LocalShare By The Numbers: Measuring Impact

Hope, NJ

Foodshed Alliance works to strengthen sustainable farming, increase access to local, healthy food, and protect the environment for all community members. The LocalShare gleaning program harvests surplus produce from local farms and delivers to 125+ recipient agencies to feed community members dealing with food insecurity. LocalShare has delivered more than 925,000 lbs. of produce rescued from local farms to food pantries in northwest New Jersey. After several years building the program, Foodshed Alliance is setting up a system to measure, evaluate and clearly define the program’s impact to engage its partners and the community more fully, improve program effectiveness, and provide data necessary to attract funders, corporate groups, and volunteers.  New Venture Advisors will assist Foodshed Alliance in creating an impact measurement system for the LocalShare gleaning program. (2024)

Clinton Hill Grocery Developments

Newark, NJ

Clinton Hill Community Action is a community development organization that partners with residents to revitalize the Clinton Hill neighborhood, ensure that development is equitable and just, and advocate for what the community needs and deserves. Its Food Security and Economic Justice initiatives include the development of a mutual aid grocery store to open in 2024 and a food cooperative in a second location to open soon after. The grocery store / food pantry hybrid will carry a variety of fresh foods and products from local artisans. The food co-op will carry a larger selection and potentially include rotating vendor space with business incubator programming for aspiring food entrepreneurs. New Venture Advisors is providing business planning services to support the launch of these ventures. (2024)

Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan

Maui, HI

HIPHI and the Maui Nui Food Alliance are supporting the Maui County Department of Agriculture to create a Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan. This Plan will guide Maui County’s efforts to improve nutrition security, climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and opportunities for local food producers, with targets identified over the next 5, 10, and 20 years. New Venture Advisors is assisting in completing the Plan by analyzing challenges and opportunities identified in the recently completed food system needs assessment and community talk story sessions, and translating community priorities into actionable policy recommendations. These recommendations will be workshopped with local communities and policymakers to ensure the final Food and Nutrition Security Plan reflects Maui County’s needs. (2024)

San Luis Valley Community Food and Agriculture Action Plan

Alamosa, CO

The San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition (SLVLFC) is a nonprofit organization serving the 6-county region of the San Luis Valley of Colorado. They are working to foster an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people, community, economy, and ecosystem. In 2022, New Venture Advisors assisted the SLVLFC with a Community Food and Agriculture Assessment to learn the impact the food system has on residents’ health, economic opportunity, and quality of life while looking through the lens of equity and climate health, and to discover potential projects and priorities to inform future work. Next, the SLVLFC wants to take the data from the assessment to inform an action planning process for the valley’s food system. They are interested in identifying recommendations for state- and county-level policy solutions, regional initiatives, and programmatic opportunities for SLVLFC and its partners. New Venture Advisors will provide strategic direction and technical assistance and write the Action Plan. (2024)

Oneida County Dairy Processing Study

Rome, NY

Mohawk Valley EDGE (Economic Development Growth Enterprises Corporation) is a private, not-for-profit, regional economic development organization with a mission to strengthen and grow the Mohawk Valley economy. While the region boasts a large presence of dairy farms, local processing capabilities are limited. EDGE hypothesizes, with input from dairy producers, that to improve processing capacity they need to establish a new processing facility with good proximity to dairy farms, and/or  increase the capacity of existing processors nearby. New Venture Advisors will conduct a dairy processing industry assessment and site suitability analysis to determine demand for a new dairy processing facility in the region – ideally in Oneida County where the dairy industry is a key economic driver. (2024)

Small Business Incubator Feasibility Study

East Providence, RI

The City of East Providence is conducting a feasibility study on converting a former municipal elementary school building into a small business incubator. The vision for the former Oldham Elementary School building is a multi use small business, blue economy, and arts incubator. The project is centered on creating jobs, supporting business startups, and providing a network of business resources that will ensure a greater level of long-term success for small businesses across the three areas of focus. The study will examine the overall feasibility of the incubator model and based on the results, a development plan for the facility that supports the business needs identified within the feasibility analysis. New Venture Advisors will be conducting the feasibility study in partnership with the City. (2024)

Windy City Harvest VeggieRx Strategic Plan

Chicago, IL

Windy City Harvest, a signature program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, focuses on urban agriculture, food access, and workforce development. In 2016, with funding from the USDA’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant program, Windy City Harvest piloted a produce prescription program called VeggieRx. The program’s partner, Lawndale Christian Health Center, is a Federally Qualified Health Center based near the Farm on Ogden, Windy City Harvest’s headquarters in Chicago. In 2023, New Venture Advisors worked with Windy City Harvest to strategize the post-COVID-19 future of VeggieRx. (2024)

Johnson County Farmers Market Action Plan

Olathe, KS

Johnson County is home to nine farmers markets serving more than 100 farmer-vendors and thousands of customers. To support local farmers and community members, especially younger farmers and residents experiencing food insecurity, the county’s Department of Health and Environment and Food Policy Council are teaming with other partners to create an Action Plan that will build resiliency, capacity, and accelerate growth across the county’s network of farmers markets. New Venture Advisors is assisting in developing this plan that will provide actionable data, capacity building support to individual markets, and municipal-level policies that will advance local agriculture and expand direct-to-consumer sales of fresh, healthy, and local food. (2024)

Wisconsin Food Banks Grocery Card Study

Milwaukee, WI

To give neighbors more access, choice, and fresh food, two Wisconsin food banks are exploring alternate payment systems so neighbors can purchase food from their local grocery stores and other retailers, especially in rural communities. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin have been awarded a grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation for the project. The tool would be implemented across their combined 35 counties and ideally scale statewide across Wisconsin, and beyond. New Venture Advisors is assisting in discovering feasible technologies and partnerships for this ambitious venture. (2024)

Prison Farm to Institution Feasibility Study

Norton, KS

Norton Correctional Facility operates a 10-acre farm that grows 50,000 lbs. of produce each year. Approximately 20 inmates work on the farm during the growing season, learning skills in greenhouse propagation, transplanting, and harvesting produce. The local hospital and school district have strong demand for local food that cannot be met by growers in the area. The prison farm could expand to meet this demand and boost supply for the prison food program, while increasing workforce development opportunities. New Venture Advisors is working with the Norton Regional Health Foundation to design a prison farm-to-institution program that will benefit institutional buyers and prison residents alike. (2024)

Renew Moline Community Food Center

Moline, IL

Renew Moline is a nonprofit organization leading redevelopment projects to restore vibrancy in the downtown riverfront area. Moline is a multicultural community that actively welcomes immigrants from around the world. New Venture Advisors is part of a team exploring the redevelopment of a historic building in the riverfront district to serve this community with a business incubator, as well as a food hall, shared kitchen, indoor farm, rooftop restaurant, and the potential for a surrounding food district – concepts that emerged from a recently-completed feasibility study and a riverfront master planning process underway. New Venture Advisors is refining the concept based on input from the community to confirm market, operating and financial viability. (2024)

Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program Evaluation

Appleton City, MO

New Growth is a rural community development corporation and a nonprofit affiliate of West Central Missouri Community Action Agency. New Growth’s mission is to build local ownership and lasting livelihoods from deep rural roots by building the entrepreneurship resources and culture that rural communities need to thrive. Funded by a USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant and through a collaboration of seven organizations, they are helping beginning farmers scale up into wholesale and develop market outlets for their products. New Venture Advisors is providing evaluation services to measure the impact of the program in elevating participating farmers and increasing their success to remain in farming. (2024)

Indiana Food Charter

Indianapolis, IN

The Indiana Department of Health and Indiana University have been collaborating for several years to create a statewide Food Charter for Indiana. A food charter is an aspirational framework that articulates a statewide vision for the food system to guide development of specific policies and programs. It encourages local municipalities, nonprofits and corporations to sign on as champions, promoting food system development through their local initiatives. New Venture Advisors is assisting in completing the charter and the campaign for rollout. (2024)

Feasibility Study for Abattoir at Fauquier Livestock Exchange

Marshall, VA

Fauquier Livestock Exchange (FLX) is an auction house located in Fauquier County that facilitates the sale of livestock raised on farms throughout northern Virginia. With the support of Fauquier County, FLX is considering offering processing services to address needed services  that currently require traveling more than two hours. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to evaluate the market, operational and economic implications of locating an abattoir at the Fauquier Livestock Exchange. (2024)

Food Network Project Feasibility Study

Newark, NJ

The Newark Alliance and its Members work collaboratively to cement Newark, New Jersey’s status as one of America’s most diverse, prosperous, exciting, and equitable cities. An aspect of its mission is to promote inclusive economic growth, entrepreneurship, quality job development, better health and environmental health outcomes through the food sector. The Alliance has a vision to create a central hub that anchors many of the functions needed for a thriving and equitable Newark food system, with additional locations that meet the needs of the communities in which they reside, and that support new and improved family-sustaining jobs. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to determine the most strategic approach to this development in terms of its components, facilities, programs, partners, and operating structure. (2024)

Rogue Valley Community Food Assessment & Action Plan

Medford, OR

The Rogue Valley Food System Network and its partners have been working for several years to identify current assets and gaps in the food system. They aim to address several areas of opportunity: 1) to increase food security and access in limited resource communities, 2) to stabilize production growth by identifying land and infrastructure access and marketing gaps, and 3) to support community outreach and education about food systems impacts. The result will be a Community Food Assessment and Food Action Plan containing the network’s strategic directions for the next decade. New Venture Advisors is assisting the network in completing the assessment and plan. (2024)

Traders Hill Farm Agricultural Complex

Hilliard, FL

Traders Hill Farm (THF) is a local aquaponics farm that provides clean and sustainable produce to retailers, restaurants, and families across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Since 2020, THF has been working to expand its role in the regional food system as an accumulator and re-packer of product from its own and other area farms and distributing it directly to consumers across the region. This pilot program demonstrated the need for a centralized hub in Nassau County to coordinate and expand these efforts to reach more farms and underserved residents in surrounding counties. The vision is to create an agricultural complex with multiple co-located and satellite enterprises that function as a coordinated ecosystem of businesses, programs and partnerships that work together to strengthen the viability and resilience of the regional food economy. New Venture Advisors is assisting THF in determining the design of this ecosystem and evaluating its market potential. (2024)

International Public Market Feasibility Study

King County, WA

The Port of Seattle and King County are exploring the potential development of an International Public Market in South King County. The market would be a central retail location where independent vendors can sell food and other products, often with a cultural relevance, in stalls, booths or shops, supporting entrepreneurship for growing businesses, and creating gathering spaces for locals and tourists alike. This facility has the potential to advance King County as a leading tourism destination while providing nearby communities with economic opportunities and access to culturally representative foods. The Port and County partnered with New Venture Advisors to conduct a feasibility study to determine if the concept is the right fit for the community and region. (2024)

Download the report.

Southern Illinois Mobile Market Feasibility Study

Chicago, IL

Faith in Place empowers people of diverse faiths and spiritualities to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice, providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities. The organization has a history of working with sustainable food systems throughout the state of Illinois and is leading an initiative to develop a network of mobile markets in the southernmost 17 counties to assess the feasibility of a mobile market. The program will be a collaboration with Food Works and LEAF Food Hub to improve access to food while also supporting local food producers in these rural areas of the state. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to assess the needs, partners, and locations necessary for this mobile market network and  created a plan and toolkit to support the expansion of the network. (2024)

Santa Clara County Community Food Hub Feasibility Plan

San José, CA

Veggielution partnered with NVA to assess the feasibility of opening a food hub and determine the location, operating model, and components that could best serve the diverse groups of food entrepreneurs and farmers in the region surrounding San José. The project led to dual outcomes, supporting Veggielution in developing a plan to build additional assets at their park location and supporting Veggielution in collaborative work with regional partners to identify the structure and long-term objectives of a true regional food hub. (2024)

City of Wichita Food and Farm Council Launch

Wichita, KS

The Food and Farm Council (FFC) was a top recommendation of the recently adopted City of Wichita/Sedgwick County Food System Master Plan. The purpose of the FFC is to support coordination among food system stakeholders to ensure that limited resources are used efficiently, and that partnerships can be established to better serve the community. The FFC will serve as an advisory body to the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County and in its initial sessions will be utilized to provide a forum for food system collaboration, compile feedback from these food system stakeholders and offer policy solutions and recommendations to the governing bodies to support awareness of funding opportunities amongst food system partners. The City is engaging New Venture Advisors to assist with successfully launching the Food and Farm Council and preparing City staff to lead board development and sustainability over the long term. (2024)

Food Mill Food Infrastructure and Ag Corridor

Columbus, GA

The Food Mill and its partners are developing a small corridor of food-focused facilities and properties along the 2nd Avenue corridor in downtown Columbus. The focus of these projects is to enable the expansion of food-access and agricultural programming (which they currently operate) into a diversified network of food enterprises including a shared kitchen, an incubator program, increased community growing sites, food truck and food retail vending spaces, and outdoor recreation spaces. New Venture Advisors has supported the Food Mill in developing market space and operations  since the expansion of their original facility in 2021, and recently assisted The Food Mill in developing the model for its planned expansions. This work included helping The Food Mill refine its partnerships, operating model, and facilities designs through a phased development process funded by a 2021 Healthy Food Financing Initiative grant. The Food Mill is working collaboratively in Columbus with key partners like Open Door Community House, Mercy Medical, and others to support this ambitious development project. (2024)

California Indian Traditional Food Incubator Feasibility Study

Santa Rosa, CA

The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC) educates the public about the history, cultures, and contemporary life of California Indians and honors their contributions to civilization. Since 2015, CIMCC has offered training and technical assistance programs to serve the culturally specific foodways knowledge, skills and business development needs of traditional food producers. Now it is exploring a kitchen incubator at CIMCC to provide production facilities and support for American Indian/Alaska Native traditional food producers in Sonoma County. New Venture Advisors assisted with the feasibility study and management plan. (2023)

Kent County Food System Planning

Grand Rapids, MI

The Kent County Food Policy Council based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is embarking on a food planning process to identify the key areas in which policy activity can advance a thriving good food system in Kent County. The planning process will include a regional Food System Assessment, a Food Policy Assessment for Kent County and the City of Grand Rapids, and a Food System Plan. The Plan will be based on input from residents in areas such as food recovery, food access, local agriculture, school food and nutrition education in schools, farm worker and migrant labor priorities, processing and distributing needs of Kent County, farmland preservation, and living wage strategy. New Venture Advisors is assisting the Council in leading this comprehensive food planning process. (2024)

Food Bank Council of Michigan Senior Food Access Pilot Program

Lansing, MI

Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM) is the partner state association for the seven Feeding America-affiliated food banks across the state of Michigan. FBCM’s mission is to create a food secure state through advocacy, resource management, and collaboration among stakeholders and Michigan’s unified food bank network. The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated that many seniors experience barriers to food access because they have limited access to transportation or are located in remote areas. In partnership with its partner food banks, FBCM seeks to increase food access to seniors and test a model whereby fresh food and shelf-stable groceries can be home-delivered to residents throughout the state. New Venture Advisors assisted in designing a pilot program in southern Michigan to demonstrate the viability of this model, in partnerships with local food banks, partner agencies, and last-mile delivery partners. (2023)

Community Gardens in City Parks Plan

Cedar Rapids, IA

The City of Cedar Rapids undertook an exciting community-driven planning process to establish a Community Gardens in City Parks Plan. The plan outlines a pathway to creating a vibrant network of community gardens across the city, significantly increasing access to garden plots for residents. This effort came in response to interest voiced by the community in expanding healthy food access efforts as the #1 community priority to support climate action locally. The City is committed to expanding community gardens to more city-owned parks with a focus on access for residents who are under-resourced and under-represented. New Venture Advisors, in partnership with Wheat Design Group, developed a garden amenities toolkit, concept plans for eight parks, and a management plan for the City to oversee the community gardens. (2023) Download the plan

Southwest Kansas Food System Assessment

Kansas City, KS

The Kansas Food Action Network is a statewide network of local food, farm and policy councils that advocate for local, state and national policies for more equitable access to healthy, affordable foods. KFAN and local partners sought to assess the local food environments across 14 counties in Southwest Kansas, a diverse and high-need region. Nowhere in the state are food and health inequities more evident. To guide policy and program investments that address these issues, New Venture Advisors conducted a comprehensive food system assessment to identify challenges and prioritize solutions, informed by roundtables and interviews with Southwest Kansas residents. The assessment identifies the barriers of, challenges to, and opportunities for equitable healthy food access and lays a strong foundation for food system policy work in this region. (2024)

Community Food & Gardens Center Feasibility Study

DeKalb County, IL

Through a novel partnership led by Rooted For Good, a new community campus will be developed that will foster well-being through food, healthcare, social services, and connections. Rooted For Good – DeKalb will be the first of its kind in Northern Illinois. The multi-acre campus will feature commercial spaces including expanded Rooted For Good farm operations (both cultivable land and greenhouses), garden retail center, food hub, and kitchens, as well as programming promoting food access, nutrition education, civic engagement and social services. New Venture Advisors has supported multiple phases of outreach with partners and community members to validate the campus components, operational and financial modeling to identify sustainable operating targets, and is developing updated business plans for the campus’s new location and design. (2024)

NMU Food Hub Feasibility Study

Marquette, MI

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health and several project partners aspire to create a shared use aggregation, distribution, and light produce processing facility serving Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.). There is currently limited food system infrastructure in the U.P.; therefore, most food consumed in the region is dependent upon transport from Lower Michigan and Wisconsin. The facility would increase the resiliency of the U.P. food system and support the health and wellness of residents by increasing sales and accessibility of locally-grown and value-added foods, and decreasing costs to do so through charitable distribution networks. New Venture Advisors conducted an expanded feasibility study that explored whether a collaborative aggregation and distribution system network across the U.P. and a central warehouse facility could support solutions to existing system stressors and could be economically viable for the participating organizations. (2022)

Eastern Market Processing and Distribution Expansion Study

Detroit, MI

Eastern Market has been a working food district for 130 years. The market campus is a network of sheds and flexible spaces that support retail and wholesale operations, programming, parking, and community events. Eastern Market Partnership, the managing nonprofit, has been planning with the City of Detroit for several years to expand the Market. Food processing, warehousing and distribution businesses will relocate to adjacent sites in two new food safety compliant facilities, opening space for retail and public events on the main campus.  New Venture Advisors  conducted a feasibility study for the proposed expansion and designed the facilities to meet the needs of the diverse stakeholders who make up the Market ecosystem. (2022)

Miko Meats Food Facility Feasibility and Design

Hilo, HI

Miko Meats is part of a multipartner collaboration to transform Hawai’i County’s agricultural value chain by enhancing its capacity to sustainably produce, aggregate, process, store, market and distribute local staple crops – while strengthening the social infrastructure that enables effective cooperation between farmers and with other value chain stakeholders. It owns a former meat processing facility that had been equipped for animal processing and cold storage – processing capacity that could be repurposed to resolve aggregation and processing bottlenecks and for agricultural business development. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to identify potential partnerships, operating models, technical viability and actionable pathways for revitalization of this vastly underutilized regional asset in catalyzing the Hawai’i island food system. (2022)

Business Impact NW

Seattle, WA

Business Impact NW (BIN) was presented the opportunity to take over and operate a shared kitchen space in Woodinville, WA as a food and farm incubation program. The program would focus on helping businesses develop, test, and launch value-added consumer packaged products sourced locally. To ensure this program has community and financial support, BIN entered a 90-day due diligence period before entering into an agreement with the owner. The organization engaged New Venture Advisors to conduct rapid operating, facility and financial feasibility analysis, and provide guidance on lease negotiations. (2022)

San Luis Valley Community Food Assessment

Alamosa, CO

The mission of the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition (SLVLFC) is to foster an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people, community, economy, and ecosystem in the San Luis Valley. It began as a grassroots gathering of farmers and cross-sector partners who came together to start developing and building upon local food networks, educating the community, and promoting programs and policies that would create a sustainable local food system for the region. SLVLFC embarked on a Community Food Assessment (CFA) to learn the impact the food system has on residents’ health, economic opportunity, and quality of life while looking through the lens of equity and climate health, and to discover potential projects and priorities to inform future work. New Venture Advisors guided and supported SLVLFC in conducting this assessment. (2024) Download the report.

Shawnee Grocery Study

Shawnee, OK

Pogo is a community-wide wellbeing initiative that works to impact long term health outcomes by supporting health interventions throughout the fabric of the community. Pogo focuses efforts on individuals, worksites, and policy, specifically food policy, and engages representatives from tribal nations, government, education, healthcare, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations to steer its work. Through a technical assistance grant from the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, New Venture Advisors assisted Pogo in identifying feasible solutions to their food access challenges and organizing the group’s momentum around several promising models. (2022)

CLiCK Expansion Feasibility Study

Windham, CT

CLiCK, Inc. (Commercially Licensed Cooperative Kitchen) is a non-profit commercial kitchen that provides affordable space for lower income and minority residents to incubate food-related businesses and offers gardening, culinary, and nutrition classes. Its kitchen members range from well-established year-round businesses to farmers market and food truck vendors to those who are just beginning on the certifications required to establish their businesses. The number of food businesses utilizing CLiCK’s facility has grown steadily. Renovations and expansion are needed in order to continue to meet the needs of its existing members and allow for further growth in membership. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study and designed a multi-phase concept plan for the proposed expansion of this shared-use commercial kitchen and its likely economic impacts on Windham and the surrounding region. (2022)

Oneida Nation Meat Processing Facility

Oneida, WI

The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin had worked for decades to build an interconnected food system founded on the principles of food sovereignty and food security. The pandemic shed a glaring light on how critical this effort continues to be for the Nation and its community, particularly how reliance on any external entities takes away its ability to feed its own people. Currently the Nation does not control the processing of animals on a large scale. This has brought forth a new initiative by the Nation to assess ways they can take back household and internal organizational processing of their protein sources. One of these opportunities is the possibility of a Nation owned and operated meat processing facility. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study for building this facility that would allow Oneida Nation to close this gap in its food system. (2022)

McHenry County College Food Hub

Crystal Lake, IL

The Center for Agrarian Learning (CAL) at McHenry County College offers a non-credit community education in farm viability, an Entrepreneurial Agriculture degree program, and operates a greenhouse and farm as part of its programming. CAL has a vision for adding a food hub to aggregate products grown on campus and from area farms to create a year-round sales channel for local producers looking to increase production or venture into wholesale markets. The program will be one of the few campus-based food hubs in the U.S., training the next generation of food system professionals with real-world experience from production to wholesale, and potentially retail. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to determine how this college-based food hub can serve small-to medium sized producers in the region. (2022)

Norton County Food System Assessment

Norton, KS

Norton Regional Health Foundation is the 501(c)(3) fiduciary agent for Live Well Norton, a volunteer-driven coalition that works to improve the health and quality of life for residents in Norton County. The coalition is working to build a vibrant local food system to improve access to healthy foods in this rural county. New Venture Advisors conducted a food system assessment for Norton County, to help them identify key opportunities to grow their local food system.  NVA also provided facilitation of community meetings to help them interpret the assessment data and potentially lay the groundwork for a food system plan for the community. (2022)

Download report here.

King County Innovation Hub Feasibility Study

Kent, WA

King County and the City of Kent, along with their community partners, pursue methods to strengthen local food systems, empower residents to start new businesses, and thereby increase access to healthy, affordable food for underserved communities. These efforts hit a major milestone in 2014, when King County adopted the Local Food Initiative—a roadmap for reinforcing and enhancing local food systems across the King County region. During and since that time, several needs assessments and market evaluations have been conducted related to the local food system infrastructure. These studies have analyzed the pressure points and gaps in private market facilities and the benefits of a consolidated local food facility that can support food businesses looking to scale production and manufacturing. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to identify the appropriate facility elements to support these objectives, develop conceptual designs for an innovation help, and help conduct outreach to identify partners who could support operations.  The work continued in 2022-2023 with NVA helping to build upon these past efforts by working with potential operating partners to refine the operating model, facility plan and conceptual site design for a local food hub and evaluating its cost and financial sustainability. NVA also continued to support engagement and outreach for the County and City via a series of webinars, news updates, and interviews to ensure that all community groups in the local ecosystem could identify opportunities for collaboration, partnership, or additional projects that support the continued development of the local food system. (2023)

The Food Basket Community Food Center

Hilo, HI

The Food Basket (TFB) is Hawai`i Island’s food bank. Increasing demand for the services TFB provides the residents of Hawai`i County is beyond the capacity of its Hilo facility. A new food bank warehouse/community food center in East Hawai`i with the capacity to meet the increased food needs for Hawai`i Island residents has the potential to dramatically improve food access for low-income residents, increase resilience and disaster preparedness, and provide food security for Hawai`i Island. TFB’s proposed campus supports the organization’s objective to eliminate hunger across the island of Hawai’i and identify new and innovative methods of providing food, education, and access to community members.  New Venture Advisors developed the design and supporting modeling for a 4-building campus to help accommodate TFB’s growth with added features that will enable TFB to offer new programs and services to the community. NVA continues to support the development project via design, updated financial modeling, funding development, business planning and continued engagement with partners. (2024)

God’s Pantry Food Warehouse

Lexington, KY

God’s Pantry Food Bank serves 50 counties in central and eastern Kentucky in partnership with more than 450 food pantries and meal programs. In 2020 God’s Pantry delivered over 40 million pounds of food from its central warehouse and three regional distribution centers. A fourth is planned in partnership with Warehouses4Good that will add storage and distribution capacity for the food bank, and provide a public warehouse for anchor tenants that could operate in any capacity across the food value chain. New Venture Advisors engaged regional stakeholders, developed an operating model that responded to their needs, programmed the facility according to their requirements, and outlined a strategy for securing their participation. (2022)

City of Wichita Food Access Strategy

Wichita, KS

Like many urban areas across the U.S., the City of Wichita is grappling with yet another closure of a grocery store in one of its low-income neighborhoods. The pandemic has shown that affordable access to nutritious food is critical and yet access to full service grocery is scant in several Wichita neighborhoods. New Venture Advisors assisted city leaders in understanding the factors that lead to store closures, identified national best practices for addressing “food deserts,” and evaluated potential business model innovations proposed by private enterprises. (2021)

Regional Food System Data Collection

Austin, TX

The Central Texas Foodshed Collaborative is a partnership led by the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability and several organizations whose mission is to sustain a diverse network that fosters engagement, alignment and action among the people and organizations advancing equity and sustainability in their region’s food system. The group is looking for ways to fill gaps in available food system data to improve their understanding of their foodshed and develop trackable metrics that can be analyzed to quantify progress and inform policymaking and programming. New Venture Advisors worked with the Collaborative to establish the baseline metrics and indicators to measure the regional food system, identify gaps and limitations in existing data, and developed a plan for continuous collection, learning, and data collection methods for the future. (2022)

Riley County and City of Manhattan, KS Food System Master Plan

Manhattan, KS

The Food and Farm Council of Riley County and City of Manhattan, KS partnered with New Venture Advisors to complete a Food System Master Plan that would guide the development of a dynamic and sustainable community food system. This was a comprehensive approach to identify policy solutions that influenced how food is produced, processed, distributed, stored, transported, purchased and consumed. NVA and the Food and Farm Council engaged community members and food system stakeholders to inform goals and action steps, and the finished Plan was adopted by the governing bodies of the City of Manhattan and Riley County. The planning project was funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas’ Pathways to a Healthy Kansas community grant program. (2022) Download plan here.

Junction City and Geary County Food System Master Plan

Junction City, KS

Live Well Geary County Food Policy Council completed a Food System Plan to provide a 10 year guide for the development of their community’s food system. This planning process provided a comprehensive approach to food system efforts – by identifying policy solutions that influence how food is produced, processed, distributed, stored, transported, purchased and consumed. The Plan was unanimously adopted by the Junction City Commission and the Geary County Commission in July of 2022. New Venture Advisors provided strategic direction and technical assistance to them and their local planning partners in the development of this plan, supported the adoption process, and is supporting early stage Plan implementation efforts. (2022)  Download plan here.

Barry County Blue Zones Initiative: Community Food Center Feasibility Study

Hastings, MI

Blue Zones Activate Barry County is part of the global movement that has improved health and well being for entire communities and cities. Barry Community Foundation has joined in the effort to make Barry County a healthier place to live, work, grow up, and grow old. The community prioritized changes it would like to see in the food environment with a majority of community members assembled at a summit voting for a food center and opportunities to prioritize health and nutrition education. Other ideas included a location for a year round farmers market and a kitchen incubator. Local leaders saw an opportunity to integrate these programs into a Community Food Center, and have identified a promising development site in Hastings, MI. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to determine if the proposed combination of components is viable, the best mix of food programs and enterprises to meet community aims, and the potential of various locations to serve as the site partner. NVA continues to support development efforts guiding the project through development with a construction partner, and finalizing design and modeling to support its sustainable operations. (2023)

Cultivate KC Strategic Plan

Kansas City, MO

Since 2005 Cultivate KC (CKC) has promoted urban agriculture as a pathway to a more sustainable and healthy food system for all, believing that growing and eating food is how we nurture and care for each other and the world we live in. CKC provides resources and advocacy to increase the production of and access to fresh, nutritious produce in urban areas throughout the Kansas City metro. New Venture Advisors facilitated both a SWOT analysis and strategic planning retreat for Cultivate KC’s staff. This work provided the foundation for an updated strategic plan that leverages Cultivate KC’s strengths, takes advantage of new programming and policy opportunities, and builds diversity, equity, and inclusion into the organization’s mission. (2021)

Food System Planning for the Waukegan Food Ecosphere

Waukegan, IL

The Adelante Center for Entrepreneurship exists to create wealth in distressed communities through entrepreneurship, community development, and living wage job creation, all through a focus on addressing food insecurity. A collective of food initiatives has been identified to be among the first projects undertaken at Adelante: an indoor farm and growing facility, an innovative approach to a food pantry, farm to school programming, a food hub, a shared kitchen, and a retail and food hall concept offering local access to diverse food and grocery options. Pre-development work for this ambitious set of projects is underway with New Venture Advisors. (2023)

Damian’s Craft Meats Feasibility Study

Ann Arbor, MI

For six years, Damian’s Craft Meats has been exploring the viability of developing a slaughterhouse and meat processing business that reflects the founders’ deep connection to and understanding of where good food comes from, and their respect for living animals. Moreover, and especially due to the disruption of the meat industry caused by the pandemic, they see an opportunity to reverse patterns of inequality, consolidation, and disinvestment in order to advance an equitable food system and expand the local meat value chain in southeast Michigan. NVA conducted a comprehensive feasibility study of the market, business model and facility plan and developed a business plan for their facility development project. The purpose of this project is to bolster the growth of the region’s meat sector through community collaboration and planning to better support the processing, aggregation, storage, and distribution of locally and regionally produced meat products. (2021)

Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Enterprise Center Feasibility Study

Staunton, VA

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission wants to support business diversification and growth in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia through value-added products and the delivery of agricultural goods and products to new markets. An Agricultural Enterprise Center has the potential to significantly accelerate this growth. This multi-use facility is intended to help growers and producers expand their market area, bridge the market gap, and pool together products to meet market demands. New Venture Advisors completed a feasibility study to determine the size, scale and location of the Ag Enterprise Center, the components to be included, and the economic benefits for the region. (2021)  Read the report here.

Spartanburg Community Food Center Feasibility Study

Spartanburg, SC

Spartanburg Food System Coalition is an initiative of Partners for Active Living, a nonprofit organization that advances active living, promotes healthy eating and fosters health equity in Spartanburg County. The main goals of the Coalition are to create greater access to healthy food and to strengthen the local food system. Its diverse members represent business, academia, government, health care and NGOs focused on healthy eating and community improvement. In 2020, the Coalition completed a food system assessment and plan that pointed to the development of a Community Food Center where many of the recommended initiatives could be located under one roof. NVA has completed a preliminary assessment of the community’s needs and recommended continued pathways for building community engagement and navigating the development of an operational model. (2021)

The Good Food Collective Social Enterprise Launch

Durango, CO

Fruit for Good is a new social enterprise of The Good Food Collective. It dehydrates gleaned fruit from area farms, sells it to regional retail and wholesale customers, and donates it to food banks and pantries. New Venture Advisors coached the organization to conduct a market study to refine the value proposition for customers, put plans on paper that define the operating model and staffing plan, project the financial resources required, and build a roadmap with milestones through the pilot and full launch. (2021)

Shagbark Seed & Mill Growth Plan

Athens, OH

Shagbark Seed & Mill is a social enterprise launched by the Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative in 2010 to purchase, aggregate, store, process, value-add, market, and distribute certified organic Ohio-grown bean and grain products. They currently sell to stores, restaurants, and institutions across the mid-Atlantic region. At 10 years in business, Shagbark Seed & Mill is contemplating growth strategies that will enable the company to double its product sales over the next 3-4 years and support more Ohio and Appalachian family farms. The company worked with New Venture Advisors to conduct a business review, recommend operational, financial and market strategies, and create a roadmap that will guide the company through its next phase of growth. (2021)

Great Plains Food Bank Mobile Market

Fargo, ND

For 36 years, the Great Plains Food Bank has been working to end hunger across North Dakota and western Minnesota. As the only food bank in this service area, they distribute more than 12 million meals annually to over 102,000 food insecure residents through a number of innovative programs. New Venture Advisors assessed the viability of a new initiative: a mobile market that serves communities across the state that lack a grocery store. The market would operate as a social enterprise, deploying the assets, staff and know-how of their existing mobile food pantry program as a for-profit business that sells fresh and shelf-stable food sourced through the central food bank and purchased from farms and food makers in retail market locations. (2020)

Open Door Community House Incubator Operating Plan

Columbus, GA

Open Door Community House offers skills training programs for low income individuals in Columbus, including Culinary Arts classes and ServSafe certification. The organization has launched a Culinary Incubator to support graduates from the program who are interested in starting a food business. It offers a full curriculum in a classroom setting. New Venture Advisors developed an operating plan for the incubator and provided coaching support during its pilot phase in late 2020. (2020)

Linn County Food System Assessment

Cedar Rapids, IA

In 2020, The Linn County Food Systems Council had ambitious goals to improve Linn County’s food system from production to consumption. They focused on increasing access to and consumption of nutritious foods by boosting the volume and diversity of food produced within the county. The first step toward accomplishing this goal was to complete a comprehensive baseline food system assessment. New Venture Advisors worked with the Council to assess four factors that are foundational to food system development: production, procurement, processing, and barriers to entry and expansion of businesses working within the food system. (2020)  Read the report here.

City of Wichita Food System Master Plan

Wichita, KS

The Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita’s Food Policy Committee is developing, connecting and building a local food environment that creates a sustainable food system to serve the needs of producers, suppliers and consumers. The Coalition is composed of numerous organizations including the Greater Wichita YMCA which serves as fiduciary for the Coalition. By partnering with the City of Wichita to create a 10-year Food System Master Plan, they are guiding the development of community food assets in Wichita, Kansas. A Food System Master Plan process is an opportunity to provide a comprehensive approach to food systems efforts – identifying policy solutions that influence how food is produced, processed, distributed, stored, transported, purchased and consumed. New Venture Advisors provided technical assistance, guided the collaborative planning process, and authored the master plan. (2021)  Download plan here

Wood County Community Food Center

Wisconsin Rapids, WI

This central Wisconsin community has organized a group of stakeholders representing public health, hunger relief, agriculture, public schools, academia and more to explore the feasibility of a Community Food Center. They see the need to create efficiencies between hunger and health organizations, increase accessibility of local foods to visitors and residents, support local farmers and entrepreneurs, and create an environment that eliminates hunger stigma and enhances workforce skill training and development. NVA is helping the health department and its partners in determining a sustainable business model for a Community Food Center that incorporates a hunger relief food pantry and hot meal site, and revenue generation through local food aggregation, processing, and distribution. (2020)

Northeast Market Assessment for Vermont Grain

Montpelier, VT

Northern Grain Growers Association, UVM Extension, Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program and Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund/Farm to Plate are wisely exploring agricultural options for Vermont dairy producers whose farming operations are facing an economic crisis that threatens the loss of their land and livelihoods. This group of collaborators is developing a hypothesis that investments in grain industry infrastructure could catalyze production transition and expansion among regional producers. New Venture Advisors is conducting a market study of the Northeast for Vermont’s grain industry and developing recommendations aligned with Vermont’s grain production strengths. (2020)

Food System Partners of McHenry County

Woodstock, IL

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County (TLC) works to preserve natural and agricultural land in and around McHenry County, IL. TLC believes that agriculture can and should work with nature, not against it, to provide good food, clean water, healthy soil and a robust economy. TLC has been working in partnership with many local groups, agencies, farmers, landowners and others with the long-term goal of getting more people producing healthy food in a regenerative way in McHenry County and the larger foodshed. New Venture Advisors facilitated a summit inviting these groups to explore ideas for a shared vision and identify opportunities to work together toward a stronger, more resilient food and farm system. (2019)

Kōkua Kalihi Valley Strategic Plan

Honolulu, HI

Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services (KKV) is a community health center created in 1972 to meet the local region’s need for proper health care. KKV’s mission is to “work toward healing, reconciliation and the alleviation of suffering in Kalihi Valley through strong relationships that honor culture and foster health and harmony.” The ROOTS Program of KKV supports this mission with a variety of programs that provide direct assistance, training, education, and connection through growing, preparing, and sharing food as a community. New Venture Advisors developed a strategic plan to clarify the operating structure and financial performance of the programs and enterprises within the ROOTS Program today and to provide a roadmap for the future. (2019)

Sustainable Food Center Visioning Initiative

Austin, TX

The Sustainable Food Center (SFC) is an Austin-based nonprofit organization with involvement in every aspect of the local, Central Texas, food system. SFC works to cultivate a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and increasing access to nutritious, affordable food. In looking ahead, SFC asked, “How is the local food system likely to evolve, and what is our future as the centerpiece of this changing food system?” In 2018, SFC worked with New Venture Advisors to refresh its vision by answering these and the many underlying questions in order to clarify its future role, structure and plans. Since that time SFC has been implementing the plan, and NVA has provided coaching support in defining the purpose, structure and work focus of the newly formed organization. (2021)

Oneida Community Food Center Business Plan

Oneida, WI

The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people, with a reservation located on 65,000 acres on the west side of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The tribe works to offer programs, services, and resources that enable the community to carry on with the strength and determination of its ancestors. The Food Center is a new initiative that will teach people how to process and prepare nutritious meals and traditional Oneida foods, serving not only Oneida Nation members, but also entrepreneurs and in the food industry. In 2018 New Venture Advisors investigated the feasibility of this commercial and community-use, regional, and intertribal food production center, and is now assisting with a business plan as the tribe prepares for launch in 2022. (2021)

Worcester Regional Food Hub

Worcester, MA

The Worcester Regional Food Hub has been a collaborative effort between the Regional Environmental Council of Central Massachusetts (REC) and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, made possible by the generous support of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. The food hub, piloted as a kitchen incubator and aggregation hub in 2016, sought to enhance the regional economy through improved producer and consumer networks, targeted workforce development programs, and business incubation. NVA assisted REC and its partners in assessing the market and developing a business plan for the hub’s next stage of growth. (2019)

LISC Phoenix Commercial Kitchen Strategy

Phoenix and Mesa, AZ

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, known as LISC, is one of the largest nonprofits in the country supporting projects to revitalize communities, transforming them into healthy and sustainable places to live, work, and raise families. Two projects in metro Phoenix, a cultural center and an affordable housing development, include commercial kitchens that will operate with a missional emphasis on job creation and serving small businesses, particularly local, women, native and minority-owned. NVA assisted in building the capacity of the management teams, and the refinement of their operating models. (2018)

Cornell University Eastern Broccoli Project

Ithaca, NY

This project began at a time when high transportation costs, interest in locally grown food, and sustainability concerns had begun to create demand for Eastern-grown broccoli. Researchers at Cornell University along with other academic and industry partners have been focused on developing a reliable, high quality, year-round supply of Eastern-grown broccoli that is welcomed in East Coast markets. NVA assisted these efforts in exploring strategies for boosting trade acceptance of this promising specialty crop. (2019)

The Food Trust Small Store Initiative

Philadelphia, PA

New Venture Advisors assisted The Food Trust in conducting a national scan of distribution networks that serve small stores such as corner stores, bodegas, convenience stores, fuel-based retail and rural grocers. The project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examined the supply chain that moves food from production to the point of consumption to better understand the barriers in bringing fresher and more nutritious foods to small stores. (2016)

Read the report here.

Project Angel Heart Food Enterprise

Denver, CO

Project Angel Heart (PAH) delivers medically modified meals to improve quality of life, at no cost, for those coping with life-threatening illnesses. New Venture Advisors worked with PAH to develop a business plan for a Community Partners Program through which the organization would contract with hospitals to provide meals to patients upon discharge. The program would serve as a new revenue stream for the organization and would help providers align with new requirements and incentives emerging from the Affordable Care Act. The program is launching in 2016. (2016)

Headwater Food Hub

Rochester, NY

Headwater Foods, Inc. is a thriving food hub in upstate New York with a wholesale business line and a CSA service. New Venture Advisors worked with Headwater on a market assessment to quantify institutional demand for fresh cut produce, in support of the hub’s plans for a new processing business line. (2015)

Bridgeport Downtown Development

Bridgeport, CT

Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District is focused on the development and revitalization of downtown Bridgeport, CT. New Venture Advisors worked with Carmody Consulting on the development of an action plan to revitalize Bridgeport’s downtown district through food enterprise development, based on a series of interviews and a community planning session. (2015)

Landmarks Illinois Chicago Public School Redevelopment

Chicago, IL

Landmarks Illinois is the state’s leading voice for historic preservation. New Venture Advisors worked with Landmarks Illinois and Chicago Public Schools to identify reuse opportunities for 18 schools that had been closed by the board of education to combat budget deficits. Recognizing Chicago as a growing hub of entrepreneurial activity in food and beverage, New Venture Advisors explored adaptive reuse cases centered on important assets of these schools – their kitchens, grounds, and multi-use spaces – that could serve as a foundation for food enterprises. Read the report here. (2015)

New London Food Hub Feasibility Study

New London, CT

This study, led by United Way of Southeastern Connecticut and the New London County Food Policy Council, assessed the food landscape in the region to determine the optimal operating model for a food hub in the county and the financial viability of this potential hub. The study resulted in a decision to move forward with a nonprofit, services-focused food hub whose aim is to support growers in expanding production. (2015) Read the report here.

Western New York Food Hub

Buffalo, NY

Field & Fork Network is a food and farming organization focused on building a resilient regional food system in Western New York. In partnership with Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Field & Fork worked with New Venture Advisors to complete a feasibility study and business plan for a food hub connecting small farms and wholesale customers, building a thriving, healthy community through local food. (2015)

Chesapeake Harvest Food Hub

Easton, MD

New Venture Advisors assisted Easton Economic Development Corporation in developing a business plan for an integrated farm and food hub that aggregates from producers and invests in essential infrastructure to enable Eastern Shore farmers to expand market reach, increase the supply of healthy foods to the region and create employment opportunities, while donating the equivalent of five percent of sales in food to food access programs in its trade area. The hub launched in 2016. (2015)

Casper Community Food Assessment

Casper, WY

Bould Development aims to strengthen the local food system to increase the health and prosperity of the Casper community. The project’s ambitious leader is a medical student who believes that the food system is the nation’s primary healthcare system, and that building a better food system is foundational to better health for his community. Through funding from USDA, Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming, Casper Area Economic Development Alliance, Casper Community Greenhouse Project, and Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center, New Venture Advisors led a Community Food Assessment to identify barriers to and strategies for the development of a more robust food system for the Casper area. (2015)

International Rescue Committee New Roots Food Hub

San Diego, CA

The IRC in San Diego creates innovative and sustainable projects that increase healthy, locally-grown, culturally-appropriate foods for and by refugee and low-income communities. IRC partners closely with clients, local neighborhoods and organizations throughout San Diego County to find durable solutions to food insecurity, health problems, and economic hardship through community-based food and farming projects. One such project is the New Roots Food Hub. New Venture Advisors developed a business plan to strengthen and expand the food hub to more effectively serve refugee farmers and customers in San Diego seeking these unique, fresh, local products. (2015)

Angelic Organics Learning Center Roots & Wings Food Hub

Rockford, IL

Angelic Organics Learning Center is a regional leader helping urban and rural people build sustainable local food and farm systems. The Learning Center works with stakeholders in low-income communities in the City of Rockford to increase food security through education, youth and adult urban agriculture projects, and local food enterprises including a CSA and farmstand. New Venture Advisors assisted with a feasibility study to expand these enterprises into a wholesale and retail food hub. (2015)

Mohawk Valley Food System Assessment

Cobleskill, NY

New Venture Advisors conducted the Mohawk Valley Food System Assessment under the sponsorship of Empire State Development and in partnership with Cornell University Cooperative Extension. The purpose of the study was to determine the types of food businesses that could boost the agricultural sector and occupy a former textile mill in Cobleskill, NY. The team identified a number of high priority business to evaluate, and New Venture Advisors developed breakeven financial models to enable them to determine if and how to move forward. (2016)

SustainFloyd Dairy and Value-Added Processing Center

Floyd, VA

Assisting the vibrant agricultural community on the Blue Ridge Plateau toward a resilient future, SustainFloyd works to develop new ideas that will support the next generation of its rural community while preserving its resources, traditions and heritage. Among many creative ideas in development, SustainFloyd explored a value-added agricultural center to process and market locally-produced fruits, vegetables and dairy products. New Venture Advisors completed the business plan and the business began operations in 2014. (2013)

Tazewell County Resource Center Processing Kitchen

Tremont, IL

TCRC is a nonprofit agency near Peoria, IL offering programs and services that benefit persons with developmental disabilities and visual impairments. With FamilyFarmed.org, New Venture Advisors completed a feasibility assessment in 2012 for the creation of a commercial kitchen to employ TCRC workers in light food processing and provide a needed service to agricultural producers and artisan food makers in the region. (2012)

Wholesome Wave Food Hub Business Assessment Toolkit

Bridgeport, CT

New Venture Advisors worked with Wholesale Wave on the development of a technology toolkit to help food hubs be more strategic in selecting their technology vendors. The toolkit guides food hubs through the process of evaluating their overall work flow, establishing their technology needs at every step in their work flow, and developing a set of requirements for their technology provider. The toolkit also provides initial guidance on the landscape of potential technology providers food hubs might consider working with. (2013)

West Virginia University Meat Processing Enterprise Planning

Morgantown, WV

The Small Farm Center of the WVU Extension Service strives to increase the farmer’s bottom line by retaining more of the dollar spent on food in the community. New Venture Advisors was engaged by the Center’s visionary founder to help three farming communities organize, identify opportunities and assess the feasibility of enterprises which will expand meat processing capacity and strengthen the regional food economy. (2012)

Blue Ridge Produce

Elkwood, VA

Blue Ridge Produce aggregates and distributes local produce to customers in northern Virginia and the Washington D.C. area. Blue Ridge is the outcome of the study Local Food System Assessment for Northern Virginia published in 2010 by FamilyFarmed.org. During the winter of 2010/2011, New Venture Advisors wrote the company business plan and created investor materials to assist in fundraising. The Blue Ridge team raised debt and equity financing to secure a 33-acre industrial site in rural Virginia and opened its doors in May 2011. (2011)