The Skills for Success
Math, along with numbers in general, scare many small business owners. Rather than deal with this fear, they often stick their heads in the sand and ignore the hard truths and opportunities that come…
Why Bother?
This article is a guest post by Laura Meister of Farm Girl Farm in Sheffield, MA. When I started growing vegetables ten years ago, it was all I could do to keep up with the start-up math: how many…
Putting All Your Eggs in One (Market) Basket
We’re now at the height of farming season, and all the work of helping clients manage cash flow has paid off. Not only do they have lots of produce to sell, but they’re far enough into the season…
A Guide to Buying and Selling Local Foods In New England for Buyers and Producers
Last month, Noelle and I had the pleasure of attending the SBN Local Food Trade Show. Fifty vendors and hundreds of other food producers and buyers were in attendance for a lively day of networking…
The Local Meat Processing Landscape
As you may have read in the paper a few weeks ago, Blood Farms just burned down. Why is this a big deal? They were one of only three slaughterhouses in Massachusetts who service the nearly 100…
Financing A Sustainable Food System in New England
by Lisa Sebesta How can we finance a sustainable food system in New England? In late January, 125 people gathered for a one-day session to tackle this question. Obviously, it’s difficult, if not…
Food Hubs: What’s in a name?
I’ve been hearing a lot about food hubs lately, but it wasn’t until Iattended a workshop at NESAWG this past February that I fully understood what they are. What I’ve been calling aggregators…
Looking Back: Past Articles
Here’s an overview of the different articles we’ve written in the past four years. They’re always available in full on our website.
Urban Agriculture: Progress and Potential in Boston
Already at the forefront of the local food movement, Boston continues to become a better city for restauranteurs committed to sourcing foods locally and sustainably. The Boston Redevelopment…
Micro-Finance: Challenges and Opportunities
A few years ago, I heard a presentation by Acción about their loan packages for food and beverage entrepreneurs. I was shocked to learn that their interest rates were around 16%, marginally lower…