Alachua County’s Fresh Food Pathways Project: Food Hub Feasibility Study is entering Phase II of its 30-month initiative to strengthen the local food system, support area farmers, and expand access to locally grown food.
This phase will assess how a community-based food hub could improve coordination across the local food system, create new market opportunities for farmers, and increase the availability of local products for institutions that purchase food at scale.
Working with food system consultants New Venture Advisors (NVA), the county will launch a 10-month pilot project with Frog Song Farms, a farm and food distribution company based in Hawthorne.
The pilot will gather operational and market data to evaluate the long-term feasibility of a food hub, while supporting and expanding Frog Song Farms’ existing farming and distribution operations.
A food hub connects small and mid-sized farms with larger markets by coordinating services such as aggregation, marketing, sales, and distribution.
“This project allows us to expand the reach of our local food network and support more farmers throughout Alachua County,” said John Bitter, owner of Frog Song Farms. “By improving aggregation, distribution, and access, we can get more fresh, locally grown food into schools, institutions, and homes across the county.”
The pilot will focus on expanding farmer participation in a coordinated aggregation and distribution network, increasing institutional purchases of locally grown food—including through Alachua County Public Schools—and improving food access through direct-to-consumer sales and community distribution partnerships.
“Strengthening connections between local farmers, institutions and residents helps build a more resilient food system,” said Bailey McClellan, the county’s agriculture economic development coordinator. “This pilot will provide valuable insight into how a food hub could support farmers while expanding access to fresh, locally grown food.”
Frog Song Farms currently aggregates and distributes products from several farms across Florida and will use the pilot to expand outreach to additional growers in Alachua County and the surrounding region. The project will also increase operational capacity through job training in produce handling and food distribution, supporting workforce development and living-wage jobs in the local food economy.
Learn more and follow along for project updates.
For more information, contact Bailey McClellan at 352-275-4297 or bmcclellan@alachuacounty.us.
