initiative.

The Hub currently offers delivery services across the Central Adirondacks, Champlain Valley, as far north as Plattsburgh, and as far south as Albany, as well as weekly deliveries to NYC. The Hub aggregates a variety of locally produced fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products, as well as value-added products such as chicken stock, salsas and sauerkraut. Products can be packaged for retail or purchased in bulk.

“The execution of online wholesale ordering has been a goal of ours for many years. The idea that any local school, hospital, prison or restaurant can access the best locally produced food and food products from one source remains our driving force. It’s been challenging to say the least, but we’re proud to be working with so many incredible partners to make this vision a reality and bring more farm fresh food into the lives of Adirondackers, regardless of income and proximity to local producers.” said Jori Wekin, director of the Hub on the Hill.

New wholesale customers throughout the region are encouraged to enroll in the wholesale program by reaching out to the Hub at info@thehubonthehill.com to set up an account and gain access to the online purchasing platform. You can find more information about the Hub on the Hill and the areas they serve by visiting TheHubOnTheHill.org. We welcome local businesses and producers to reach out with any questions about the program and our weekly delivery routes.

Hub on the Hill photos provided by Adirondack Harvest