At-a-Glance look at the various Food Hubs (contact info, websites, etc) plus other resources for finding local farmers, ranchers, and local food businesses.
Getting familiar with the network of producers and food hubs that serve Colorado can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. This “Know Who Sells” resource will help you determine which Food Hubs serve your county and the type of items they provide. It can also be used as a jumping off point to requesting bids for meats, produce, and other local products. The first page of the resource is a quick visualization of the assortment of Food Hubs in our state and their current distribution range. The following pages provide details on each individual Food Hub.
If you are a Food Hub who is represented on these cards, you can save your specific card and use it for promoting your business. If any information needs to be updated or you would like your Hub to be included, please fill out this Google Form for us.
In addition to this resource, there are a number of existing directories to find producers and/or food hubs in your region. Below are several resources to explore to familiarize yourself with your local producers and distributors:
- Colorado Proud
- Includes a search feature for the product you are seeking as well as a map to visualize where producers, food hubs, and local food businesses are located.
- Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA)
- CFVGA’s producer directory allows you to search by product type, region and procurement method.
- Farm Fresh Directory
- Compiled by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Farm Fresh Directory is a yearly producer directory that provides detailed information on each producer listed.
- Colorado Local Beef Directory
- Maintained by the Colorado Beef Council to visually represent beef producers in the state.
- Farm to School Producer List
- The producers listed in this CDE Excel sheet have expressed interest in farm to school programs, and shared important ordering information in addition to their address and contact.
It is also helpful to be aware of some of the perspectives our Sellers’ have. If you truly have a goal to support our small and mid-sized producers, then you need to be willing to share a bit of the risk with them. This takes communication and developing a relationship between yourself and the producer. Have your back-up plans in case things go wrong (crop failure, late frost, hail storms, etc.) however, don’t let those challenges that are outside of our producers hands deter you from creating consistent purchasing channels. Ultimately, investing your dollars into your local food system is worth it on multiple levels and this is a two-way street. And if you are a Seller who wants to share a key perspective with us, please reach out!