Foodshed Cultivator: Increasing Institutional Purchasing of Local Farm Food

About Blue Ridge Foodshed Commons

Local family farms restore the health & vitality of land, people and communities – ensuring long-term ecological resilience and mutual thriving for all life in a bioregion. Western North Carolina is home to 5,000 family farms, several food aggregators & distributors, and 40 farmers’ markets. Yet only 4% of the food purchased in this region is produced here. Blue Ridge Foodshed Commons is a public benefit LLC founded in 2025 to catalyze a thriving food economy centered around small-scale family farms in WNC. Moving beyond traditional fragmented charity, we guide local food leaders to operate as an interconnected ecosystem. We channel funding and other resources into multi-stakeholder grassroots initiatives, strengthening the relationships and infrastructure that will enable WNC to shift local food purchasing from 4% to at least 25% by 2035. Core stewards Holly, Andrea & Jean-Paul embody a unique synergy of expertise in regenerative food & farming, entrepreneurship, and finance.

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