Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Food Hub?
A: There is no one-size-fits-all definition for a “food hub.” Some food hubs focus on light food processing and distribution, others on aggregation and distribution, and others on technical assistance and farmer education. We fall under the classification of a “regional food hub.”
What is that? According to the USDA Regional Food Hub Resource Guide, “A regional food hub is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand.”
What does your Food Hub do?
Our Food Hub aggregates and delivers from over 125 New England farm and food producers to over 280 wholesale customers in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Our wholesale customers include schools, hospitals, co-ops and independent grocery stores, restaurants, and farm stores and stands.
What areas does your Food Hub serve?
We have wholesale customers and producers primarily throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. We partner with other food hubs throughout New England, including the New Hampshire and Vermont Food Hub networks, to expand the markets for our local producers and increase the product diversity for our wholesale customers while still supporting mission-aligned food producers.
How is the Food Hub different from a for-profit distributor?
We are mission-driven in all of our work.
All of our food is source-identified.
We strive to represent farmers and food producers of all scales and types who, in turn, offer unique products and follow high-quality standards (often Organic, humanely-raised, non-GMO, etc.). We strive to mark up products at a fair rate. We aim to support our activities and projects with that margin, not to maximize profits. We strive to ensure that farmers and food producers are getting a high value for their products.
And we do just-in-time delivery service (meaning we pick up food on Tuesdays to deliver on Wednesdays, for example) to ensure the freshest quality products, especially when it comes to produce.
Where does your food come from?
We distribute food from over 125 producers across New England.
Can I purchase food for my home?
Yes, but please be aware that you must order wholesale case sizes. We do not split cases.
Schedule
The Food Connects Food Hub operates 50 weeks per year, 5 days a week.We are closed for one week in April and the week between Christmas and New Years.
We will adjust our delivery schedule accordingly to accommodate the following holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- 4th of July
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
In the event of inclement weather, we may need to reschedule deliveries. If this happens a Food Hub Team member will communicate directly with affected customers via phone or email to provide an updated schedule.