Forager has developed a digital platform with the goal to facilitate more efficient relationships between farmers and the grocers who want to source more local food. The new procurement-to-payment platform is designed to reduce costs and friction at every step of the produce-buying process. Rather than force managers at local grocery stores or co-ops to wade through a dozen emails to coordinate which farms have what to sell this week, the Forager platform provides all that information and communication in one place.
It’s Rolling Out Across New England and New York
The company has already completed a successful regional pilot involving 100 farmers and 10 grocers, food-co-ops and wholesalers from Maine. It’s now rolling out the platform throughout New England and New York state. John Crane, general manager of the Portland Food Co-op, which participated in the beta release, estimates the co-op saves at least six to eight percent in labor costs by using the software. It’s helped farmers, too. The company expects the increasing demand for local food to will drive food producers like Mitchell and buyers like Crane to look for ways to make the supply chain more efficient.
Why Local Food Is Worth It
Stone’s passion for the local food movement sparked the pursuit of his latest startup. He laments the fact that eight large companies control 80 percent of the country’s food supply, while local food only accounts on average nationally for three percent of people’s diets. Check out the articles in the Portland Press Herald and/or Mainebiz for more on this story.
