July 2016 – For Laura Mindlin, working with Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) has allowed her to not only learn about successful food hubs and wholesale produce distribution, but it also gave her the opportunity to move to North Carolina. Laura is originally from New York City, but during her time at school in upstate New York, she became passionate about sustainability and local food. Curious about the local food movement in North Carolina, she saw the apprenticeship as a chance to come and get to know the local food system here, and her experience has lived up to her expectations.
Laura has been working with Alexis Luckey, Chief Operating Officer at ECO, on a number of different projects, including supporting their Farm to Food Bank program. Laura has gone to the food bank to do cooking demos and engage with the folks in the community. She has also participated in a summer promotion of ECO products at Lowes Food stores, visiting the stores, talking to customers, and raising their appreciation for local food.
When asked what she is excited about, she says “It’s all exciting because it’s all new. It’s been really cool to see the inner workings of a successful food distributor that is really values-based and in support of the farmer.”
This article originally appeared in the July 2016 NC Growing Together Newsletter.