by Rob | Aug 26, 2016
Kymm Mutch is a pioneer in farm-to-school sourcing. She will be a Discussion Catalyst at Local Orbit’s upcoming workshop, Transparency, Collaboration & Shared Value in Local Food Economies, November 7-9 in Ann Arbor.
As the Administrator of School Nutrition Services for Milwaukee Public Schools, Kymm developed farm-to-school sourcing and honed her expertise in USDA meal program administration, procurement, community education, group facilitation and supply chain development.
Currently, she is the VP of Products and Services for Food Service Management Solutions. Kymm also consults with farmers, processers, and food hubs to design sustainable local supply chains through Mutch Better Foods.
We asked Kymm about the challenges and opportunities in local procurement for K-12 Schools.
Kymm Mutch
What’s the biggest challenge you see for schools purchasing local food?
The biggest challenge for schools purchasing local food is a fundamental understanding of the value of making local purchases. Many food service operators really don’t feel they have the knowledge about available local products, lack the time to do research, are fearful of product cost and are unclear how local foods can fit into the USDA meal pattern guidelines. The meal pattern guidelines of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) were designed to encourage fresher produce and items made from scratch while at the same time creating more specific mandates for menu components. For some school food service staff, they avoid local and scratch made items for the security of packaged, Child Nutrition (CN) labeled products. As food service staff become more comfortable with the guidelines, they are more willing to venture out into locally sourced, fresh foods that may take some preparation.
What has evolved in local food procurement over the past 5-10 years?
The use of a Request for Information (RFI) to find out what products local suppliers have, their capacity to meet the school food criteria and the ability to educate students and the community about their local products. This first step starts a conversation between supplier, processor, distributor and school district to better understand each other’s role in the supply chain and to be more clear about how all players need to collaborate to build the new paradigm.
Proper procurement is a very big topic for schools, state agencies and the USDA. New regulations and guidelines are being taught to school food service personnel for standard procurement and monitored under USDA meal program reviews. New guidelines for small dollar purchases that are typical of farm to school activities offer new opportunities when used carefully. All of this offers new opportunities and potential for misunderstandings.
What lessons have you learned from your work on supply chain development with food hubs and suppliers?
The USDA meal programs offer opportunities for connections to local hubs that help shape future purchases. Suppliers who understand the budget that schools are working within find opportunities like produce seconds, under-used portions of chicken (drumsticks and thighs) and coordinating institutional buyers to create a steady demand. They might not make farmer’s market prices, but their cost of doing business may actually be less. The up front work that is needed to supply products to the USDA meal program is intense, but once established, it is pretty straightforward and provides a long term, larger volume, year over year relationship that can be fiscally and socially rewarding.
As a former hub camp participant, how did that experience influence and change your work?
Hub camp helped me to shape the tenants of my business, move from my background of working in a non-profit setting into thinking about how to be cost effective and fiscally careful. I also was amazed at the people that attended, loved hearing about the things they were trying, how they were creatively problem solving and how willing they were to help each other grow their respective businesses. The caliber of speakers was outstanding, the variety of experience in class participants was inspiring and I formed relationships which I continue to network with three years later.
What makes you hopeful about the local food system?
Young people and people who are young at heart that are willing to try something new, bring a wealth of knowledge to a pretty traditional business and see new ways of moving forward that discards the not useful and focuses on the problems that need to be solved. So much of the local food system is built on relationships, trust and a desire to create change for the better and/or leave a legacy. It feels like people working to build the local food system have their values aligned with striving for the greater good.
Is there one thing institutional foodservice operators can do today to increase local purchasing?
Because most institutional food service operators must function in a structured procurement system, they need to learn to rewrite their product specifications for local varieties and ask the suppliers to share their stories so that food service operators can use them for marketing. And lastly, they need to work together. Institutional food service rarely has competition with other institutional food service operations. Work together, align their specifications and then go to the market with a unified request. This takes time, engagement and willingness to learn. The rewards are quality food, economic impact in their community, and a powerful story to tell.
You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with Kymm, along with a stellar group of supply chain innovators, at Local Orbit’s workshop, Transparency, Collaboration & Shared Value in Local Food Economies, November 7-9. Apply now!
by Rob | Aug 23, 2016
Transparency, Collaboration & Shared Value in Local Food Economies
A Workshop for Supply Chain Problem Solvers – November 7-9 in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Conferences can be useful, but for collaborative learning and problem solving, we find that small, interactive workshops are more effective. Local Orbit’s workshops focus on peer-to-peer learning and networking – and they’re powerful.
Prior to founding Local Orbit, I worked as a theatre director. Many people wonder how my theatre career relates to founding and running a supply chain platform company. It’s pretty simple: my work as a director was about bringing together really talented, interesting people and creating space that enabled them to do their best work. Connect people and let them create together. That’s how magic happens in the rehearsal studio.
Local Orbit’s workshops are designed with similar principles in mind. We bring together talented, interesting people and create a space that enables them to learn, teach, collaborate, solve problems, recharge, get inspired and build lasting partnerships.
Everyone has an opportunity to work collaboratively with other attendees on their business challenges. Everyone has unique knowledge that might be helpful to other participants.
Our workshop speakers are discussion catalysts, coaches, and mentors who will share their experience, ask questions and spearhead conversations. They’re invited because of their specific experience and expertise, but they are also participants and learners who have an opportunity to explore their own business challenges.
We’ll be highlighting an impressive group of catalysts in the coming weeks. But this workshop – Transparency, Collaboration & Shared Value in Local Food Economies – is equally about the attendees and the
collaborative learning experience. That’s why we have a selective application process, to ensure the right mix of engaged participants for each session.
Collaborative learning involves actively working together to discover new information, understand a new idea, solve a problem, or design a process. It relies on social and peer-to-peer engagement rather than top-down models where a single expert shares their knowledge.
Sounds a lot like building a collaborative supply chain with shared value for everyone, right?
Interesting Reading: A New Culture of Learning, by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown: The 21st century is a world in constant change. Thomas and Brown explore how the forces of change inspire and invite us to imagine a future of learning that is as powerful as it is optimistic.
by Rob | Aug 19, 2016
Local Orbit CEO Erika Block is giving a Change Talk as part of the Business Doing It Right track at this year’s Change Food Festival in New York. This interview with Brittany Barton originally appeared on the Change Food Fest Blog.
How do you define local food? And what is its role in a sustainable food system?
Local is an ethic, more than a geographic constraint. It’s transparent – you know who produced it and where it came from.
It comes from the closest possible distance – which can vary, depending on where you live and the products you’re buying. Think about a bulls-eye: aim for the center but make choices as the target radiates out.
Local means the story stays with the food and consumers know it – the story of the farm, where and how they produce the food, how they treat their workers.
The supply chain provides equitable value to all partners. If it’s not a direct sale, the producer keeps a fair share of the final dollar.
How can local food meet the demand of a growing population?
I think the connection between food production and population growth is artificial. We have more than enough food. Much of it is wasted. We have a distribution and communication problem – not a food problem.
Every day we hear stories of food being tilled into fields un-harvested because producers can’t access a viable market. There are seconds that aren’t being sold.
At the same time, many of the institutions we work with say they can’t get enough of what they need from local suppliers.
There’s a lack of communication across the supply chain. Buyers and suppliers are working in silos. Local food can meet growing demand with effective supply and demand planning and data-driven collaboration within local and regional food economies.
What motivated you to launch Local Orbit and how is it impacting our food economy?
My background is in theatre. I was a playwright, director and producer for 12 years prior to Local Orbit. I co-founded and ran a non-profit arts organization, produced cross-sector events in the US, Great Britain and South Africa. I co-created, directed and produced 15 plays and led the renovation of a vacant building in Detroit into a theater, gallery and bar (where we worked with vendors to source local food for events).
I was inspired to create Local Orbit through a series of interviews I conducted for a project on the History of Eating. I spent time with people in fields, barns, warehouses, processing facilities, delivery trucks, kitchens, offices, cafeterias and restaurants. I talked to policy makers, business owners, food writers and nutritionists. And as I saw what was happening, I identified the need for a platform that could support the new and evolving businesses and innovators who are transforming our food system.
My work as a director and producer was about bringing together really talented people and creating space that enabled them to do their best work. Connect people and let them create together. That’s how magic happens in the rehearsal studio, which turns into great art.
And it’s what I focus on as I build a company. My job as a CEO is to bring motivated, talented people to Local Orbit, and create an environment for them to do their best work, so they can create great tools and services, which in turn enable our customers to do their best work as they build their businesses.
Local Orbit’s platform provides tools, data and access to new trading partners, which drive growth in local food economies.
Currently, we support 12,000 buyers and suppliers across 90 local marketplaces in North America. From 2014-15 we saw 560% growth in sales to local suppliers through our platform. We’re on track to see at 350% growth from for 2016.
For Local Orbit, what types of transportation systems do you have in place between food suppliers and institutions?
To be clear – we don’t get involved with delivery or distribution. We provide a communications and transaction infrastructure, and we work with institutions, distributors and producers to optimize their regional transportation networks.
What do you think is the greatest challenge that local food producers face?
There are many – but I’ll focus on those who are established enough to be making a basic living at it already:
Understanding appropriate scale for their operations, based on both personal and business goals – and how to achieve it.
This challenge touches on production, distribution, management, economics, geography – and collaboration. It relates to networks….
Who or what inspires you most in the good food movement right now?
It’s exciting to work in a space where there’s so much demand. And I love the innovation and evolution that’s happening as people try to figure out how to meet this demand—which really means changing the food industry, whether through new production methods and technologies, or by creating transparent, new supply chains.
I really enjoy working with the scrappy, independent entrepreneurs who use Local Orbit’s platform or attend our workshops. They aren’t afraid to test and make mistakes and adapt. They’re people who get stuff done, no matter what the obstacles. They solve problems every week, they have ambitious long-term goals, but they break it down into incremental steps.
I’m seeing a lot of evolution, as well – as the food hubs, producers and institutions we work with move from start-up to “second stage” challenges (a lot like Local Orbit, in fact). It’s gone from a movement to an emergent industry – and that’s important. People are finding economic viability.
What is one thing an average person can do to help change the food system?
When you cook: Use ingredients that come from a farmer/rancher/fisher you know, as often as possible, and you will change the food system. Whether that’s directly from the producer, or through a grocery story or other outlet.
When you don’t cook: Purchase foods prepared from a food maker you know, or eat a restaurant where the chef/servers can tell you where the ingredients come from.
I really believe in the power of story to help us make decisions. Knowing the who and how and where. Change happens when we’re informed and engaged.
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The Change Food Fest “Growing the Good Food Movement” will take place in New York City on November 12 and 13, 2016. We will explore and celebrate change happening in the food system. Rather than simply talk about problems, we will actively look at solutions that are leading us to the sustainable food system we wish to see. Our focus will be on both real and visionary change and will include an exploration into seafood, plant based vs meat diets, possible impacts of new businesses and investment money coming into the food space – and much more. Join us – #CFFest2016! You can purchase a ticket or host a viewing party of the live webcast in your local community.
by Rob | Jul 29, 2016
Local Orbit supports 12,000 buyers and suppliers across North America who do business in 85 local markets. As our CTO Andy Bass has written, “Local Orbit generates millions of transactions on a daily basis, across all aspects of the order to cash process – from selecting suppliers, to managing products, to placing orders, tracking the delivery process, and so on. Each of these activities contains tiny pieces of information, that when taken together as a collection, add up to valuable insight to industry trends and customer habits.”
Understanding the data they create helps businesses make better decisions and, ultimately, transform and sustain local supply chains. We’ll be sharing high-level insights from our network on a regular basis to help people understand what’s happening in this growing space.
Top Revenue Drivers for Food Producers across the Local Orbit Network – May-July 2016
Whole animals – grass-fed cows, heritage breed hogs, and pastured chickens – were the top-selling items across the country in the past 90 days, driven by markets in the Northeastern US and Canada.
When you break down sales by region, they get more diverse. Strawberries, asparagus, and peaches drove the most revenue to farmers in the Western US and Canada. Pastured eggs, lettuce mixes, and artisan bread topped the list in the Midwest.
Understand the Story of Your Organization’s Data
If you’d like to dig deeper, we’ve just launched a custom dashboard and visualization service that enables food buyers, suppliers, and regional partners to measure what they’ve done, track where they’re going, and plan for the future. Dashboards can help you establish benchmarks; track progress toward local/sustainable procurement goals; forecast demand and sales; develop pricing strategies; analyze network capacity; assess impact; and more.
The data service works as either an add-on to Local Orbit’s sales and business management tools, or as a standalone dashboard to connect and visualize data from any source. Talk to Us About the Beta.
Map icons by Clockwise, Creative Stall, Yair Cohen, Franc, Jarem Frye and Christopher Scott from thenounproject.com
by Rob | Jun 17, 2016
Last week, I, along with Stacy Kannawin from the Local Orbit team, attended the 2016 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Madison, WI and it was inspiring! The theme of “Moving Forward Together” was prevalent throughout the words of the keynote speakers and the content and discussions of the workshops & lightning talks. We met with a wide range of attendees from foodservice directors, to farmers, to policy makers and many other folks that are working hard to get fresh, locally grown food into cafeterias across the country.
We heard from a diverse range of speakers who spoke about some of the key challenges, issues and successes experienced by those working to shift more local food into cafeterias. Some of the highlights:
Debra Eschmeyer, Let’s Move!
Debra Eschmeyer, Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition in the Office of the First Lady at the White House, spoke about the important progress that is being made on Farm to Cafeteria initiatives and the efforts of the First Lady Michelle Obama to implement policies that help keep the momentum going.
Ricardo Salvador, Director and Senior Scientist, Food & Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists spoke eloquently about the need to work towards creating “a food movement driving the creation of integrated food systems, that will nourish thriving land and people and can unite us by drawing upon our vision, diversity and creativity.”
Hearing these dedicated folks speaking about these issues reminds me of the incredible progress that has been made–and also about work that still needs to be done to help reshape our local food systems. Another theme that was threaded throughout each discussion was the need for more information and tools. We heard from foodservice directors about the many barriers they face in trying to source locally. We heard from suppliers and food hubs that want to sell to institutions, but don’t know how to get started.
It was encouraging to see that there are many organizations working to support both producers and foodservice buyers through a variety of initiatives. We learned about state extension offices facilitating Group GAP certifications and we heard how foodservice directors are finding creative ways to offer fresh, local foods in their cafeterias. We learned about how organizations such as Healthcare Without Harm, Real Food Challenge and School Food FOCUS are collaborating to leverage their collective power to transform local supply chains. And the most fun initiative of all, the Great Apple Crunch, which encourages schools to “crunch” into local apples on the same day and time to show support for local foods.
Producers, distributor and Foodservice Operators need tools and resources to help them grow their local food systems, and Local Orbit’s priority is to help make these resources widely available, through our online tools, resources such as The Local Food Distribution Toolkit, as well as our consulting and training services.
Photo credit: Chelsey Simpson
We are excited to continue discussions from the Farm to Cafeteria Conference as Local Orbit plans the next iteration of its acclaimed Hub Camps. We’re taking what we’ve learned from our first five Hub Camps and continued work with food hubs, distribution entrepreneurs, and institutional purchasers and applying this to Hub Camp 2.0 – Transparency, Collaboration & Shared Value in Local Food Economies. We’re adding new curriculum designed to support growing food hubs and non-commercial foodservice professionals working to expand their local sourcing impact, as well as food banks and Feeding America partners who are exploring their role in local distribution.
I’d like to thank The National Farm to School Network for their hard work to make this conference a valuable learning experience. I walked away with a deeper understanding of the challenges that foodservice directors and farmers face, which I can integrate into my work as Local Orbit’s Product Manager, with a responsibility for developing tools and services to re-link local food systems. Events like the 2016 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference give us the opportunity to step out of the daily work of running a business and hear people’s stories which, in turn, gives us a better understanding of how we can best support them in our daily work. We look forward to supporting the continuing momentum as we move forward together.
