January 2016 — Produce Distributor Merchants Distributors LLC (MDI), Lowes Foods’ sister company, is buying more local produce from small and mid-scale producers through local food cooperatives and aggregators.  “It’s a win-win,” says Tony Ciluffo, Produce Buyer for MDI. “MDI is committed to supporting local farmers and local communities.  It’s good business – customers want to know where their food is coming from, and the freight is cheaper so it reduces costs”.

Last year, MDI started buying tomatoes from the Hispanic Women in Agriculture Cooperative in Vale, NC. “The quality was real good, and they’re nice people to do business with,” says Ciluffo. Working with MDI’s former Produce Director Mike Burris, NC Growing Together helped connect the distributor and the cooperative at MDI’s local food show last year.  Burris, now charged with increasing MDI’s purchasing of local produce, travels the state building relationships with extension agents and local producers.

MDI also works closely with TRACTOR Food and Farms, a non-profit food hub in Burnsville, NC. Last year MDI bought a variety of produce from the food hub including cabbage, cucumbers, collards, squash, tomatoes, and green peppers. Chuck Alexander, MDI’s Director of Produce Operations, has been very impressed with their dedication to quality. “Their attention to detail exceeds any other local aggregator or farmer we deal with,” says Alexander. TRACTOR staff made two trips to MDI’s Hickory warehouse to train with their USDA inspector, Rebecca Parsons, and observe exactly how produce must be packaged in order to meet MDI’s quality requirements. TRACTOR staff also works with MDI on production planning so that their farmers are planting a diversity of marketable crops.

Robin Smith, TRACTOR Director, said “MDI has gone out of their way to help TRACTOR and the small family farms TRACTOR serves. I truly value the relationship TRACTOR has with MDI, and I know our TRACTOR growers do too.” TRACTOR also hosted a 2015 NCGT Local Food Supply Chain Apprentice, Erin Lowe.  Added Smith, “NC Growing Together has been a valuable resource in providing TRACTOR growers with key resources and establishing connections.”

MDI’s Alexander, who grew up on a farm, understands the challenges farmers face.  “I understand everything they go through on a daily basis to deliver us the quality we want. I have a lot of respect for what they do.”

Growers interested in selling into mainstream markets such as MDI can learn about postharvest handling best practices and meet Lowes Foods/MDI local purchasing staff at NCGT’s upcoming Advanced Postharvest Handling to Enhance Shelf Life Workshops: 

Henderson County, April 4
Durham County, April 6
Rowan County, April 7 

For more information about the workshops please visit the NCGT website.

Top photo: TRACTOR making a produce delivery. Photo: Erin Lowe

Second photo: MDI’s Hickory warehouse.

This article originally appeared in the January 2016 NC Growing Together Newsletter.