The Whidbey Island Fairgrounds & Events Center and The Port of South Whidbey are so happy and proud to announce the addition of the Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative to the Fairground’s Malone Building, where they will operate their Food Hub program.
The WIGC Food Hub is an online marketplace where over 40 local and regional producers sell their products to Whidbey Island households, restaurants, markets, and schools. The Malone building will be used to aggregate and store the local products, then pack and distribute customer orders.
The Food Hub connects the community with local farms and supports local, small-scale food producers with services like cold storage and shared supply orders. The space they will be occupying on the fairgrounds will allow them to grow for years while supporting other local businesses such as the Fairgrounds kitchen renters.
“I have had so many great conversations with their director and board members. It’s up to them what the future of their business holds, but I will admit a Friday Market and Winter Market have both been mentioned and I am so very excited!”, says Amanda Ellis, Fairground Director.”
“Moving our headquarters to the Malone Building space is going to allow us to grow and expand our Food Hub and farmer services. We look forward to this partnership and the opportunities that it brings.” Says Shannon Bly, Executive Director of WIGC.
Here’s a quote from our board member Martin Vandepas of Slow and Steady Farm:
“Whidbey Island Grown is really excited to have a centrally located space for our farmers to drop produce and distribute it to our many customers in the community. Whidbey Island Grown is grateful to be a part of revitalizing the fairgrounds as a community hub that can better serve Whidbey's small businesses, farmers, and residents.”
Healthy local food is in high demand on Whidbey. This partnership with the Port of South Whidbey will allow the Whidbey Island Grown Food Hub to expand to meet increasing demand and continue providing a crucial link between Whidbey farmers and Whidbey eaters.
Our program allows Whidbey farmers to deliver to one of several convenient drop locations and reach a much larger customer base of residents, restaurants, and grocery stores from Oak Harbor to Clinton.
Questions for Whidbey Island Grown can be directed to: shannon@whidbeyislandgrown.com or info@WhidbeyIslandGrown.com
