Local Food Connections – Alice Chalmers, Ohio Valley

 

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Restaurants and food stores  succeed when they meet the needs and interests of their customers.  When those customers want local foods, they must oblige and connect with local farms.  Not so easy!  \”Hubs\” have been created to bridge that Farm To Table gap connecting the farms to the restaurants, stores or direct to consumers. A great example of these enterprises is the Ohio Valley Food Connection in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. It was founded in 2015 by Alice  Chalmers to connect local food producers and buyers. In 2005, after a career in Finance and Strategic Planning, Alice starting looking into the economics of rural communities, land use planning and the future of agriculture near metropolitan areas.  She spent three + years as Executive Director of Future Harvest CASA (Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture), promoting local sustainable farming, and creating connections between consumers, businesses and local farmers in the Chesapeake Bay area.  From her East Coast beginnings to her current home in the Ohio Valley, she has worked tirelessly to help local farmers with their most pressing challenge: marketing. Farmers, retailers and consumers benefit when smooth connections link the field to the fork. http://www.ohiovalleyfood.com