Nick Weir reflects on the Open Food Network session at the Northern Real Farming Conference 2020.
We heard from two Scottish food enterprises which have rapidly risen to the challenge of COVID and restructured their distribution systems almost overnight.
Liane Cumming told us how her smallholding, Woodlea Stables changed from a farm shop business to an entirely online service selling eggs and baked products to not only their existing customer base but also a wide range of new online customers through their new Open Food Network shopfront.
Rosie Jack then showed us the online shopfront for Bowhouse Link which brings together a wide range of products from 15 local farmers, growers and food prodcuers.
Nick Weir then talked about the other kinds of enterprises which are joining the rapidly expanding Network including producers selling direct from their farms, food hubs linking together several local producers through one online shop, farmers’ markets moving online, food co-ops, farm shops, buying groups and food banks. This summary shows how all these enterprises can then link together in the Network to sell and distribute each other’s’ produce, giving shoppers and buyers multiple options for purchasing local produce.
For more details contact Nick on 01453 840037 or nick@openfoodnetwork.org.uk
You can watch the recording of the session here.