Local Food Creating Jobs in Hardwick, Vermont
Posted: April 9, 2009
Categories: News from Sustain Ontario
In the early 1900’s Hardwick, Vermont had a booming economy. Like many industrial towns, however, Hardwick’s economic prosperity crashed with the collapse of the granite industry that once sustained it.
Today, this town of 3000 is kick-starting its economy by rebuilding its local food system in a cooperative and comprehensive way. Local farmers, entrepreneurs, artisans, investors, philanthropists and non-profit groups are working together in a multitude of ways to establish local networks. They share resources, help create markets for each other, and make profits from each other’s wastes.
For example, Vermont Soy, which produces tofu and soymilk from locally grown soybeans, stores and cleans its beans at High Mowing Organic Seeds’ facilities. Pete’s Greens is a 30 farm Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) with a commercial kitchen used to produce value added products. It buys High Mowing’s by-products such as pumpkins and squash pulverized to remove their seeds and makes them into soups. Claire’s Bistro, a local Community Supported Restaurant serves high end meals made from local fare. Slow Money, a local lending circle has provided over $300, 000 in short term loans to assist farmers and entrepreneurs with their financial needs.
The Hardwick-based Center for an Agricultural Economy and the University of Vermont are working in partnership on marketing, research and transportation issues. Such cooperative links have so far successfully created 100 jobs in the Hardwick community and are attracting an increasing number of food-based businesses to the area.
Hardwick is an exciting example of what can be accomplished when people work together to improve local food systems.
What is your community doing to kick-start the local food economy?
More about the Hardwick story