Homegrown, From Our Farms to Your Table: Growing a Farmers' Cooperative in East Tennessee

2002 Annual Report for CS02-004

Project Type: Sustainable Community Innovation
Funds awarded in 2002: $6,436.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2005
Region: Southern
State: Tennessee
Principal Investigator:
Steve Hodges
Clinch Appalachian Farm Enterprises

Homegrown, From Our Farms to Your Table: Growing a Farmers' Cooperative in East Tennessee

Summary

In its first year, Jubilee Project and the Appalachian Spring Cooperative met or exceeded all but one of its goals in the SARE/SRDC project for substantial progress in establishing the Cooperative and enabling it to begin serving its members. A variety of recruiting resulted in the growth of cooperative membership from 13 to 26 members. These members adopted bylaws and elected a Board at its first Annual Meeting. Nine of these members made 29 different food or farm products. Jubilee Project and the Cooperative helped with most of these through business and on-farm technical assistance, including help with developing recipes and labels, and placing products in a variety of markets including several retail stores and 500 gift baskets to church contacts. A diverse Project Advisory Committee was formed including farmers and agricultural professionals, local officials and representatives of local business, community and economic development groups.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. Development of current member production of value-added products.
1a. Assist in production requirements for farmers already producing value-added items or in the development phase of production, including business plan development, recipe development, understanding and complying with legalities of production, obtaining product liability insurance and other requirements. .
1b. Develop appropriate product presentation, from labeling to shelf-tags.
1c. Ensure adequate market placement of these products. .
1d. Development of additional market outlets and opportunities.
1e.Nurture and expand partnerships with agricultural professionals, Extension, farmers, entrepreneurs, businesses and community and religious organizations.
1f. Develop ASC outreach to include promotion of these products as show case examples.
2. Grow the Cooperative: Business Development and Membership Opportunity.
2a. Increase ASC membership through outreach to farmers and community.
2b. Direct farmer-to-farmer outreach, tours of the kitchen, brainstorming of value-added potentials with farmers and community members. Implementation of Kitchens and Cooperative business plans.
2c. Establish ASC as a formal network of producers marketing desirable value-added products.
3. Expand farmer and community use of the Jubilee Community Kitchen.
3a. Development of in-demand, value-added market products.
3b. Promotion of the Kitchen as valuable tool for use by the community, area churches, school
and others for bake sales, holiday gift ideas and more.
4. Development of the Jubilee Community Kitchen as a viable and sustainable opportunity for employment.
4a. The use of value-added production at the Kitchen as a means to provide employment for local residents and workforce development programs.
5. Promotion of ASC as an instrument for sustainable agriculture in East Tennessee, influencing local government policy, community development and family nutrition.
5a. Enhance relationship between JPI/Clinch Powell Community Kitchens and ASC, producers and local government, emphasizing the importance of sustainable agriculture and the role it can play in rural community development.
5b. Provide technical assistance to small farmers.
5c. Enhancement of “community food security” and nutritional awareness through promotion of homegrown farm products to help increase the intake of nutritional fruits and vegetables by at-risk families and the general population while supporting local farmers.
5d. Establish the long-term role of ASC and the Community Kitchen and the interdependence of farmers, the environment and the economy: linking ASC and the community through business incubation and growing self-sufficiency.
5e. Encouraging the development of farm plans to adopt new strategies to achieve farm viability through value-added production, farm diversification, niche marketing and sustainable practices.
6. Development of new value-added projects for ASC members and potential members: exploring the options that best fit the communities, sustainable agriculture and sustainable businesses.
6a. Some ideas: Frozen food entrées; Fruit-flavored honey; Food production for nursing homes, schools and other area institutions; value-added production for home use; gift-giving, holiday baskets and fund-raising items; private label food production for restaurants and chefs; production of high-value gourmet, natural and organic food products from vegetable and fruit over-production by area farmers.

Accomplishments/Milestones

-Development of a Project Advisory Committee which includes representatives of Agricultural Extension, other agricultural professionals, farmers, established food product entrepreneurs, business service providers (bookkeeping, legal, banking, etc.), local community development nonprofit organizations, regional economic development organizations, local elected officials and economic development officials, religious organizations, local colleges, and funding organizations
-Promotion of value-added food products of Cooperative members through a gift basket sent to about 500 persons from over 30 churches in over 10 cities throughout Virginia and Tennessee; promotion through a day when member products were featured at Knoxville Community Food Cooperative and through their radio and other publicity; and promotion on the Appalachian Spring Cooperative website and at 4 tradeshows
-Recruitment of new members to Appalachian Spring Cooperative through farmer-to-farmer outreach meetings in 6 counties of east Tennessee and one in southwest Virginia, which included discussion of the potential of value-added foods
-The first official Annual Meeting of Appalachian Spring Cooperative held in January 2002, as a member-owned agricultural cooperative, at which a 5-member Board of Directors was elected and bylaws adopted
-The further development, with input and agreement by Cooperative members, of a Marketing Agreement formalizing the marketing function of the Cooperative
-The Clinch Powell Community Kitchens of Jubilee Project continued its close cooperation with Appalachian Spring Cooperative, including providing funding and management services, board training and leadership training for members, and free office space and other materials at the Kitchens location
-The one objective not accomplished was the promotion of the processing area of Clinch Powell Community Kitchens for non-commercial uses by the surrounding community; this was because strict food safety regulations greatly restrict use of the processing area. However, meeting spaces, computer lab, and office spaces in the building were used for community meetings, workshops, receptions and tours
-Technical assistance provided to 30 farm/food product businesses in the Appalachian Spring Cooperative (product & recipe development, business planning, packaging & label development, assistance in finding sources of materials for production, assistance in finding financing, and/or on-farm technical assistance with beekeeping
-Some Cooperative members provided discounted or free exchange of farm produce, increasing access to nutritional foods
-Both Clinch Powell Community Kitchens and Appalachian Spring Cooperative further established their long-term roles in sustainable agriculture in east Tennessee, by making progress toward their goals for financial self-sustainability; the Cooperative also made progress toward building a self-sustaining organizational capacity
-Both Clinch Powell Community Kitchens and Appalachian Spring Cooperative encouraged plans for development of value-added food products aimed at niche markets, for sustainable practices including use of organic inputs, and compatible diversification of small farms (particularly the introduction of honeybees to 20 farms already growing fruits, vegetables, goats and other animals)

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

-9 different members of Appalachian Spring Cooperative made 29 different value-added food or farm products (salsas, jams, pickled vegetables, etc.)
-The Appalachian Spring Cooperative helped make labels with nutritional panels for 22 of the 29 different value-added products produced by its members; and developed a website displaying many of these products (www.apspringcoop.com)
-The Cooperative continued to place more different products of more members in several markets, including Knoxville Community Food Cooperative; and added new markets including two retail outlets in Morristown, the Tri-Cities Airport Gift Store, and sold 500 gift baskets containing 6 different products from 5 different members to United Methodist church members and economic developers in Tennessee
-The Cooperative exceeded its goal of growing from 13 members to 24 members by spring 2002, by actually growing to 26 members by March 2002
-Value-added food production in the Clinch Powell Community Kitchens resulted in 19 local residents from 3 counties being trained and employed in food processing by the end of 2002
-Several new value-added projects were begun, including holiday gift baskets (500 in 2002); planning for private label production for a restaurant; production of high-value gourmet, natural and organic food products using some local agricultural production as inputs