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ripeCommunity

ripeCommunity is a directory and matchmaking site designed to connect local farm and food businesses with consumers, institutions, grocery stores, restaurants, and others across the food system.

Image by Priscilla Du Preez

Who does ripeCommunity serve?

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  • FARMS seeking to connect with any (or all) of the parties listed below who are looking for fresh, locally grown food sources

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  • INSTITUTIONS (e.g., schools and hospitals) looking for local farms and farm-based businesses and suppliers

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  • FARMERS MARKETS looking for local farm vendors

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  • FOOD PANTRIES seeking local products to offer clients

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  • RESTAURANTS interested in local suppliers for their farm-to-table offerings

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  • FOOD HUBS & DISTRIBUTORS looking to source fresh food from local farms and identify new markets

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  • CONSUMERS who want to locate fresh, local food direct from farms, and/or to patronize or support the farmers markets, grocery stores, institutions, or restaurants who source their food from local NY farms.

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Who can create a profile?

 

Every member of the food supply chain, from producer to distributor to buyer, is invited to list their business or institution on ripeCommunity.

Consumers are invited to visit and view the directory to source food, identifying where to shop and what they eat.

How to Create a Profile

Our instructional video on How to Create a Farm/Food Business Profile demonstrates the profile creation process from start to finish, including:

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  • creating an account,

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  • entering location, distribution, product, market, ordering, insurance, food safety and other business information,

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  • uploading a logo, photo and certificate,

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  • how to edit your profile from the dashboard,

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  • and everything in between.

Step-by-Step Guides

 

Swipe through these step-by-step guides on how to:

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From the ripeCommunity Creators

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Watch the recording of our April 2021 ripeCommunity Webinar in April. Tour the platform with ripeCommunity’s creators and learn about the opportunities available on both the farm and institution side of the F2I market, through ripeCommunity.

FAQs

 

Visit the ripeCommunity FAQs page for answers to commonly asked questions about ripeCommunity and how to use it.

Image by Dan-Cristian Pădureț

Contact Us

 

If you have questions about ripeCommunity, please contact CADE Senior Program Manager Kaitlyn Sirna at kaitlyn@cadefarms.org.

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Spread the Word

 

Help us share the news about ripeCommunity using the assets in the ripeCommunity toolkit. Included are language and graphics our friends and partners can share across their networks.

Image by Marek Studzinski

Additional Resources

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CADE F2I Market Report

A report based on research conducted by the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County and the Mohawk Valley Food Policy Advisory Council identified Market Size and Purchasing Behavior in Farm to Institution Supply Chain.
Read the complete report.

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CADE Market Access Services

Are you interested in finding more markets for your farm products but don't know where or how? CADE provides marketing education services and one-on-one technical assistance to farmers in the Catskills, Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier.

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Interested in one-on-one technical assistance? Farmers are eligible for up to 10 hours of technical assistance from a CADE staff member. To get started, please fill out this quick survey to tell us a little more about your farm. After we've reviewed your survey, we will follow-up to schedule a meeting to develop a marketing and sales strategy customized for you and your farm.

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New York State Farm-To-School Program Incentives

The New York State Farm-to-School Program was created to connect schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health, and promote regional food systems awareness.

The Department of Agriculture and Markets provides financial assistance to New York State schools through New York State’s Farm-to-School program.  It also provides technical and promotional assistance to schools, farms, distributors and other supporting organizations to bring more local, nutritious, seasonally-varied meals to New York students.

Image by Stijn te Strake

ripeCommunity Partners & Friends

 

ripeCommunity would like to thank the following leaders, movers and shakers in our robust agricultural community for their project support. From inception, beta-launching and piloting ripeCommunity, the following organizations and agencies have been instrumental to its success and we thank them for their participation and partnership:

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  • American Farmland Trust (AFT)

  • Assemblywoman Lupardo’s Office

  • BT-BOCES

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension County offices

  • Cornell Farm to School Program Work Team

  • DCMO-BOCES

  • Farm to Institution New England (FINE)

  • Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS)

  • Farm to School Coordinators

  • Great Western Catskills

  • Harvest NY

  • Headwater Food Hub

  • Local Food Service Authorities (FSAs)

  • Pure Catskills

  • Regional Farmers

  • Senator Hinchey’s Office

  • Slate Foods

  • the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce

  • the Food and Health Network of South Central NY

  • Watershed Ag Council

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