CANADA: Thursday, July 8th, 2021 - 12:00 PM EST

Every first Thursday of the month, we'll be hosting a Meet and Eat that anyone can join; however, we're going to have it on the second Thursday in July to accommodate for the statutory holiday on Thursday, July 1st.

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Sit back and learn more about Growcer's beginnings, our farm's uses, and essential considerations for starting your own Growcer project. It will be an informal opportunity to ask our team questions and learn more!

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Thursday, July 8th, 2021
12:00 PM EST

CANADA: The Value of Hyper-Local Produce

The hyper-local food trend is more than just a fad: there’s a reason that hyper-local food is catching on in a big way. If you’re thinking about growing hyper-local food, it’s important to understand the value of the product and its market position.

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At Yellowknife Co-op, produce is grown steps away from the store in a container farm!

BUT FIRST, WHAT IS HYPER-LOCAL FOOD?

Where does that ‘local’ head of lettuce you pick up from the grocery store actually come from? The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) defines ‘local food’ as being grown in the province where it’s being sold, or within 50km of the border. But hyper-local food is even more local than being from the same province or being Canadian-grown. It is usually grown within the same town or city, or a short distance from where it’s being sold (sometimes even right behind the store!).

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BENEFITS OF HYPER-LOCALLY GROWN FOOD

LOWER FOOD MILES

Hyper-local produce is usually grown within the same town or city, or a short distance from where it’s being sold.

As consumers are becoming more and more aware of the environmental impact of our food choices, the demand to lower food miles is also growing. A food mile can be thought of as the distance that food travels from the grower to the consumer. As a metric, it helps to assess the environmental impact of the foods we consume. A 2012 study showed that on average, 30% of food is imported in Canada, leading to annual emissions of 3.3 million metric tonnes of CO2.

Growing food hyper-locally can result in significantly lower food miles (and as few as zero food miles!) in both urban centres and rural communities. This reduces the carbon footprint of what you eat.

SUSTAINABLY GROWN

Growing hyper-locally in a hydroponic farming system has further benefits. Water in a closed hydroponic system is captured and reused, resulting in 90% less water use, and 95% less land than conventional farming.

TRACEABLE FOOD CHAIN

Growing hyper-local is completely traceable. This means you know exactly what’s going into your product. There are no synthetic pest control products, less risk for E.Coli, and a shorter supply chain to manage.

FRESHER PRODUCE WITH A LONGER SHELF LIFE

Growing food hyper-locally also means fresher produce and a longer shelf-life. Instead of wilting in a truck for hundreds of kilometers, hyper-local produce is shelf-ready immediately. This has a marked effect on the quality, as most produce loses 30 percent of nutrients just three days after harvest.

Life Water Gardens, a container garden project in Norway House Cree Nation, sells locally-grown produce at the Northern Store. Click here to learn more about the project and hear from its growers!

“When you get your hands on the fresh produce and taste it, you know it’s a good thing for your community in general. It’s really easy to get excited and pumped about [this project].” - Ian Maxwell from Norway House.

“When you get your hands on the fresh produce and taste it, you know it’s a good thing for your community. It’s really easy to get excited and pumped about [this project].”

— Ian Maxwell, co-manager of Life Water Gardens

WHERE IS HYPER-LOCAL PRODUCE POSITIONED IN THE MARKET?

For growers, it’s important to keep in mind that hyper-local food isn’t competing with foreign produce that you typically find in grocery stores. Between locally-grown vs imported food, the wholesale price for foreign produce is cheaper than local produce.

Keep in mind that grocery stores buy produce at wholesale prices, which means that they may buy produce from you at a certain cost, and then sell it with a 30% margin added to the price. When you walk into a grocery store and see produce being sold for $4.99, the reality is that the grocery store-bought it for $3.50 and added a mark up to the final price to help cover their costs of operations.

To find price-compatible products for market research in your area, look for products that will match your future products, such as living lettuce, other hydroponic greens, and other hyper-local, organic produce. Growcer greens belong in the hyper-local, value-added produce category.

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GETTING STARTED WITH HYPER-LOCAL FOOD

Growing hyper-local food has many benefits: not only is it fresher, healthier, and better for the planet, it can also be a profitable investment for growers. When crafting your financial projections, keep in mind the value of hyper-local produce and where it sits in the market.

Interested in learning more about our hyper-local hydroponic growing systems? Find out more.

VIDEO: Top 5 Benefits of Container Farming At Your Co-Op

Stephanie May 26, 2020

The Yellowknife Co-op added a Growcer container farm to their co-op to provide year-round produce to their members.

Are you looking for a fresh addition to your co-op grocery store? Adding a container farm allows your store to be the source of some of the freshest, locally-grown, resource-efficient produce. 

Here are five benefits to adding a hydroponic container farm steps away from your store:

1. MORE ROI FOR PRODUCE YEAR-ROUND

Growing your own produce reduces your reliance on suppliers and allows you to avoid supply chain mark-ups. You can sell fresher produce year-round at better margins than what you can with supplied produce. 

What can you grow? Lots. Anything from kale, spinach, lettuce, bok-choy, herbs, and more, can be grown within a Growcer system and you can switch it up based on consumer demand.

We’ll help you create a brand that your members will recognize and keep them coming back to your store!

2. MEMBER SATISFACTION AND RETENTION

Container farming allows you to create a unique experience for your customers. Customers can:

• request what produce is grown;

• purchase store-brand produce or prepared goods; and

• at the Yellowknife Co-op, customers can see the produce being grown through a screen - a special experience not typically seen in chain stores.

These special touches build engagement and help with member retention.

3. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

The Growcer system is made to “plug and play” and it takes one week of on-site training to have employees comfortable with the system. Your co-op’s container farm becomes a source of pride and oasis for employees who enjoy participating in the growing process from beginning to end. 

Justin Nelson, general manager of The Yellowknife Co-op, put it best: “On a cold dark day in Yellowknife, there’s no better place to be than inside the Growcer unit. When you’re actually harvesting the product that you’re selling it’s a great feeling”.

For co-ops, Growce’s units can be operated by existing employees who see it as an opportunity to take pride serving their community.

4. REDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Container farming grows a variety of produce in a controlled environment that is time, space, and resource-efficient. The best part? Your container farm can be located steps away from your store eliminating the need to transport produce long distances. 

At the Yellowknife Co-op, produce is harvested immediately before it’s sold and this method eliminates the need for plastic packaging.

Growcer’s container farms are an innovative way to stand out from competitors and provide quality produce to your members.

5. DEMONSTRATE INNOVATION

Embrace efficient growing systems that bring fresher produce to your customers and cement your store as a leader who is embracing agriculture technology. 

Your membership invests in you - repay their loyalty by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. The real value is not only the produce grown, but the ability for a container farm to offer your business a local source of produce, a source of diversified employment, and an additional stream of revenue.

Take the first step and plug in your specifics into our ROI calculator to evaluate the feasibility of a container farm for you.