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Harvest Hub supports reliable, stable markets for local food producers, helping to make the North Coast region’s food system stronger and more resilient The Harvest Hub will act as a support structure for the North Coast region’s family farmers and food producers. By envisioning the regional food system as a full circle of food producers, food distributors, food access agencies, wholesale food buyers, direct sales customers, food producer resources, emergency food response, and marketing services; NCGA and Harvest Hub represent the center of the wheel. We will leverage our relationships with these different food sectors to streamline the ordering, aggregation, and distribution of food through the Harvest Hub, as well as be able to connect regional farmers and ranchers with support systems to help with production planning, season extension, and filling gaps in wholesale needs to ensure regional food suppliers are able to increase production to meet the additional demand that will be generated by hub activities. |
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How does it work?
Wholesale buyers can purchase food directly from Harvest Hub members through our Online Hub
Orders can be delivered to various locations throughout the County or picked-up from our Arcata location
We are currently developing this website and will be launching Harvest Hub operations this July
So stay tuned for our ordering and distribution schedule
To get updates about the Harvest Hub launch date you can sign up for our email list
Read more about the history of Harvest Hub and how it will benefit our region:
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Chris from Woody Ryno Farm acknowledges “to collectively own such a critical piece of infrastructure will greatly improve our membership’s ability to plan and grow their businesses knowing they have safe and secure storage facilities for the quality products they raise on their farms or ranches. Working together we can ensure that we build a secure food system for the North Coast community and continue to provide the highest quality meats, fruits, and vegetables throughout the year.”
What does the growth of this project look like?
"How this food hub transforms
local food in Humboldt"
Video by Marcus Villagran, April 2023 marcusvillagranmultimedia@gmail.com
"Local Resilience on the North Coast"
A video by Katherine Nunes-Siciliani in 2022 about the needs of the North Coast's food system and how the Harvest Hub will help increase resiliency and food security in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties
Buying local food keeps more money in our economy (read our economic impact report HERE)
- When food is purchased from a local farm, it is reinvested with other local stores before leaving the area
- Most money spent on food that comes from out of the area immediately leaves the county
- Local farms create jobs
- Food hubs create jobs
Local food doesn't need to travel as far to its destination, so has less impact on our climate
- All of NCGA's farms are located in Humboldt County
- By aggregating (collecting from multiple farms in one location) food at the food hub before distribution, there will be less delivery vehicles on the road heading to each store and restaurant
There is generally less time between the harvest and consumption of local food, so it is more nutrient dense
- Farmers usually pick produce within 1 day of local distribution
- When that produce must be shipped in from out of the area, it takes upwards of 5 days to get to your plate
If we can grow and raise more food locally, we will be less dependent on deliveries from out of the area so are less vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and have more resources on hand during emergency situations
- Currently, most of NCGA members only grow what they know they can sell at the farmers' market and other small wholesale accounts
- By making it easier for local businesses to access this food, a food hub will create more demand, allowing for farmers to grow more food and allowing for smaller farms to grow their businesses more quickly
- NCGA is a member of Humboldt's Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), a group of local emergency response organizations who plan and execute emergency feeding programs (like the Red Cross and Food for People) in order to reduce the time between an emergency event and when community members have access to food, as well as help provide food after the event is over, when many community members are still vulnerable and working to recover
If you'd like to donate, please send a check to NCGA and send to PO Box 4232, Arcata CA 95518
Your donation will go to retrofitting a facility with food safe cold and dry storage so we can start connecting wholesale buyers with locally grown and raised foods!