Handshake-by-Handshake: People-Centered Events that Make a Market

How do we connect food buyers and food sellers more authentically?
Changemakers Day
August 29, 2008

In 2001, Ecotrust in partnership with the Portland chapter of Chef’s Collaborative held its first networking conference that gave space for food producers and food buyers to meet one another, build relationships, and strike deals. Since that time, the annual Farmer-Chef Connection Conference has become a powerful networking tool for regional food producers and buyers, who have discovered the mutual value derived from long-term, stable business relationships.

In 2007 and 2008, 35 distinct communities—from New Orleans to Iowa City and Saskatoon to Durango, CO—hosted their own Farmer-Chef networking events based on the foundation laid in the Pacific Northwest. In this session, each of the presenters will speak to their experiences as a conference host, what that has meant for the food community at large, and how others might learn and build from the amazing groundwork in place. In turn, this session prepares the audience to make steps forward to bring effective, resonant events to their regions.

Moderator: Deborah Kane, Ecotrust
Panelists: Deb Deacon, SE Wisconsin Farm and Food Network; Julie Hudak, Garden Project of Southwest Colorado and Slow Food Durango; Robin Rodriguez, Slow Food Memphis and Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee