CONSULTING
Marty and Will Travis work with communities all over the world in building: local food systems, aggregation and distribution models and chef/farmer relationships. They are currently working with farmers throughout the Midwest to increase the amount of high – quality local food made available to communities.
TOLEDO CASE STUDY
In October of 2017, Marty Travis met with chefs and farmers in Toledo, Ohio with the goal of igniting a local food movement. Along with local leaders, they set out to bringing together a group of passionate and talented people who could create a foundation to shift how people think about food in their region.
The group spent the majority of the day on an organic vegetable farm and also visited a neighboring ranch that raises pastured chickens, hogs and turkeys. Having farmers and chefs engage in a dialogue together allowed for robust roundtable discussions and highlighted the impact buyers, producers and sellers all have on each other. Farmers realized that chefs can impact their business by offering input on what to grow. The seed was even planted among perceived competitors that by working together, they can maximize what they grow, produce and sell, thereby expanding their reach far beyond what is currently available.
Two months later, a follow up meeting took place with Marty Travis leading the discussion. As he helped navigate through various concerns, the barriers to working together continued to breakdown. By the end, several chefs were placing orders for produce and meats with farmers. The group plans to meet regularly and continue to grow the local food movement in Toledo.
Farmers, producers and chefs hold the keys to creating a thriving local food system.
CONTACT
Visitors come from all over the world to enjoy learning about small scale family farming of the Midwest. We invite you to come for a visit, encourage you to support local small farmers in your area, and hope you will have a chance to taste some of our delicious products!
Fairbury, IL 61739