Summary:

Idea: The Urban Food Center

With the St. Paul Foundation’s support, we will leverage our plans to grow a modern agri-business in the Twin Cities. We will repurpose land and buildings to create our base of operations in the heart of the state. Our business plan vertically integrates the research, development, growing, processing, marketing, and shipping of local food.

Using modern techniques researched by local universities and pilot farms, we will design, install and maintain orchards, greenhouses, compost systems, and edible landscapes. Our start-up growing plan emphasizes high-density Minnesota bred apples and high-tunnel berry production in the Metropolitan area. Our plan also includes the implementation of a world class learning center to cultivate agricultural wisdom by partnering with local educational institutions and established growers.

By creating a local food hub, we will provide a place for urban and rural farmers to get their fruits and vegetables cleaned, packed and labeled appropriately for the marketplace. Our commitment will not only make it easier for consumers to access local food choices, but our process will also make it more convenient for local farms to add value to their yields. As local food branding agents, we will establish a system of fair trade that represents the values of the environment, the farm, workers, and consumers.
Local distribution will occur direct from our central facility.

In addition to energizing education and health care initiatives, continuous cultivation of local food systems will create jobs, increase land value, and generate sustainable revenue streams for the local economy.