New Pioneer Food Co-op will be one of the organizations providing the buyers' perspective at the Come to the Table Summit. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

New Pioneer Food Co-op will be one of the organizations providing the buyers’ perspective at the Come to the Table Summit. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

The Fifth Annual Come to the Table Summit is set for this week. This year’s event will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 13, 2015, at Mercy Medical Center, 701 10th St. SE in Cedar Rapids.

Come to the Table brings together farmers and other producers of food and the schools, hospitals, chefs, grocers and more who buy local foods.

Here is more about the summit, from the Iowa Valley RC&D:

Event Details
Come to the Table is a special program of the Field to Family Regional Food Coalition with the goal of bringing together farmers with bakers, butchers, grocers, chefs, schools, hospitals, distributors, and many more buyers of local food. The goal is to foster the relationships between farmers and buyers in the Iowa Corridor Region.

Despite its strong agricultural market, Iowa imports most of its food from other states and countries. Event organizers hope to increase the amount of local food bought and sold in Iowa by bringing together state & national food buyers with local food producers. “Come to the Table” aims to expand the local foods market starting with a handshake.

Presentations and Discussions

Come and hear the perspectives of buyers and vendors of locally grown and made food products.This years summit will feature a discussion style format that will have buyers and vendors discussing solutions to growing our local food economy.

Buyer Perspective

Buyers that include schools (Cornell College), distributors, hospitals (Mercy), restuarants and grocers (HyVee and New Pioneer) will discuss purchasing policies, margins, and organizational missions while dicussing possible solutions to increasing their procurement of locally grown and made foods.

Farmer and Food Entreprenear Perspective

Vendors that include experienced farmers (Wilson’s Orchard & Rehberg’s Pork), Beginning farmers (Jordan Scheibel and Whitney Brewer) and valued added vendors (Dumpling Darlings) will discuss marketing, insurance, risk, scale, resources, production access in the form of land and kitchens while dicussing possible solutions to increasing their sales of their locally grown and made foods.

Buyer Trade Show and Expo

The purpose of the Summit is to foster the relationships between farmers and buyers. During the breaks buyers of local food are invited to staff displays and be available to have conversations with local farmers and other entrepreneurs. Buyers contact Jason Grimm – jason@ivrcd.org or 319.270.3890 to reserve a table for during these breaks. All tables and chairs will be provided.

2015 Summit organizers include Scott Koepke of New Pioneer Food Co-op, Jessica Burtt-Fogarty of the Iowa Valley Food Co-op, Michelle Kenyon-Brown of Field to Family, Kyle Sieck of Local Burrito and Jason Grimm of the Iowa Valley RC&D.

See more at: Eventbrite