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GETTING THEIR HANDS DIRTY - June 2008 Wharton Small Business Development Center

THE COMMON MARKET - A LOCAL FOOD DISTRIBUTION CENTER

The Common Market Philadelphia is a non-profit wholesale distribution center of farm products produced in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. Its mission is to buy food from local growers who strive for high quality products and to sell to businesses and institutions who want to buy from local sources and to know who produces their food. The Common Market can help growers diversify their marketing. Net income will be used to assist start-up food businesses supplied by the warehouse and thereby increase sales by local farmers.

The Common Market opened July 2008 to supply hospitals, colleges, and nursing homes in the greater Philadelphia area and add other buyers such as restaurants, caterers, and grocery stores soon after startup.

James DeMarsh is the Common Market's first general manager. Mr. DeMarsh worked for five years on a vegetable farm and is the former supply manager for the Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative. “I truly appreciate the hard work farmers do to grow our food,” said DeMarsh. “We will work closely with our farmers to agree on a fair price so that the farm community can thrive.”

Farm to City, with the East Park Revitalization Alliance, was instrumental in developing the concept for the Common Market. In early 2005, we put together a project team and an application for a planning grant to fund a feasibility study and business plan for the distribution center. As a result of our efforts, the team received a $100,000 grant from the State of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development's First Industries Fund.

Since completion of these studies in late 2007, Farm to City worked with the East Park Revitalization Alliance and White Dog Community Enterprises to hire the Common Market's first manager and to plan for the mid-2008 opening of the distribution center. The Common Market is located in the SHARE warehouse in North Philadelphia. Bob Pierson, Farm to City's program director, is on the board of directors of the Common Market. Other directors are Ann Karlen, Tatiana Granados, Haile Johnston, Rob Amsterdam, and Jack Cavanaugh.

The website for the Common Market, www.commonmarketphila.org will be more fully developed soon.

Read what Harold Brubaker wrote about the Common Market in the August 6th Philadelphia Inquirer.

GOOD FOOD, GOOD BEER, AND THE REST IS HISTORY

5th Annual Event
New Market, 2nd & Lombard in Historic Philadelphia
July 18, 2009

We invite you to this great local food and beer-tasting annual event, now in its fifth year. Many great local restaurants and micro breweries will offer tastings of their finest under the shambles at the historic New Market, 2nd and Lombard in Philadelphia's Society Hill.

Farm to City puts on this event as a fundraiser for the Philadelphia Convivium of Slow Food and Green Village Philadelphia.

Entrance tickets are $30 for five plates and $22 for three plates. Beer is complementary.

We will open advance ticket sales before the event. Advance reservations wil closed to noon on Saturday July 18th. Tickets may be available at the door if the event is not sold out.

Updated Aug 8, 2008 mr