Building Community Food Webs by Ken Meter

Author:Ken Meter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 2021-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

An Incubator Requires Supportive Networks

For Athens, similarly, no community kitchen incubator, no matter how cleverly designed, would survive without a supportive network giving it life. Holley and her peers saw ACEnet as the vehicle for forging the required networks. Paying close attention to food production made sense, Holley added, because “the food economy is connected to the rest of the economy.”

ACEnet leaders were also aware that the extractive industries which had characterized much of the economic activity in Appalachia, such as agriculture and mining, had allowed many to build wealth but had left those who did the most demanding labor—the long-term residents—disadvantaged. Simply starting new businesses would not be enough; the community also had to create ownership opportunities for residents, build wealth that remained at work in the area, and commit itself to supporting local businesses.

Certain elements of that network were already in place, and of course formed a strong element of what had attracted the group to Athens. An independently owned grocery store, the Farmacy, had opened in 1970, featuring food from local farms when available. Some of the region’s more enterprising farmers had begun selling their food on downtown streets, feeding the meter at parking stalls to command a space. By 1972, the City moved to formalize this trade, opening a farmers’ market east of town, at the site of a former airport for Ohio University. The market became a vibrant meeting place, as well as an important commercial venue for farmers. It further served as the best place in town for a new farm to announce its presence.

Former market manager (and retired editor of Cooperative Grocer magazine) David Gutknecht explained that the farmers’ market offered a place for growers to built product recognition without spending a great deal. “It has also been an important venue for folks who develop a product in the community kitchen at ACEnet,” he added. After establishing themselves in Athens, many vendors build up their businesses enough to sell in larger metropolitan areas, such as Columbus.

Ominously, conversations at the farmers’ market also captured the plight of farmers who were struggling to make ends meet and facing an impending credit crisis. Farmers and food leaders now gravitated to ACEnet’s leaders to ask for help. By 1985, ACEnet had opened an office. Later that same year, a worker-owned cooperative restaurant, Casa Nueva, opened nearby. Wilkins and Zinn facilitated the formation of the co-op. This new Mexican restaurant featured produce from local farms. It still thrives today, some three decades later, with management decisions made by consensus of all the workers. The following year, another worker cooperative, Crumb’s Bakery, opened. This firm also passed the test of time.

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