By Cindy Hadish/for the Corridor Business Journal Change is underway in Eastern Iowa’s local foods scene. Just as a natural foods grocery chain plans four new Iowa stores, a local food co-op has closed its virtual doors and winter farmers markets kick off another season, with the absence of one longtime market. Colorado-based Natural Grocers […]
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Tag: Iowa Valley Food Co-op
Iowa Valley Food Co-op ending five-year ...
Iowa Valley Food Co-op is closing its virtual doors. The Cedar Rapids-based co-op, which uses an online ordering system to connect local producers and customers, will end after the Nov. 2, 2016, distribution day. Grass-fed beef, locally grown vegetables and farm-fresh eggs were among the many items sold through the co-op, which offered distribution sites […]
What’s all the hubbub about food hubs?
By Cindy Hadish/for the Radish Magazine The word “food” can easily evoke a mental image, while the term “food hub” is a bit more nebulous. Still, more people are becoming familiar with food hubs as a way to bring food from the farm to the table, and a new report shows food hubs are playing […]
“Down to Earth” Jason Grimm serves as a
By Cindy Hadish/For Radish Magazine People seeking information about Iowa’s local foods scene often turn to Jason Grimm. “He knows everyone,” said Les Beck, Linn County Planning & Development Director, who has served on several conference panels with Grimm. “Whenever I introduce him, I say he is one of the most connected people in Iowa, […]
Digital divide? New options battle tradi...
Just this week, Overstock introduced a nationwide, online means of ordering fresh farmers market produce that can be delivered to your door. While the Salt Lake City-based business touts its national scope, it hasn’t yet made its way to Iowa. Still, just last night, ProduceRun officially launched in Cedar Rapids and the web-based Iowa Valley […]
Online vs. old-fashioned: farmers market...
By Cindy Hadish High-tech means of selling fresh produce and other farm products aren’t necessarily at odds with the “old school” method of face-to-face sales at farmers markets, according to local foods advocates. That perception will undergo a test as the winter farmers market season gets underway, at the same time two online sales platforms […]
“Virtual farmers markets” use modern tec
By Cindy Hadish/for Edible Iowa River Valley magazine Kim Burnett-Hanssen is passionate about local foods, but can do without the chaos sometimes found at large farmers markets. “I work nights and I’m not a big crowd person,” said Burnett-Hanssen, a communications specialist at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. When she heard about the […]
Business is mushrooming for Iowa grower
By Cindy Hadish/for Radish Magazine COLUMBUS JUNCTION – Todd Mills is growing the future. The lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms Mills cultivates in a growing room outside his rural Columbus Junction home possess a distinctively futuristic look, while also holding promise in studies of their health benefits. Mills, 31, has been selling mushrooms the past […]
Sample local foods and visit new site du...
CEDAR RAPIDS – If you’re a fan of local foods and still not a member of the Iowa Valley Food Co-op, be sure to make it to this upcoming event. The Cedar Rapids-based co-op, which uses an online ordering system, will have an open house from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at its new location […]
Finding mushrooms in Iowa and news about...
It’s still on the cool side to see morels popping up, at least in Eastern Iowa, but I am thrilled to find that Mushroom Mills is selling both oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms through the Iowa Valley Food Co-op. Based in rural Columbus Junction, Todd Mills has already been selling the delectable fungi he grows […]