CAMPAIGNS

“We always believed in
local, but we had to look
at ways to increase the
availability of local produce.
The farms need to
get a third-party audit for
certification to supply us.”
Tuscan kale, toybox peppers and other crops
we know we can sell for a premium,” says
Fitzgerald.
“We started with about 10 farms and
bought $1 million of local produce in 2010.
We have 50 farms now and expect to purchase
$14.5 million this year,” she says.
Midwest Foods defines “local” as being
grown within 150 miles of the customer’s location.
“We have farms in Indiana, Wisconsin,
Michigan and Illinois. If a customer is in
Wisconsin, then we source from a Wisconsin
farm,” she says.
When eateries sign onto the program, they
receive produce marked “Local Certified.” The
box contains information about who grew the
produce.
“We found it helps restaurants talk more
about their local sourcing on social media.
Some of the restaurants partner with the
program and commit to buying ‘X’ amount
of a crop from a particular farm,” she says.
— Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Midwest Foods
in this setting — a brewpub not fine dining.
If you can buy local, and it’s only a little more
expensive, it’s worth it for the quality,” she says.
Diverse and sometimes unexpected produce
also arrives from the CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture) share that Twain’s has
from a local farm. “One week we got a whole
case of different radishes. We ended up making
these great radish preserves,” says Haseler.
It’s hard to avoid locally grown vegetables at
Peach & the Porkchop. The restaurant is near a
farm that grows some crops for the restaurant.
“In summer I define ‘local’ as being grown
within the zip code. When I talk to customers
I can tell them exactly where everything on
their plate comes from,” says Charles Staley,
co-owner of the Roswell, GA-based restaurant.
That focus on transparency includes a 23-item
kid’s menu.
Year-round Staley sources through
Atlanta-based Royal Food Service to ensure
a dependable supply. “In the winter, it gets
tougher, and we start to reach into Florida
to source. Produce that is local and organic
is very expensive. I may pay $4 a pound for
heirlooms, but I bet they are the best damn
tomatoes you ever tasted. Our Caprese salad
blows me away,” says Staley.
GEARING UP FOR DEMAND
The Veloccity local produce program for
Chicago-based Midwest Foods was created
when the distributor received a large new
supply order stipulating that 25 percent of
the produce had to be sourced locally.
“We always believed in local, but we had to
look at ways to increase the availability of local
produce. The farms need to get a third-party
audit for certification to supply us,” explains
Mary Ann Fitzgerald, director of the Veloccity
program for Midwest Foods.
“One thing we did was talk to the farmers
about planting less cabbage and growing
PRODUCE BUSINESS / AUGUST 2016 / 103