In Ohio, Local Food Is In Business

In an abandoned building in Wooster, Ohio, the future of local food is taking shape. Thirteen intrepid souls have formed a board to direct the Wooster Local Foods Cooperative, which will operate Local Roots Market and Café in what used to be, appropriately, a CorningWare store, according to Farm and Dairy.

The idea is to create a year-round onsite and Internet farmers market based on a cooperative model.  “Our goals,” the Local Roots blog states, “are to encourage healthy eating, expand local economic development, promote community involvement, and sustainable living.” Hurrah!

With a $60,000 Specialty Crop Promotion grant from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, the venture is slowly taking shape — the organizers are busily procuring refrigerators, cash registers and sorting bins, and plan to start opening on Saturdays in November.

Will customers knock down the door?

The board will get a sense of the public's level of interest at an open house on Saturday, where they will introduce the establishment to the community with coffee, cider, baked goods and music.

And the community would be wise to jump on board — the market will be more than just another food pantry; there are plans to offer live demonstrations on food preservation and cooking skills once the licensed commercial kitchen is installed. If the winds blow right, the market might even be able to offer a butcher counter. In the meantime, the board is sponsoring screenings of food-related films, “Food, Inc.” on November 7 and “Polycultures” on November 21.

The more interest communities have in buying their produce, dairy and meat from local farmers, the more likely such ventures are to sprout up around the country. And if this is what the future of food in our country looks like, count me in. What about you?

Photo courtesy of Petit Deuxmont via flickr