Laurie Gallant

Jon Steinman wrote:

Laurie Gallant wrote:My question for you - would you like to be a speaker at our event in 2020? and also, what do you think about my approach? A cooperative processing facility with mobile equipment that can be lent out at affordable rates?

Thanks for your questions Laurie. Indeed, I'd be more than happy to attend your conference. Email me at info@grocerystory.coop

On your other questions. Absolutely. Mobile processing sounds like a wonderful initiative. I don't know the circumstances around food production in that part of the province so I don't know how helpful I could be in offering feedback. That said, increasing processing capacity is no doubt one of the most impactful ways that I've witnessed to aid in localizing food system and keep locally grown/raised food from being exported out of the region while at the same time attracting new entrants to primary food production as a result of that processing capacity. One initiative here in the southeast of the province that from what I've heard has been successful is a mobile juice press - http://www.kootenaymobilepress.ca/  I've also been inspired by these initiatives in Wisconsin and Vermont:

https://hardwickagriculture.org/farmers-food-businesses/shared-use-commercial-kitchen
https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/foodbin/the-food-bin-network/food-and-farm-initiative/

Thanks Jon, terrific t have these examples to look at. I will send you an email shortly. Cheers, Laurie

Hi Jon, thanks for joining permies.com for a little while.
I read the review and your book looks great - thank you for this important work. I am active in promoting food security where I live in Northwest British Columbia Canada and have organized a conference on this topic for three years running. Every year we invite grocery store managers as guest speakers and they always come. This year, Overwaitea Foods had three opportunities to participate 1. Announcement of Zero Waste goal for all food waste by working through a non-profit to divert food waste to local farms as animal feed 2. Panelist to discuss the impacts of industrial resource development on our local food system and 3. World Cafe where they explained how to sell local food in their stores and added a new goal to a WishList we created at the event for all participants to express their solutions - Overwaitea store in Terrace, BC set a goal of increasing local food products from the current number of 3 suppliers to 15 in the next 3 years.
I am working on how small-scale organic producers can meet the regulations to sell their products in the store and a big barrier is access to government approved processing facilities and kitchens. We are hoping to get a grant to write a business plan for a mobile food processing centre (hopefully an electric bus or truck) that can go right to the farm. My question for you - would you like to be a speaker at our event in 2020? and also, what do you think about my approach? A cooperative processing facility with mobile equipment that can be lent out at affordable rates? There is another team working on a stationary facility as well.

Thank you and I look forward to reading your book - would love to win a copy!
cheers, Laurie
small scale farmer and food security activist
www.nwfoodsecure.org