July 2016 – This summer, Sandy Ramsey has been the apprentice for Lowes Foods,where she has been working with Krista Morgan, Lowes Foods’ Locally Grown Accounts Representative and Liaison to NCGT. Her experiences working on an organic chicken farm and as the NC State University farmers’ market manager have given her a background in local food, but her curiosity about local foods on a corporate level led her to apply to this apprenticeship.
As the apprentice for Lowes Foods, Sandy worked on a number of different projects which contribute to their Locally Grown initiative, including their “Carolina Crate” local food box. Sandy also visited a number of farms, where she talked with farmers about their produce and production, as well as stores, where she observed how the Carolina Crate is marketed to consumers. She also enjoyed working on the Carolina Crate newsletter, for which she writes farmer profiles.
Sandy says “I’m excited about where it’s leading…being able to go out and help Krista with all of this stuff is really eye-opening, and at the same time, I’m trying to come up with ideas for ways to help her and make things more efficient…it’s helpful in the long run, just seeing how my work is going to impact the future and hopefully grow the Carolina Crate and the relationships that the farmers have with Lowes Foods.”
This article originally appeared in the July 2016 NC Growing Together Newsletter.