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Fay-Penn to establish food co-op, promote local produce

By Eric Morris emorris@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read

Aided by recent funding, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council plans to further push local agriculture production and consumption efforts by developing a food co-op and open-air market in the Uniontown area.

Fay-Penn received $90,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help establish the co-op, which is projected to open spring 2016 and will give local consumers access to fresh, local produce.

“Here in Fayette County, there’s already a need to fill — how we can get food producers and consumers together so that we produce, process and consume it all in one area,” said Fay-Penn local economy manager Bob Junk.

Through the co-op, farmers will have the ability to distribute, process and market their products, and local entrepreneurs will have the opportunity start their own businesses.

“National statistics show that the small business community generates and sustains more jobs than any other industry. The winner is the local economy,” Junk said. “We’re creating jobs and small businesses that the local economy will benefit from.”

Fay-Penn is currently in the process of conducting a feasibility study to determine the best possible location for the co-op, and whether it will be stock- or member-driven enterprise.

Junk said the co-op could potentially create five full-time and five part-time jobs, and perhaps more depending on the outcome of the feasibility study, which will determine the size of the venture.

The grant funds will be used to assist with the co-op’s start-up costs, including marketing, administration and the purchase of equipment, inventory, furniture and fixtures.

According to Junk, the tentative location for the co-op is the former VFW Post 47 property on West Main Street in Uniontown, which Fay-Penn purchased in 2012. The Fay-Penn-affiliated Laurel Hill Development Corp. has invested $500,000 to acquire and renovate the 18,000-square-foot building and has committed $200,000 for additional renovations, as well as a $90,000 match for the ARC grant.

“We’re also looking at other pieces of property in Uniontown that could work,” said Junk, “to see what’s feasible economically and location-wise.

“The main thing when opening a market is location,” he emphasized.

A unique component of the new market is the entrepreneurship opportunities it will provide through a mentoring program that will give food-oriented startups a place to learn the ropes of running a business.

“It’s a way for us to start small businesses in the industry,” said Junk, noting that businesses will be able to keep overhead costs low as they operate out of the co-op for up to three years.

Fay-Penn executive director Bob Shark said a that it’s becoming more and more important to people that they know where their food comes from.

“Shopping at this market will allow them to do that while providing an additional outlet for local farmers and entrepreneurs to sell their items” Shark said. “A growing market niche exists for consumers who want the ‘farm to table’ experience.”

Fay-Penn also received a $30,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program that it intends to use to increase the number of consumers purchasing locally grown specialty crops.

The initiative will educate residents about the health benefits of eating locally grown crops and market the sale of local produce, using farmers markets as a means to provide produce on a regular basis.

According to Fay-Penn, the number of farms and land under cultivation in Fayette County has increased since the early 2000s, making agriculture an $11 million local industry. Only about half of the county’s population, however, has access to healthy foods, including fresh fruit and vegetables.

“We’ll be growing the local economy by making our community more nutrition savvy,” said Shark. “Growers should realize increased revenues, and people with improved eating habits should enjoy a healthier lifestyle and see reduced health care costs.”

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