Event series: Trade Fare
Posted: April 25, 2017
Categories: Events / Food in the News / GoodFoodBites
Rhizome Institute is hosting a series of events that will connect business enterprises and small-scale farmers in Ontario. Rhizome Institute a non-profit that looks at economic and social barriers in the Agri-food system The series of events will be hosted in three different cities, with the first workshop being held on May 1st in Toronto, Ontario. You can sign up for the events here. Below is the information from Rhizome Institute:
What is it?
Trade Fare is a series of events, supported dedicated to creating successful business relationships between small-scale farmers in rural Ontario with the urban food entrepreneurs that need a local supply of new & emerging crops.
What can you expect?
Facilitated by the staff of the Rhizome Institute, there will be some casual networking, presentations by some of the food entrepreneurs and a discussion on the opportunities and challenges in developing strong regional food value chains. Below is the tentative agenda, and while it may change, one thing we promise is that it won’t go over time!
- Welcome & Refreshments
- Farmer-Buyer Connections (food speed-dating)
- Break
- Obstacles & Opportunities to grow the market
- What’s Next
You can expect serious conversations about ‘what food do I need’ and ‘what food can I grow’. We’ll do as much as we can to have this information for you ahead of time, and we’ll need you to be prepared to discuss the details about your operation.
Also expect to learn about efforts to support local food infrastructures such as FoodStarter, the Ontario Agrifood Venture Centre, community-egg grading stations and more.
Event Details
World Crops in Toronto – May 1st, 12:30-3:30 at Centre for Social Innovation, 192 Spadina Avenue
Grains in London – May 8th, 1:00-4:00 at Innovation Works, 210 King Street
Livestock in Clarington – May 15th, 12:30-3:30 at the Orono Town Hall, 5315 Main Street in Orono
After you register, you will be contacted by Rhizome Institute staff to get additional information (about the crops you require if you’re an entrepreneur or details about your farm if you’re a farmer).
What is a New & Emerging crop?
The tastebuds of Ontarians are changing and an increasing number of food entrepreneurs (restaurants, caterers, retailers, producers, etc..) need a reliable supply of:
- heritage varieties of livestock (small-flock & small-herd),
- heritage grains,
- world crops; and
- crops produced sustainably (ex. organic or permaculture practices).
Who should attend?
Farmers who want to connect with potential buyers and learn what crops and breeds of livestock are in demand this year in urban markets. You are either interested in shifting some of your acreage to new crops OR you are already growing new & emerging crops and you want to expand you operation. We know that expanding operations requires capital and that because of the crops you’re growing, traditional lenders are sometimes wary….is there a buyer for that much okra? Our hope is that with a signed letter of intent, you can access the capital you need to meet the growing demand for your crops.
Food entrepreneurs who require a reliable, local supply for their niche ingredients because their customers expect local & sustainable and because of their dedication to regional food economies. We know that finding this supply can be challenging, which is why we’re doing this now – before the start of the growing season when you can make arrangements with one more farmers to meet your needs for 2017.
What is Included?
The price includes:
- ticket to the Trade Fare event
- lunch & refreshments – each one will be catered by a talented local food entrepreneur
- booklet containing, fact sheets & letter of intent template
- option to be included in an online publication so that others can find you to discuss their needs