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Rochester Local

Who Grows Your Food?

This post is sponsored by People’s Food Co-op

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One of the things that sets People’s Food Co-op apart from other groceries is its commitment to working with local organic farmers. We provide our community with good food grown in the Rochester area. Some stores will tell you that local is anywhere in the Midwest. For People’s, “local” means that the food has been grown within 200 miles of the co-op. We’ve worked with local farmers and producers for many years—decades in some cases—building relationships and trust. From the Amish families at State Line Farm to the makers of those delicious tortilla chips, Whole Grain Milling, People’s Food Co-op has worked diligently to bring you the best in locally produced organic foods.

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We know these farms and producers personally, and can stand behind the integrity of the food they supply to the store in a way most big box groceries can’t match. People’s Food Co-op can do this because we’re a part of the Rochester community. In 2017, local sales made up $4 million in PFC’s revenue. It’s a big part of the co-op’s business! The money spent at the co-op goes to our local producers and stays in our community. Our farmers are our neighbors and partners.

We’re fortunate to have not just local produce suppliers working with us, but we also have meat producers, maple syrup farmers, salsa makers, soft drink and coffee roasters, and many others. Here are a few of the many local farmers and producers who supply People’s Food Co-op.

Easy Yoke Farm

Easy Yoke Farm in Millville, Minnesota, supplies the co-op with kale and other greens. Farmers Hannah and Daniel Miller tell us that they feel they know everyone who buys our produce at the co-op. They have three young children, ages two to six, and the produce they grow and eat is the same they bring to our store for our families. Their children play in those fields. Your local organic farm produce is kid-tested and safe. In addition to kale, Easy Yoke supplies PFC with Swiss chard, asparagus, rhubarb, and other produce. They’ve been a mainstay at People’s Food Co-op since they started farming in Millville in 2012.

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Hannah and Daniel Miller of Easy Yoke Farm

 

River Root Farm

Our expert farmers at River Root Farm have been expanding their growing season with greenhouses and high tunnels. You don’t have to buy your fresh spinach and greens from California in November and December. We have them super-fresh and delicious from Decorah, Iowa. From our farm to your plate in hours, not days or weeks.

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Mike Bollinger and Katie Prochaska of River Root Farm

 

Ferndale Market Farm

Ferndale Market Farm grows free-range, antibiotic-free turkeys in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The family farm has been in operation for three generations. Since 2010, the Peterson family has been a supplier of delicious turkey to People’s Food Co-op. We’ve been to their farm numerous times. Their birds are well cared for and free to roam the twenty-acre farm.

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John Peterson of Ferndale Market Farm, turkey, and PFC’s Meat Department Manager Ethan Schandelmeier

Featherstone Farm

Featherstone Farm outside of Rushford, Minnesota, brings us strawberries and melons. The strawberries are in the store now! Their cabbage and carrots are at the co-op in-season. The farm has 250 acres in production.  Featherstone is a leader in the local organic farming community. Farmer Jack Hedin is a local and national advocate for organic farming in the upper Midwest. We’re fortunate to have had his delicious produce at our store since the mid-1990s!

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Jack Hedin of Featherstone Farm

State Line Farms

State Line Farms down by Cresco, Iowa, are a group of about 20 Amish farmers who came together to form a farmers’ co-op. The individual farms are small, but together their co-op is a substantial organic grower in the region. This allows them to pool their produce and work with retailers such as PFC to bring their produce to market for the best price. Their green-top beets are beautiful this year. They also grow strawberries, herbs, radishes, and other produce for our store.

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State Line Farms

Whole Grain Milling

The organic grain farmers of Whole Grain Milling are our personal heroes. Out in Welcome, Minnesota, farmers Doug and Lin Hilgendorf were going against the grain (ahem). They couldn’t get a good price for their organic corn. All their neighbors were conventional farmers, but Doug and Lin had seen what a toll all the chemicals took on their parents’ generation of farmers. Determined to continue with organic grain, they decided to partner with a tortilla chip-maker in Denver to bring their corn to market. Shortly after setting up the operation, the Hilgendorfs discovered their Denver partner had switched recipes and was using a cheaper, non-organic cooking oil. So … the farmers decided to build their own tortilla-chip factory out in their little town. You, too, can take control of your life, stand up for what’s right, and eat a really tasty tortilla chip!

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Lin and Doug Hilgendorf of Whole Grain Milling

Summertime is an exciting time of year to shop at People’s Food Co-op. It seems like everyday we have delicious, fresh new produce arriving from our local farms. When you shop, look for the red “Local” tag on the shelf or the product package. Come share in the bounty of your neighbors and friends at the co-op.

 

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