On August 11, 2019, diverse food leaders from the greater Santa Fe region came together to break down obstacles in distribution and how to maximize your impact by “finding your piece of the puzzle”.
Attendees broke out into five working groups and went through a series of exercises built to identify problems, reframe them as opportunities, concept many solutions, and then refine one.
During the facilitated discussion period, attendees shared related personal insights and obstacles. Together, they developed 3-5 problem statements that concisely describe a relevant pain point and its context.
The “How Might We...” translated problems into design opportunities. Here, attendees selected a single, properly framed How Might We to give their team a framework for innovative thinking.
This fast sketching exercise challenged attendees to sketch 8 distinct ideas in 8 minutes. It pushed them beyond their first idea and to generate a wide variety of solutions to their HMW statement.
Attendees decided to either build out a business model canvas and think through how their solution generated during Crazy 8’s could sustain itself or a journey map of key moments in the user’s experience with their solution, from how they learn about it to how they become regular users.
Solution: Bring together all elements of local food in one physical space by building a food hub that off-sets costs and logistics, and appeals to both locals and tourists wants/needs.
Solution: An ingredient-and-recipe meal kit service consisting entirely of local food, prepared by engaged local restaurants during off-hours and distributed by local distributors.
Solution: Have a restaurant liaison who understands chef/restaurant lingo and is a trusted source by these professions. This liaison would be the bridge between farms and local food businesses who could walk them through the benefits of buying local and guide them on how best to buy locally in a sustainable way.
Solution: A research-backed website that takes the burden of education off the producers themselves, where resources such as personalized recipe cards with nutrition facts or a customizable social media kit can be downloaded. A public education expert would run the site and be available for anyone needing further support.
Solution: A middleman in the “grain chain,” with the aging-out and retirement of a number of heritage grain growers over the past years in the region. A dedicated mill, with purchasing power & multiple outlets for grain, would be an attractive incentive for young farmers looking to enter the field, as well as established farmers looking for a supplemental/regenerative crop for their land.
We'll be focusing on supporting local grain economies in 2020.
Andre Kempton (Wild Leaven Bakery) has kindly shared resources with us as we focus a lane of our work with consumer messaging around bread nutrition. We will look to expand our organizational research into the best ways Ruminate can apply its expertise and resources to support professionals like Andre.
We'll be conducting a review of existing messaging work that intends to expand the consumption of local food.
One group during the Southwest session brought up the need to have evidence-based education to consumers and nudge them to purchase local food. Ruminate will collate the existing efforts, identify gaps, and conduct behaviorally informed research to understand the best path to change consumer behavior.
Further research the chef/grower disconnect to inform an existing project.
In our June Midwest session, attendees expressed a desire for an application that could make forming partnerships across the supply chain quicker and easier. Ruminate is currently in the process of researching existing solutions and looks to incorporate the chef/grower disconnect identified by our Southwest session into this research.
Rebecca currently serves as the Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability Program Officer at the Santa Fe Community Foundation and as Project Director for MoGro, a mobile grocery initiative that supports sustainable local food systems and eliminates barriers to affordable healthy food. Rebecca has previously worked in prison reform, monitoring mental and medical health care in California State Prisons, and as a legal advocate for low-income families experiencing homelessness and the loss of their public benefits in New York State. She received a BA from UC Berkeley and a Graduate Degree from Cornell University in city and regional planning with an emphasis on community development and participatory planning.
Andre Kempton has been baking bread for over 12 years professionally and is the owner and head baker of Wild Leaven Bakery in Taos, NM. He focuses on sourdough breads using local, organically grown grains and ingredients. He studied bread making at Cloud Cliff Bakery in SF, NM. Over the past decade he has developed relationships with farmers and producers in northern New Mexico, and is continuing to work on his part in the local "grain chain", connecting growers with millers, bakers, chefs, and finally the end consumer. He is looking forward to seeing the grain chain continue to grow, connect and become part of the larger bio-regional economy.
Darcy Landis heads up the Whole Foods Market Local Program for the Rocky Mountain Region, which includes curating and on-boarding local products and producers in CO, ID, KS, NM, UT, Kansas City, MO and El Paso, TX. She is part of a team of 3, working full time in the Rocky Mountain region to support and grow Whole Food’s market commitment to local producers. Darcy started with Whole Foods Market in 1999 and has dedicated her professional and personal life to supporting community and the unique flavors each state in the region offers. All local products introduced at Whole Foods Market must meet rigorous quality standards for ingredients and manufacturing processes. Darcy mentors vendors on how to bring their product to market and also assists in packaging, commodities sourcing, processing, and business development. Darcy also oversees the region’s Local Producer Loan Program (LPLP)—a unique low interest, non-collateralized loan program from Whole Foods Market available to producers which allows them to scale their businesses. Loans range from $1,000 – $100,000 and hit a sweet spot in lending circles for producers who often find themselves caught between micro-loan and jumbo-loan options. To date, Whole Foods Market has given over $25,000,000 in loans. The average loan size in the Rocky Mountain region is $54,000. Darcy and her team have given $2.8M in 52 loans to date. Brands like Justin’s Nut Butter, acquired by Hormel, are historic LPLP recipients who hailed from the region. “I believe in food, and I believe in its ability to create community—at the table, in the market, or on the farm. Connection with our food enlivens and inspires us. We demand more of the sources of our food and of ourselves when we are connected to it. We understand the value of what we eat when we know how and by whom it was produced. I want to help our customers make that connection and feel a sense of pride of place when they buy local products from our stores. It really does matter. Bringing the best and brightest forward in our communities gives me deep pride—I know our work helps grow commerce and connection, and deepens our investment in local, sustainable foodsheds.”
Alex and his partner Rebecca have been vending at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market since 2007. Revolution Farm grows food in harmony with nature. Utilizing water catchment for irrigation of crops, compost made by hand on site, MOrganic growing principles; low-till, bio-intensive, ecological farming. Their farm uses drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers in combination with shade cloth and row cover to produce food year-round. They also utilize water catchment for irrigating, as well as composting and the use of hand tools only.
Alex is an active member of the Northern New Mexico Young Farmers Alliance, which is a chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition.
Nina Yozell-Epstein is the founder of Squash Blossom Local Food, a social enterprise, serving farmers of and around Northern New Mexico, distributing their produce to restaurants and to the general public in Santa Fe. Nina has worked in food and farming both in her home state of New Mexico, and around the globe. Her experience in small-scale agriculture ranges from growing, to distribution, managing and vending at farmers' markets, and years in the non-profit sector. Nina's passion is to make small-scale, family farming viable for generations to come. She sees the work of Squash Blossom as a way to protect the earth, preserve culture and diversity, strengthen the local economy, and imbue health for all eaters.
