Re: 3 new messages in 2 topics - digest

[Victoria Bennett]

Cindy,

I was in Arbor Farms Market today and spoke with one of the managers. I gave him your contact info and I believe he was going to pass it on to a guy named Robert -- who may be registered on this workgroup, but I've never seen him post.

It would be really great to get this into the local media. I have tossed around the idea of starting a Domestic Fair Trade Movement. This would be a poster child type story as to why it's needed. Anyone have contacts at the AA News or Detroit Free Press?

vb

On Sun, Apr 6, 2008 at 6:23 AM, local-food-workgroup group <nor...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Local Food Workgroup
http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup?hl=en

local-food...@googlegroups.com

Today's topics:

* FSEP & Vermont Food - 1 messages, 1 author
 http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thread/3c7108877642060b?hl=en
* California Farmer flys to Midwest to sell his oranges! Today April 5, 2008 -
2 messages, 2 authors
 http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thread/72c11106330cd846?hl=en

==============================================================================
TOPIC: FSEP & Vermont Food
http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thread/3c7108877642060b?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Apr 4 2008 9:52 am
From: Victoria


Hello All,

It was nice seeing so many of you at the FSEP Conference yesterday. I
felt the conference was really great. Good information and I got to
catch up with so many of you that I don't have enough time to see as
often as I'd like.

A few notes that I wanted to call to your attention. FSEP has a few
new reports on their website that may be of interest to you. They
presented findings from a report titled "Supply Chain Analysis" that
is not yet on their website, but check back soon. I can't tell you how
excited I am to devour all 85 pages! :) Another report that I noticed
when checking on their website it called, "Investigating Opportunities
to Strengthen the Local Food System in Southeastern Michigan".

http://www.fsepmichigan.org/

If you're interested in 3rd party certification programs check out
EuroGap. I don't know much about it, but it was new information to me
so I thought you may be interested.

I've also posted a file you may enjoy titled, "Got Local? The State of
Local Food Production and Distribution in Adddison County". Addison
County is in Vermont, which had a lot of model local food programs.

Overall, the message that came out of the conference to me is that all
the biggest thing everyone in the food system supply chain needs right
now is community. The old model of simply creating a business plan in
a vacuum and doing market research are not going to bode well for any
food company just starting out. It's a lesson that a very successful
entrepreneur told me years ago and I've tried to follow, but it seems
to be more important in this sector than any other I've seen. Hal
Davis, one of the founders of the technology that allows you to
"write" a check online, told me if an entrepreneur doesn't tell
everyone he (or she - my bias) knows about their idea they are sure to
fail. You never know where your resources will come from." I'd like to
take it one step further. In this world of global business, people
want to know the person they're doing business with. We've all been
snookered by XXXX corporation that has no customer service and we
can't get answers from. Sometime let me tell you about my experience
with Nextel!  I believe we're going back to the days of a handshake -
the days of building relationships and holding each other accountable.
I do not choose to live in a flat world. I want my world to have
people, places, and things that make my experience on this earth
unique.

Here's a poem to underscore the need for community and relationships.
Hope you enjoy it!



"The Low Road"
-by Marge Piercy

Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.

But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.

Two people can keep each other
sane, can give support, conviction,
love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation,
a committee, a wedge. With four
you can play bridge and start
an organization. With six
you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no
seconds, and hold a fund raising party.
A dozen makes a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.

It goes on one at a time,
It starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again after they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.
-by Marge Piercy






==============================================================================
TOPIC: California Farmer flys to Midwest to sell his oranges! Today April 5,
2008
http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thread/72c11106330cd846?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Sat, Apr 5 2008 10:46 am
From: Cindy Huguley


Good morning everyone,

Please help me locate retail outlets for a farmer from Terra Bella
California who has flown into Detroit to sell
4 pallets of oranges in 4lbs. bags at $5.00 retail. Wow. What is going
on with the distribution chain in the United States?

I knew my life had changed when I got a call from a stranger this
morning on my cell phone saying someone told her that I might be able
to help a California Sustainable farmer who had a wonderful fresh crop
of seedless naval oranges
that he couldn't afford to sell wholesale because of the squeeze in
the supply chain has almost completely eliminated any profit that he
could make.

How many of you got on a plane this week and hawked your services to a
group of strangers in a different state
because you couldn't make a living wage in the state you lived in. Oh,
wait-that's the United States on a number of
levels. (Save the economic debate/tongue lashing for another day).

You all live in Ann Arbor/SE Michigan, anybody got any ideas or
contacts?

Cindy Huguley




== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Sat, Apr 5 2008 10:50 am
From: Kim Bayer


Andrew Gorsuch is the general manager of the Produce Station here in AA.
andrew...@producestation.com

Bob Sparrow at Sparrow Market in AA.

They should both recognize my name if you tell them I told you about
them.

I'll buy 2 bags myself.

:)

Kim






On Apr 5, 2008, at 1:46 PM, Cindy Huguley wrote:

>
> Good morning everyone,
>
> Please help me locate retail outlets for a farmer from Terra Bella
> California who has flown into Detroit to sell
> 4 pallets of oranges in 4lbs. bags at $5.00 retail. Wow. What is going
> on with the distribution chain in the United States?
>
> I knew my life had changed when I got a call from a stranger this
> morning on my cell phone saying someone told her that I might be able
> to help a California Sustainable farmer who had a wonderful fresh crop
> of seedless naval oranges
> that he couldn't afford to sell wholesale because of the squeeze in
> the supply chain has almost completely eliminated any profit that he
> could make.
>
> How many of you got on a plane this week and hawked your services to a
> group of strangers in a different state
> because you couldn't make a living wage in the state you lived in. Oh,
> wait-that's the United States on a number of
> levels. (Save the economic debate/tongue lashing for another day).
>
> You all live in Ann Arbor/SE Michigan, anybody got any ideas or
> contacts?
>
> Cindy Huguley
>
> >

Kim Bayer
-----------------------------------------
k...@thefarmersmarketer.com
http://thefarmersmarketer.com
734.998.0546







==============================================================================

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Local Food Workgroup"
group.

To post to this group, send email to local-food...@googlegroups.com or
visit http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup?hl=en

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to local-food-workg...@googlegroups.com

To change the way you get mail from this group, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/subscribe?hl=en

To report abuse, send email explaining the problem to ab...@googlegroups.com

==============================================================================
Google Groups: http://groups.google.com?hl=en

[oldpine...@yahoo.com]

I would also be interested in buying a bag. I know someone at the AA
news; not sure if she would be interested but could check. I also
know of a group of people in Chelsea who buy fruit in a co-op; he may
be able to sell them by word of mouth fairly easily?
Kris

On Apr 6, 1:22 pm, "Victoria Bennett" <benne...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Cindy,
>
> I was in Arbor Farms Market today and spoke with one of the managers. I gave
> him your contact info and I believe he was going to pass it on to a guy
> named Robert -- who may be registered on this workgroup, but I've never seen
> him post.
>
> It would be really great to get this into the local media. I have tossed
> around the idea of starting a Domestic Fair Trade Movement. This would be a
> poster child type story as to why it's needed. Anyone have contacts at the
> AA News or Detroit Free Press?
>
> vb
>
> On Sun, Apr 6, 2008 at 6:23 AM, local-food-workgroup group <
>
>
>
> nor...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
> > Local Food Workgroup
> >http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup?hl=en
>
> > local-food...@googlegroups.com
>
> > Today's topics:
>
> > * FSEP & Vermont Food - 1 messages, 1 author
>

> >http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thr...

> > * California Farmer flys to Midwest to sell his oranges! Today April 5,
> > 2008 -
> > 2 messages, 2 authors
>

> >http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thr...
>
> > ===========================================================================­===

> > TOPIC: FSEP & Vermont Food
>

> >http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thr...
>
> > ===========================================================================­===

> > ===========================================================================­===

> > TOPIC: California Farmer flys to Midwest to sell his oranges! Today April
> > 5,
> > 2008
>

> >http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/browse_thread/thr...
>
> > ===========================================================================­===

> > andrewgors...@producestation.com

> > ===========================================================================­===

>
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "Local Food Workgroup"
> > group.
>

> > To post to this group, send email to local-food-workgr...@googlegroups.comor
> > visithttp://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup?hl=en

>
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > local-food-workg...@googlegroups.com
>
> > To change the way you get mail from this group, visit:
> >http://groups.google.com/group/local-food-workgroup/subscribe?hl=en
>
> > To report abuse, send email explaining the problem to
> > ab...@googlegroups.com
>

> > ===========================================================================­===
> > Google Groups:http://groups.google.com?hl=en- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -