November 2014 – Developing profitable distribution models in a local food economy isn’t always easy. Just ask Josh Cave, the Facilities Manager at Pilot Mountain Pride (PMP). Based in Surry County, PMP was founded in 2010 as a way for farmers to diversify their incomes and as an economic development tool for the county.
The food hub aggregates and distributes produce from 29 growers within a 30-mile radius and sells wholesale to grocers and distributors. It also provides technical services to its farmers, including training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), required by many large-scale buyers.
Cave, a farmer himself, was one of the first to deliver produce to the hub. He quickly realized that the low margins that PMP charges for aggregating and distributing produce (and washing and packaging, if needed) meant more money in his — and other farmers’ — pockets. In a county with an agricultural economy formerly based on tobacco, farmers need new ways to sustain their farms. “I want to see [PMP] succeed,” he says. “Our community needs it”.
Local pumpkins distributed by PMP.
But PMP struggled through the first few years. “You can’t afford to make mistakes,” says Cave, who was brought in to turn things around in 2013. Cave is now focused on growing PMP and keeping it profitable. His top three priorities for the new year are pushing open new markets, increasing their numbers of GAPs certified farmers, and stricter financial planning. “I think we’ve got a good year coming up,” he says.
PMP will be hosting a summer 2015 NCGT Local Foods Supply Chain Intern. For more information about PMP, please visit their website.
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2014 NC Growing Together Newsletter.