Did you know that you can connect directly with a Michigan food hub? While some food hubs play an important role as wholesale distributors or do light processing of locally grown vegetables, many food hubs focus on selling local products directly to their customers.
For example, the Grow Eastern Market food hub sells anything from butter to brussels sprouts in farm boxes that include an array of produce from Eastern Market vendors. Ordering happens online, and it’s one of the few programs that accept EBT payments virtually. The program expands the market presence of Eastern Market vendors to seven days a week and reaches a wider range of customers.
Over in Southwest Michigan, Sprout reaches their community in a unique way – through a customizable grocery box called the Sprout Box. With home delivery in Battle Creek, and workplace and public drop sites in Kalamazoo, Hastings, Marshall, Albion, and Union City, it allows folks to purchase from local producers and Michigan farmers. These boxes also help small food businesses receive licensing and begin to market their products through the Sprout box. Sprout is also working to launch a member-owned cooperative grocery store that will provide even more ways for the community to find healthy, local foods.
Supporting Your Local Food Hub in the Winter
Wondering what your local food hub will have available in the middle of winter? You’d be surprised what can be found locally year-round! Sprout turns to a local hydroponics farmer for fresh lettuces and elevates storage crops in their kitchen, making items like ready-to-roast root vegetables with accompanying sauces.
Eastern Market not only sources a variety of fresh products including gourmet mushrooms from an indoor mushroom farm but also recommends checking out their selection of frozen foods! Food Hub Manager Reid Walborn says, “It’s not just pizza anymore!” Michigan Farm to Freezer is a staple for fresh-frozen Michigan fruits and vegetables, but there’s also a newcomer to the freezing scene, In the Mix. They source from Detroit urban farms to create blends of easy-to-use vegetables, like a stir-fry mix and mirepoix (a base of carrots, onion, and celery.)
Order with Your Michigan Food Hub
Ready to start eating? Order your first Sprout box on the Sprout website, or for pickup in Detroit, start shopping with the Eastern Market!
Claire Butler is the Content Strategy Specialist for Taste the Local Difference. Contact her at [email protected].