We’re excited to reveal the twelve Regional Food Hubs that will be taking part in our 12-month support programme – run in collaboration with Sustain, the Soil Association and Growing Communities. Through targeted training and support, the programme aims to help these hubs grow their wholesale operations and increase supply to public institutions.
From FoodLink NE in Aberdeenshire to Sustainable Food Cornwall/Falmouth Food Coop in the Southwest, these twelve hubs across the UK are all united by a mission to increase routes to market for agroecological produce in their regions. The majority are established and looking to build their sales or move into new markets, two are recent start-ups (Gather in North Lancashire and Bwyd Sir Gâr Food in Carmarthenshire) and three are planning to start trading in 2025 (Sussex Food Depot, FoodLink NE and the Cornwall partnership).
Managers of these twelve regional food hubs will attend monthly sector-specific training and peer-learning sessions, as well as be able to draw on the wider resources and support of Better Food Traders. Julie Brown, Director of Growing Communities, will be providing hubs with bespoke business advice, and there will be opportunities for hub managers to meet in person throughout the year.
At our launch session on 20th January each hub described their various business models, opportunities and challenges, with many shared experiences and themes emerging. They were also introduced to their ‘accountability partner’ – a hub with shared traits such as geography, market or business model – who they can connect with and draw on for additional support, ideas and inspiration throughout the programme.
In addition to directly supporting the hubs, it’s our ambition that the programme can also help build knowledge for Sustainable Food Places and the wider sustainable food sector. A rotation of session observers from NGOs working on regional food systems will help to capture what works and what doesn’t, and identify some of the factors that determine success for Regional Food Hubs.
Some of the hubs on our programme (Galloway Food Hub, Cultivate and Cambridge Food Hub) are also a part of the Procurement For Good project being run by Coventry University, of which Better Food Traders is on the advisory group for. We are also working on a Net Zero scoping project that will focus on some of these food hubs, funded by the AFN Network+ Flex Fund. All in all, an exciting year of building regional supply chains for local, sustainable food lies ahead!
We are very grateful to Farming the Future for recognising the importance of strengthening regional supply chains and for funding this year-long programme of support.
If you have any questions about the Regional Food Hub Programme please email lois@betterfoodtraders.org.