Bountiful harvests impact bottom line: Muskoka North Good Food Co-op
Project at a Glance
- Installed in February 2023 in Huntsville, Ontario.
- Project goal: Generate extra revenue for the grocery store while providing more meaningful job opportunities in the area and a better product for its members.
- Distribution model: Produce is sold at the Co-op’s grocery store and bundled as a “Bounty Box” for weekly subscribers to pick up.
- Impact: The Co-op saw an increase in customers since starting the initiative and saved on distribution costs to positively impact their bottom line. Funders enthusiastically support the Co-op and its plans to continue.
- Operator: One lead operator plans and manages the farm’s production and store staff and co-op members occasionally volunteer for shifts to help with larger tasks like harvesting.
“It was just a really tangible solution to something that we felt was going to become a growing problem with food access.”
Meeting customer demand year-round
The co-op hosted a grand opening event to announce the start of the project within the community.
One of the main mandates for Muskoka North Good Food Co-operative was to create better food access in Huntsville, Ontario, a rural town located three hours north of Toronto. The store supported local producers and farmers in the area by stocking fresh produce in their store whenever possible.
However, the store identified a gap where for 7 to 8 months of the year they were unable to get an abundant supply of locally produced fresh greens from local producers. They were still sourcing as much as they could, but their reputation for good food meant that customer demand was consistently high.
Kelli Ebbs, general manager and one of the founding members of the co-op, started researching ways to mitigate the shortage to meet the needs of members and customers.
Ebbs found Growcer online and started their diligence process by engaging with Growcer’s current customers and the team at large to see what was involved in procuring and operating a modular hydroponic farm, and the benefits it could bring to their community.
“It was just a really tangible solution to something that we felt was going to become a growing problem with food access,” Ebbs says.
The modular farm arrived at their site, just off Ontario Highway 11, in February 2023 and sits 50 metres away from the retail store.
Taking ownership over production
Muskoka North Good Food Co-op uses their Growcer farm to grow buttercrunch lettuce, monte carlo lettuce, wildfire lettuce mix, spinach, toscano kale, arugula, and genovese basil.
“Our customers are saying that the lettuce we’re producing here is the best lettuce they’ve ever had,” Ebbs shares.
Most compliments that the Co-op receives are on the shelf life of their store-grown produce. Some customers have shared that the produce can last 2 to 3 weeks in their fridges and still be viable and delicious to eat.
Because the farm sits at a walking distance from the retail store, no distribution costs are added to the bottom line. Ebbs explains that this allows them to offer their store-grown greens at a more affordable price than what they were when they were bringing in produce from California and Southern Ontario.
“We’re meeting our goals to put good food into the hands of more people where we live,” Ebbs says.
During some weeks, the Co-op harvests on Wednesday and sells out by Saturday.
“We have one farm and it’s still not enough,” Ebbs says. “We’re needing to even do more than we’re doing, but we haven’t bought any lettuce from out-of-country since we’ve started the Growcer project.”
“I think that it’s inevitable if you’re maximizing your production and things are going to plan that your project will be a profitable project,” Ebbs continues.
The mayor of Huntsville (second from the left) stands next to Deven Graham-Smith, the farm operator and volunteer from the Ontario Trillium Foundation who helped support Muskoka's food project.
Customers tell the operator how much they love the kale and getting involved in the production planning process by sharing their desire to try out new varieties.
Meaningful job creation
Muskoka North Good Food Co-op is also deeply involved in meaningful job creation in their community. It’s a small store with a dedicated team where everyone lends a hand across all functions, whether it be the greenhouse, kitchen, store, and now their Growcer farm.
For their modular farm, one lead operator plans and manages the farm’s production and store staff and co-op members occasionally volunteer for shifts to help with larger tasks like harvesting. This increases skills development in the community and offers more ways for members to get involved.
Deven Graham-Smith is the lead hydroponic Growcer technician and shares that being an operator is different than he expected coming from a traditional horticulture background, and is rewarding and enjoyable.
“The biggest thing for me is being able to see just how the town has come around and be excited to have this in the community,” Graham-Smith says.
“The biggest thing for me is being able to see just how the town has come around and be excited to have this in the community.”
Graham-Smith shares he likes interacting with customers or members who volunteer, and hearing their feedback on what he’s growing. Customers tell him how much they love the kale and getting involved in the production planning process by sharing their desire to try out new varieties.
Store staff, in particular one of Good Food’s chefs, have taken an interest in helping Graham-Smith in the Growcer farm and learning more about what it takes to grow fresh produce hydroponically.
Graham-Smith received training from the Growcer team and regularly connects with the Customer Success team to ensure everything is running smoothly. Ebbs explains that Growcer’s expertise has been invaluable to have while launching a new project like this.
“I know that when transitions are happening within [the farm], that the Growcer team will be our constant,” Ebbs says.
“We really do feel like being able to create jobs while creating an incredible product for hundreds of people, it’s [a] win-win for everybody,” Ebbs shares.
“We really do feel like being able to create jobs while creating an incredible product for hundreds of people, it’s [a] win-win for everybody.”
Making it your own - Hub Unit and Mural
Muskoka North Good Food Co-op purchased a farm and a Farm Hub Unit, because they knew they wanted the extra space to work from day one. Having the Farm Hub Unit allows the store to scale with demand and eventually add more farms because the infrastructure for expansion is already in place.
The Hub also positively impacts plant health by adding an extra physical barrier to the outdoors and decreases pest pressure.
“The Hub unit is nice. You have this second vestibule here that’s kinda like this buffer, before you get into the farm, for pests and all kinds of other things coming in,” Graham-Smith explains.
In addition to positively impacting production, the Co-op’s Farm Hub also became a canvas for a local artist.
The Co-op commissioned Kyle Joedicke, a Cayuga (Turtle Clan) Indigenous artist from the Six Nations of The Grand River reserve, to paint a mural on the Farm Hub. The main goal was to shed light on what was happening inside the farm which, as a blank modular unit, wasn’t apparent from the outside.
“My primary inspiration for this mural was connecting the concepts of sustainable, organic agricultural techniques used in the Co-op to the legacy of Indigenous knowledge surrounding farming and medicinal plant life. Depicted in the mural are specific plants such as tobacco and strawberries that are used for a variety of ceremonies at different times of year, as well as for healing one’s body,” Joedicke told MuskokaRegion.com about the design.
For Ebbs, it was a great way to make the project their own and communicate the farm’s story on the farm itself.
In addition to selling good food, Muskoka North Good Food Co-op has a Nourishing Seniors program which functions similarly to a Meals on Wheels, providing nutritious frozen prepared meals. Plus, the Co-op hosts special events like Feast the Harvest, a street food festival highlighting local chefs and musicians.
They also offer workshops like tasting workshops, beekeeping, garlic planting, and garden planning. Subsidies are offered for all their workshops to ensure that the Co-op remains an accessible space and offers a sense of belonging to the community.
The Co-op commissioned Kyle Joedicke, a Cayuga (Turtle Clan) Indigenous artist from the Six Nations of The Grand River reserve, to paint a mural on the Farm Hub. The main goal was to shed light on what was happening inside the farm which, as a blank modular unit, wasn’t apparent from the outside.
Results
The response from the community has been positive—with spillover benefits for the funders that supported the project early on.
“It’s been really amazing seeing the response from our funders when they are coming now to visit and see what we’re actually doing here. I can see their hearts also exploding with joy that this is actually successful and it’s being embraced by the community and that their investment in us has already worked,” Ebbs shares.
“It’s really fulfilling seeing all the customers coming in and saying what they’re saying, seeing Deven and the other staff members thriving in their roles, seeing the bottom line picking up for us, and just knowing that we’re nourishing our community with this food.”
“It’s been really amazing seeing the response from our funders when they are coming now to visit. I can see their hearts exploding with joy that this is actually successful and it’s being embraced by the community and that their investment in us has already worked.”
Highlights
Fresh produce is available year-round for Co-op members.
Muskoka North Good Food Co-op noticed an increase in customers since starting the initiative.
With their Growcer farm only 50 metres away, the retail store has been able to save on distribution costs and supply chain fluctuations that come from sourcing produce from down south.
Co-op members have the opportunity to volunteer in the hydroponic modular farm in addition to the greenhouse and garden.