FreshPoint Shares Tips and Insights into Local Sourcing

FreshPoint is North America’s largest exclusively owned produce distributor, whose customers include restaurants, schools, healthcare facilities, and more. At the heart of FreshPoint’s values is sustainability, both economically and environmentally. FreshPoint supports local farmers and artisans because buying locally strengthens communities, helps support family farms, and provides the fresh local options many demand.

RAFI-USA had a chance to talk with Lauren Horning, Director of Local Sourcing and Sustainability at FreshPoint, to get a better understanding of how farmers can partner with FreshPoint.

Angel Woodrum (AW): Tell me about your work with FreshPoint and what FreshPoint does.

Lauren Horning (LH): I develop the local sourcing program for FreshPoint, a national distributor and subsidiary of Sysco. FreshPoint has 27 warehouses in the U.S. and de nes local as made or grown within 250 miles of a warehouse. FreshPoint is known as a produce distributor, but we also carry dairy and local artisan items.

AW: How does FreshPoint engage with farmers?

LH: We strive to be a key partner with local farmers, and a large part of that partnership involves communication. When we identify a local farmer to work with, we strive to provide the farmer with the level of information needed, such as crop planning, assistance with market pricing, and education on wholesale readiness like packing a crop for distribution. We aim to be more than just a buyer, and more so a strategic business partner.

AW: If a farmer is interested in selling to FreshPoint, what should they do?

LH: New farmers are welcome to reach out to me directly (Lauren.Horning@ freshpoint.com), or to the buyers at the FreshPoint site closest to the farm. For fresh produce items, we do require a GAP audit, and we accept either GroupGAP or individual. Some states have a GAP cost-share program, or local nonpro t organizations that assist with funding the GAP audit. By connecting with organizations like RAFI-USA, we’re able to spread the word and share these opportunities with local farmers.

AW: What sort of contract is in place for farmers selling to FreshPoint?

LH: We don’t set formal contracts with local farmers. We strive to build a trusting relationship with local farm- ers where they feel comfortable o ering us the crops that they’re growing. We do o er crop planning to provide suggestions on crop varieties to grow and in weekly quantities that we could buy. When working with a new local farmer, we look to start in smaller quantities to build a trusting relationship as we and the farmer grow together.

AW: How does a farmer plan their crop production when working with FreshPoint? (Expect to harvest year round, storage crop planning, etc.)

LH: Crop planning takes place several months in advance of buying seed. Farmers can let us know the crops that they prefer to grow and we can provide weekly volumes and case sizes that we’d be able to commit to. If the farmer is open to growing crops outside of their current plan, we can provide suggestions on crops for which we have a need.

AW: What are some tips farmers who haven’t sold wholesale before should know? Or best practices you see from farmers who currently sell with FreshPoint?

LH: It’s important for farmers to have multiple customers, including both direct customers and wholesale customers. Farmers will make more money selling direct-to-consumer (DTC), so small farmers will typically want a greater percentage of their sales going DTC. Wholesale prices are often cheaper, but move greater volume. I would also suggest new wholesale farmers consider cold storage, logistics, and packaging. Cold storage extends shelf life, logistics gets the products from the farmer to the distributor, and packaging protects the product during shipping. Farmers who consider these key aspects of the supply chain, along with great communication with the buyer, are more likely to be strong partners with us.

AW: What products are always in demand? What do you wish more farmers had to offer?

LH: This is a common question we receive, so I like to preface this answer with the thought that if every farmer grew what was in demand, there would no longer be a demand. Success grows from a need in the market. Currently, we see a consumer interest in specialty crops, crops with excellent avor, and crops with a story or geographical relevance. Often, new farmers believe that they need to be a large farm to sell wholesale. We’ve seen many successful small farms though, and they often grow specialty heirloom crops or seeds with regional avors.

AW: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our farmers that I didn’t ask about?

LH: Farmers tend to become farmers due to a love for the land and growing. Being a salesperson isn’t always associated with being a farmer, but that’s a key role of selling wholesale. Posting photos of crops on social media and following up with buyers weekly are essential to selling and building strong relationships. I often see that these key aspects of sales can be forgotten when farmers get busy in the elds, but it’s important for farmers to always keep their “selling hats” on.

RAFI-USA thanks Lauren for her time answering our questions about wholesaling to FreshPoint, and providing insight into the process of working with a wholesaler. For more information on building the capacity for wholesaling, Lauren Horning has o ered her her contact information above. RAFI-USA also o ers the Expanding Farmers Market Access program. For more information on that contact Angel Woodrum at angel@ra usa.org.