In 2019, Mt. Pulaski was one of 15 communities nationwide to be awarded a Local Food, Local Places Grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency. This program focused on a planning process facilitated by experts from the EPA to examine how food can be used as an economic driver in those communities. This planning process resulted in three goals: establishing a community garden (launched in 2020), opening a cooperative grocery store (also launched in 2020), and developing a food hub. Ultimately, there were more unknowns and larger ambitions for the food hub, but after another year and a half of planning, the FarmFED Co-op is the result. 

 

In March 2020, the Economic Development & Planning Board (EDPB) of Mt. Pulaski hired two local farmers to research the food hub concept and put together a proposal. This period of research and development showed that the community was most willing and able to establish a fresh food processing facility that would buy produce from local growers, process and freeze it, and sell it to larger local buyers such as schools and hospitals. The facility would contain a produce processing line and a licensed commercial kitchen.

They also determined that there was the most interest in forming this entity as a cooperative. After 9 months of planning, EDPB approved the business proposal and gave the green light for more funding to continue the planning process (see “Enel and EDPB” for more information on how this process was funded).

 

In 2024, after several years of pursuing varied tactics, FarmFED made significant progress toward achieving its goals. It:

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• Received a $148,000 grant award from the Local Food Infrastructure Program in addition to ongoing significant support from the Mt. Pulaski Economic Development and Planning Board, and its long-time corporate partner, Enel Group.

• Purchased and renovated a facility on the town square in Mount Pulaski for operations - which the Co-op now owns debt-free.

• Installed a licensed commercial kitchen in its new facility.

• Recommitted the organization to its goal of extending the seasonability of our fresh produce through processing and flash freezing of the product.

• Continued to build relationships and partnerships in the Local Foods Movement.

 

Now, in 2025 - the work done the past several years have positioned FarmFED to begin achieving its initial goals and setting news ones - all designed to move it closer to accomplishing its Mission. See: Our Goals.