This webinar takes a look into the existing wholesale grocer and wholesale produce distributions system found in the upper Midwest and the potential for collaboration with local foods growers and advocates. Wholesale grocers, such as Mason Brothers of Wadena, MN and Affiliated Foods Midwest a coop with office in Nebraska, Kansas and Wisconsin, are the backbone of keeping groceries stocked on the shelves of grocery stores, particularly rural groceries, throughout the North Central region. What are the opportunities for those of us working to build local food systems to partner with these existing distribution systems? Well, the first step is to understand how the current system works. This webinar will provide insight into the workings of this existing wholesale grocery system- from warehouse to rural customer.
Presenter: Kathy Draeger, PhD, is the statewide Director of the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, a program of U of M Extension. Kathy is the Minnesota lead on a joint research project with the Rural Grocery Initiative out of Kansas State. She served on the Minnesota Grocery Access Task Force and is currently on the Minnesota Food Charter Steering Committee. In addition, Kathy and her family live, farm, and buy groceries in rural Big Stone County, MN, a USDA designated rural food desert.
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