Duane Hicks
Cloverbelt Local Food Co-op is hoping to expand into Rainy River District next year.
The first and only online local food co-op in Northwestern Ontario will be holding a trio of information sessions in Emo and Fort Frances next week to begin engaging consumers and producers.
A consumer information session will be held Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Emo Legion.
A second one for consumers is to be held in Fort Frances next Thursday (Oct. 27) from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at 601 Mowat Ave. (above the credit union).
“The Cloverbelt Local Food Co-op is looking to expand and have a hub up and running in the new year, hopefully in Emo or Fort Frances,” said Andrea Habinski, agricultural co-ordinator for the co-op.
“The main goal of our trip [next week] is to dig deep and do some consumer engagement,” she explained.
“We want to better inform Emo and Fort Frances consumers about what the co-op is, how we work, how you can join, [and] what your membership benefits are.
“And I will be bringing quite a bit of product samples with me,” added Habinski, noting that while the co-op is out of produce season, it still sells meats, cheeses, baking, and other foods at www.cloverbeltlocalfoodcoop.com
“Our consumers can try some of our products over lunch,” she suggested.
“I’ll also bring some of our non-edible products—our beauty products and skin care and our coffee–so consumers can actually get an idea of what it is we sell on the website.”
A third information session—this one for producers—will be held this Tuesday (Oct. 25) from 7-9 p.m. at the Emo Inn conference room (food will be provided).
Habinski stressed the co-op is trying to get a hub going either in Emo or Fort Frances, but it will depend on several factors.
“A big part of the producer event is figuring out what the producer interest level is and what producers think that it is that they need to have this working and successful in the area,” she noted.
“We’ve got to get a transportation system lined up, as well, so we’re going to be looking into that feasibility and what’s required to have that up and running, as well, too.”
Habinski said a few district producers already are participating in the co-op, including Rainy River Meats.
But without a transportation system in place, it hinders some other producers from participating.
Formed in August, 2013 from an existing food box program in Dryden, the non-profit group offers hundreds of different products from producers via its website at www.cloverbeltlocalfoodcoop.com
The co-op runs every week year-round. Consumers, who must buy a one-time, lifetime membership for $45, can shop online from Saturday at 2 p.m. until Monday at 10 a.m.
The producers then can start harvesting, baking, or otherwise getting their orders ready for delivery.
The goods are picked up by Tuesday afternoon and delivered to the hubs in Dryden, Kenora, Ignace, Upsala, and Sioux Lookout, where they are sorted by volunteers and picked up by consumers.
“We don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like in Emo or Fort Frances because, obviously, we have to factor in the time to get products from Emo to Dryden and then back from Dryden to Emo,” Habinski noted.
Check them out on Facebook or visit www.cloverbeltlocalfoodcoop.com to learn more.
