- See the results of this project:
- Conduct functionality and financial assessments for a multipurpose food hub
- Engage with the local food community to garner a better understanding of specific, unique needs that a Ketchikan Agricultural Producers Association (KAPA) multipurpose food facility located in the Ketchikan Gateway will address, such as warehousing, value-added processing, and freight consolidation services for inbound and outbound product
- Assess local and regional produce supply (via KAPA growers and other partners/suppliers) to gauge quantity and quality of produce items for various B2B channels (restaurant groups, institutions, nonprofits); review diversity of crops as well as new growing methods, e.g. hydroponics, to support cultivation of additional crops
- Assess additional aggregation and distribution issues (beyond freight consolidation), competition issues, standardization of product, and other logistical barriers to success, with special focus paid to the challenges associated with these isolated island communities
- Interview key community organizations as well as a diverse sampling of potential customers and other stakeholders to refine specific needs; create map of relevant food ecosystem partners for collaboration
- Determine core components for and scale of the physical space, e.g., size of refrigeration, freezer, and dry storage space; size and type of processing kitchen(s); facility capacity; loading docks; office space; and more
- Report on additional infrastructure required for flash freezing, canning, and bottling solutions and help KAPA assess investment costs and potential revenue returns at different scales of production.
- Assess potential to increase geographic reach via hub networking, satellite hubs, and/or other logistics solutions
- Develop a preliminary budget and line items that reflect physical space and revenue streams, and forecasted expenses for each revenue channel
- Utilize findings to develop phases II and III
Deliverable: Feasibility summary report highlighting financial and logistical feasibility of a KAPA Food Hub