Presentation Title
Growing Food Connections Through Vertical Integration of Business Models
Keywords
Food deserts, Food access, Food insecurity, Meeting minimum buying requirements, Innovative food distribution systems, Models of grocery store ownership, Food hubs, Policy options to promote and sustain grocery operations
Description
Vertical integration of the supply chain can improve sustainability of small farmers, grocers and their community. HCSI, Inc. the Healthy Community Store Initiative located in Tulsa, OK launched R&G Family Grocers, a mobile grocery store providing access to local and healthy food for customers living in food deserts. HCSI is using vertical integration of the supply chain to provide economic opportunities to residents through production, distribution, new store development and value-added processing. Partnerships integrated into this model are Health and Wellness programs providing "Food for Life" models to improve diet related health outcomes. Value-added processing of perishables into healthy meals to provide convenience for shoppers and an additional income stream.
Scott Smith, Director of Operations, discusses lessons learned in creating a full-service mobile grocery bringing food to 12 commercially viable locations. Katie Plohocky, President of HCSI, discusses challenges and solutions to getting around purchase minimums by starting a small food hub to purchase locally and aggregate purchasing power amongst restaurants and small stores. Additional topics of discussion include: Food insecurity and how it affects the health of our communities. Policy change and implementation needed to help producers get their product to market and incentives grocery stores.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Growing Food Connections Through Vertical Integration of Business Models
Vertical integration of the supply chain can improve sustainability of small farmers, grocers and their community. HCSI, Inc. the Healthy Community Store Initiative located in Tulsa, OK launched R&G Family Grocers, a mobile grocery store providing access to local and healthy food for customers living in food deserts. HCSI is using vertical integration of the supply chain to provide economic opportunities to residents through production, distribution, new store development and value-added processing. Partnerships integrated into this model are Health and Wellness programs providing "Food for Life" models to improve diet related health outcomes. Value-added processing of perishables into healthy meals to provide convenience for shoppers and an additional income stream.
Scott Smith, Director of Operations, discusses lessons learned in creating a full-service mobile grocery bringing food to 12 commercially viable locations. Katie Plohocky, President of HCSI, discusses challenges and solutions to getting around purchase minimums by starting a small food hub to purchase locally and aggregate purchasing power amongst restaurants and small stores. Additional topics of discussion include: Food insecurity and how it affects the health of our communities. Policy change and implementation needed to help producers get their product to market and incentives grocery stores.
