Ecotrust, a non-profit based in Portland, Ore., opened phase one of a $23 million, 80,000-square-foot campus that is part food hall, part food hub, designed to connect small- and mid-size farms and ranches with their customers, Fast Company says. The Redd on Salmon Street offers a central warehouse where farmers, ranchers, and other producers can stash their products until they’re ready to be distributed, the magazine said.
“Already, the Redd’s distribution partner, B-Line, has signed on more than 30 local farms and producers, like Carman Ranch, renowned for its grass-fed beef. They also count Airbnb’s nearby corporate cafeteria and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry among their clients. And because this is Portland, the grub is distributed not by traffic-causing, CO2-spewing trucks but rather electric-assist trikes (and soon electric vehicles) towing insulated trailers,” Fast Company says.
The monthly said there are about 350 food hubs around the country already—”but the Redd offers a new twist, operating as a for-profit business that rents out retail, office, and production-kitchen space to support the behind-the-scenes storage and operations.”
According to EcoTrust, “The Redd is founded on the belief that creative food producers can work in concert with farmers, ranchers, and fishers to increase demand for regional food whose production not only does not deplete, but regenerates the soil, water and air, while at the same time creating delicious, healthy food that is affordable and accessible to everyone.” The project was spearheaded by Ecotrust’s food systems expert Amanda Oborne, who produced a report that led to the project: “Oregon Food Infrastructure Gap Analysis: Where Could Investment Catalyze Regional Food System Growth and Development?”