Earlier this month our team traveled to New York to staff the FMI and SQF food safety attendee information area at the Fancy Food Summer Show. We were excited to talk to companies who might be a good fit in the new FMI Emerge program, a subscription-based service for brands seeking sustainable retail sales growth. The Fundamentals Programs for Food Manufacturing and Primary Producers was also news from our shop. Here is what we experienced:
We Met the Farmers!
With all the emphasis of being both global and local, we were excited to see a trend of the actual farmer—agricultural entrepreneurs—staffing booths. It was great to talk to the farmers and get to know the ins-and-outs of what they’re doing and how they developed their products. I learned the best way to support farmer’s work is to ask questions. For instance, if you’re buying mushrooms from a farm, ask what other crops they had to plant in order to do so. You might just discover something new (and delicious) in the process.
One such farmer we met was Greg Johnsman from Geechie Boy Mills. In their Endisto Island, SC, farm, the Johnsman’s operate historic working mills, creating grits used in the country’s finest restaurants, including James Beard award-winning chefs in nearby Charleston and around the nation. On a three-acre garden next to their market, they grow a variety of heirloom vegetables and specialty crops at the request of chefs.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Food Marketing Institute
