East Tennessee Food Hub

05/09/2026

Hello, Friends of the East Tennessee Food Hub! 👋

Whether you're hoping to shop with us once we launch, or you're a local Producer thinking about joining, we wanted to share an update - we are picking up some real steam! 🏃

- We met with our local USDA representative this week and were awarded a no-match grant, so now necessary purchases to get this Food Hub fully operational can take place very soon! 👏 (Shelving, bins, scale, tablet or laptop to run the Local Food Marketplace software on-site, etc)

- We are close to securing a Point of Sale contract and the needed equipment to accept credit 💳 and debit 💳 on-site (we will of course also be accepting cash 💲)

- Our Tennessee Nonprofit status is still Active and in Good Standing ✅✅ and we'll keep working towards the full 501c3 Nonprofit status through the IRS

- We have a growing number of local Producers who've signed on to sell fresh, local goods through the Food Hub, and we're always looking for more! 👨‍🌾 More Producers means more variety for customers when we open, and it's completely free to participate as a Producer, with no cost or obligation to sign up. 👩‍🌾

- Before we open the online marketplace to the public, we'll be running a number of "dry runs" - limited weekly cycles where a small group of customers place orders, Producers drop off their goods, customers pick up and pay, and Producers get paid. Once these are complete and we can confirm that our processes, software(s), and equipment are running smoothly - next step is: our full LAUNCH! 🎉

🎪 Heritage Days Booth 🎪

We are securing a booth at the Rogersville Heritage Days Festival for the weekend of October 10th and 11th (10am - 6pm) to raise awareness about the Food Hub and connect 🤝 with more Producers and customers.

Stop by to say hello 🙋‍♂️ ask questions ❓ and learn more 💡 about how the Food Hub will work!

And if you're a Producer 👨‍🌾 with homemade items you'd like to donate for us to sell at the booth (with a label and suggested sell price attached), we'd be so grateful - proceeds go straight to the Food Hub's coffers and help us cover operating costs and necessary purchases.

(Homemade food/craft items can include baked goods 🍞 canned vegetables 🥫 jam, jelly, salsa 🌶️ freeze-dried foods, cheese 🧀 butter 🧈 tinctures, soap 🧼 candles 🕯️ etc)

We are very excited about our recent momentum, and can't wait to share more about the Food Hub with everyone at Heritage Days! 😃

Thank you all for your interest and support as we work to bring more local food to our community! ☺️

- Your East Tennessee Food Hub Team

15/05/2026

Hello everyone! We have a small update!

We are continuing to onboard Producers into the Food Hub, and we are working with our Local Food Marketplace software vendor to get our Credit Card Authorization squared away.

Our 🖥 site has been refreshed, and there are two new buttons / forms incorporated in order to help us streamline our processes!

https://easttennesseefoodhub.my.canva.site/

👉 On the 👨‍🌾Farmer page: a Producer Onboarding Questionnaire button that will open a form for you to fill out when you are ready to onboard with us!

Your answers to that questionnaire are all we need to set up your initial storefront, and then we will contact you by email when we are ready for your full inventory list with pricing, which we will also plug into your storefront for you.

Then you'll get a Welcome email and Registration email, and be able to access your own storefront and update products and pricing as OFTEN as you wish!!

👉 On the 🛒Customer page: a Customer Interest and Notification button that will open a form for you to fill out if you are an interested Customer, and would like email updates and a notification 🔔 when we launch the Food Hub!

If you're interested in 🖐 volunteering with the nonprofit Food Hub, click into that same Customer Interest and Notification form, and we can capture your contact information in that last question for volunteers. 😊

We have some pretty big 💪 local Producers already in the list for onboarding, and we're hearing from more Producers that are interested, every day!

We're getting really excited, y'all! 🤩

Send a message to learn more

19/04/2026

We are still onboarding Producers!

Reach out to us at [email protected] or message us here on Facebook to get started with onboarding with our nonprofit Food Hub!

There is Zero Cost associated with being a Producer, so it is literally risk-free!

80% of your storefront will need to be edible (by either human or animal) and the remaining 20% can be "crafts", body products, pet/livestock products, home care products, etc!

Producers set their own prices, and are paid weekly after customer pick-up. 😊

12/04/2026

💥New USDA data just dropped... and it shows something big!💥

Our region (10 counties in East Tennessee plus three in Southwest Virginia) has 8,500 to 10,700 farms! That’s huge!!

But here’s the problem, and opportunity:

🍓 8,500 to 10,700 farms, making this one of the most agriculturally dense rural regions in the state
🍓 Yet only 3 to 7% of farms sell directly to consumers
🍓 Many farms earn under $10,000 annually
🍓 Fruit and vegetable production is extremely limited, often only 1.9 to 2.4% of farms
🍓 Most counties have only ONE farmers market
🍓 Grocery store density is among the lowest in Tennessee
🍓 Several counties have experienced significant farmland loss
🍓 SNAP participation remains high, and healthy food access challenges remain widespread

This means *thousands* of our local farms have no reliable way to reach local buyers, and families have limited access to fresh, locally-grown food.

That’s why the East Tennessee Food Hub exists! We’re building a regional system that:

✔ Helps farmers reach more customers, and earn more
✔ Producers set their price and keep 100% of it
✔ Strengthens rural economies by keeping dollars here
✔ Improves food access for everyone

The data is clear, the need is real, and we’re ready to meet it!

Learn more or get involved:
👉

08/04/2026

Seeking Volunteers! 🤗

We are seeking Volunteers to assist the Food Hub with the following:

🍎 Meeting Producers and checking in their products between 0800 - 1000 each Saturday morning
🍇 Organizing products into dry, cool, and frozen areas in preparation for pickup
🥦 Weighing weight-specific products and adjusting Customer invoices accordingly
🥒 Meeting Customers and gathering products into Customer-specific bundles
🍞 Receiving credit card and EBT/SNAP payments electronically

If you are interested in volunteering with the East Tennessee Food Hub 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, please contact us at: [email protected]

07/04/2026

Another short overview of High Country Food Hub out of Boone, NC - which we will be emulating here at East Tennessee Food Hub!

Food Hubs are non-profits, and help get Local food on Local tables, year-round!

Boone Program Delivers Fresh Food to Rural Communities | ncIMPACT | PBS North Carolina (2.5 mins)

Easy access to fresh and nutritious food can be a challenge for those living in rural communities. The High Country Food Hub in Boone connects more than 70 f...

07/04/2026

Informative overview video from High Country Food Hub. This is what we're replicating at East Tennessee Food Hub!

Checking Out The High Country Food Hub (3 mins)

QC Life’s Jordan Sawyers has more on this unique farmers market. For more Local News from WBTV: https://www.wbtv.com/ For more YouTube Content: https://ww...

07/04/2026

Here's another informative video from High Country Food Hub, showing how the pickup process works (and how we will replicate at our Food Hub):

How to Pick Up Your Food Hub Order in Boone (2 mins)

Congratulations on placing your first order for fresh local foods and products through highcountryfoodhub.org. The High Country Food Hub is operated by Blue ...

07/04/2026

The video below originates from a neighboring and very high-functioning Food Hub (High Country Food Hub, out of Boone, NC), which demonstrates exactly what we intend to replicate at the East Tennessee Food Hub!

Their videos are short, well-made, and wonderfully informative! ☺️

Please give these a watch, and then let us know if you're ready to join the team as a Producer!

And remember - it's always 100% free to be a Producer in the Food Hub, and You set your own prices!

High Country Food Hub: From Harvest to Table (1.5 mins)

Local Food Just Got Closer: From Farm to Hub to your Food Hub orderOrder at HighCountryFoodHub.org

06/03/2026

How does the online Food Hub marketplace work, as a Producer?

The Local Food Marketplace platform that the Food Hub uses lets Producers sell their products efficiently. This setup gives Producers (farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders) tools to manage listings, track sales, and reach Customers without building their own full e-commerce site.

As a Producer, here's how it works step-by-step:

🥦 Apply and Onboard: Contact the Food Hub. You'll submit details about your farm, products, practices (ex: organic, sustainable), including any certifications, insurance, and/or any food safety records you may hold. The Food Hub requires an agreement to their guidelines. Onboarding includes training on the platform (even if you're not super digital-savvy, we will help get you started).

🥦 Set Up Your Producer Account: Once approved, you get access to a Producer dashboard (via website or mobile app). You create your profile (farm story, photos, practices), add products with details like descriptions, photos, pricing, pack sizes, availability windows throughout the year, and any labels (ex: pasture-raised, heirloom, etc). It's Producer-led, so you decide what to list and at what price.

🥦 Update Availability and Inventory: On a regular weekly schedule, you log in to post what's ready for sale (quantities, harvest dates, and any notes (ex: limited supply). This creates the "store" inventory that Customers see.

🥦 Products Go Live in the Marketplace: Your items appear in the Food Hub's online catalog alongside other Producers' products. Customers (individuals, restaurants, schools, grocers) browse, see farm details for transparency, and place orders during open windows.

🥦 Orders Come In: You get notifications of orders (often real-time or daily summaries). The Marketplace platform generates tools like harvest lists, packing labels, pick lists, or invoices to help you prepare.

🥦 Fulfill and Drop Off: Harvest/pack your items as you specified in your product listings. Drop them off at the designated aggregation site: Amis Mill Trading Post. The Food Hub handles aggregation (combining from multiple Producers), quality checks, packing for orders, and other logistics.

🥦 Get Paid: After orders are picked up, the Food Hub processes payments from Customers. They deduct a small commission/fee (to cover operations, marketing, and logistics), then pay you promptly via direct deposit or check. You get reports on sales, trends, and data to help plan future production.

Benefits for you as a Producer include:

🥕 Access to more Customers (direct consumers plus wholesale/institutional) without individual marketing or multiple deliveries

🥕 Less time on sales/logistics; focus on farming while the Food Hub handles aggregation and distribution

🥕 Better prices and volume through pooled supply, meeting larger demands

🥕 Data insights (sales reports) to adjust what you grow

🥕 Increases your visibility and local networking