School districts near you are seeking local produce! Check out the list here.
Working with Distributors
Become a vendor with Cherry Capital Foods. If you're interested in becoming a vendor, check out the form required to start the process.
Cherry Capital Foods Farm to Cafeteria Program. Since 2009 they've been connecting Michigan institutions with local farmers and producers to keep food dollars closer to home and put fresher, healthier foods on more plates.
Work with SPROUT Food Hub. The Sprout Food Hub proudly works with farmers and gardeners 1/2 acre small to 100 acres large. Through initiatives to also support local enterprise, the Hub helps in the distribution of locally produced product from Kale Chips to Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate.
Work with the Muskegon Food Hub. Located at Muskegon Farmers Market, Muskegon's first food hub offers local schools, restaurants, grocery stores, senior centers and other institutions the opportunity to purchase locally produced foods through wholesale chains.
Other Resources
WEBINAR: Increase local food purchasing through forward contracting. By working with farmers to coordinate plantings and deliveries in advance, schools and early childhood programs can have a more dependable supply of local foods for their meal programs. This webinar discusses the different ways schools can use a forward contract when purchasing local foods, how to get started, and the benefits for both farmers and K-12 schools and early childhood programs.
Taste the Local Difference: Institutional Sales for Food Service Providers. This Institutional Sales page is meant for food service providers looking to connect with a local farm to source their product directly or through a distributor.
Farm to Institution Resources. Research, fact sheets, survey results, farmer perspectives, step-by-step marketing tools, and more.
Farmer2Farmer: links to jobs and land in Lower Northwest Michigan. F2F is a farmlink website serving the Grand Traverse Region in Northwest Lower Michigan that is designed to connect farmland owners who wish to sell or lease farmland with farmland seekers looking to buy or lease farmland. The service area includes Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, and Manistee Counties. This web-based farmlink tool will also link agricultural employers with job seekers. F2F is a free user-driven resource.